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I’m excited to report Omnific Publishing has accepted my Young Adult novel, currently titled Against the Tide. YA is hot right now, and I hope to attract some new readers via this genre. The story is a military murder mystery combining my loves of swimming, dysfunctional families, redemption, and healing.

Writing YA is a bit different from writing adult novels. Please visit Megan’s blog Reading Away the Days where I discuss those differences. We’re giving away an e-book from The Conduct Series!

Today I have a special guest, Nicki Elson, talking about her fun and sexy 80’s romp Three Daves. This novel has a beautiful new cover and we want to tell you all about the story! Take it away, Nicki:

Since the main character in my novel Three Daves is named Jen, I thought it would be fun to have three Jens host a guest post for each of the Daves. Lucky for me, I know three lovely Jens who readily agreed, including the darling Jennifer Lane. 🙂 This Jen read Three Daves and posted a marvelous review a few months ago (you’ll note that I’ve gotten a rockin’ new book cover since then. :)). Thanks, Jen!

The first Dave we meet in the story is David, our sensitive loner. He’s Mr. Alternative and endears himself to Jen with mix tapes featuring bands such as The Cure, Echo and the Bunnymen, and The Replacements. He’s the one who rescued her from Top 100 bands like Hall & Oates and Wham (not that there’s anything wrong with that), and he’s the one she knew as a friend before they became something more.

As far as looks go, he’s your average looking dude on first glance. But the attraction grows the more you get to know him. Since Three Daves takes place on a 1980s college campus, I’m casting an imaginary movie with 1980s actors. From the bits and pieces I’ve told you of David, who do you think could’ve portrayed him best on the silver screen?

In case you didn’t know, Omnific Publishing is having a Back-to-School Sale. Throughout September, Three Daves and other school-related titles are only only 99 cents in Kindle, Nook, eBook and ePub! If you’re a book reviewer in the U.S., you can sign up for the paper book tour hosted by A Tale of Many Reviews.

Thanks for stopping by! 🙂

You can meet Dave (#2) at Jen Daiker’s Unedited blog on Monday, Sept. 12 and Big D (#3) at Jennifer DeLucy’s blog on Wednesday, Sept. 14.

Time for the Omnific Blog Bounce. Go HERE for instructions.

Today I’m interviewing author Jessica Subject. I met her through her great blog Mark of the Stars and really enjoyed her short story Celestial Seduction (see my review HERE.) The story reminded me a little of the Jeff Bridges movie Starman.

Simply leave a comment on this blog to enter the giveaway for your own copy of Celestial Seduction! The giveaway ends Friday 9/9/11.

Jennifer Lane (JL): Welcome to the blog, Jessica! I’m intrigued by your journey to publication. How did you become a writer?

Jessica Subject (JS): Thank you for having me, Jennifer! 🙂 I was on maternity leave with my second child with my first child in school. My oldest was learning how to read, but struggling and fighting with us every day. I thought if I could write a book about something she was interested in, it might give her more encouragement to read. The story I started for her turned into something more geared for adults, so I ended up writing a different book for her about her stuffed unicorn. I also continued with the other story and haven’t stopped writing since then. Through twitter, facebook and following author and agent blogs, I’ve learned so much, including the importance of a critique group. And now that I’m published, I continue to learn, but my group of teachers has expanded to include more authors, my editor and publisher.

JL: What a great story about starting your writing career. I read in your bio that aliens formerly scared you but writing about them has endeared you to all things extraterrestrial. Tell us more!

JS: I wasn’t always afraid of aliens, but a couple movies (The Arrival and Signs) had me paranoid that aliens were hiding in the dark recesses of the farmhouse I used to live at. But I realized not all alien movies included alien out to abduct humans, including my favorite superhero, Superman. I got over it and made the aliens in my fiction fun. I mean, no matter how hard we speculate what life on other planets is like and why they would visit Earth, we truly don’t know.

JL: Oo, Signs was indeed creepy. What’s your favorite book about aliens? Favorite movie?

JS: My favorite alien series would have to be that by Gini Koch. Of the three published so far, I think they’re all great and can’t say I like one over the other. Even in alien movies, I have so many favorites, including Star Trek (2009), Avatar, Men In Black and Independence Day.

JL: Celestial Seduction features a “one-night-stand” dating service. I know you’re married with kids–what’s been your experience with internet dating? (Perhaps laughing at your single friends’ experiences?)

JS: Honestly, I’ve never used the internet for anything more than flirting with people I already knew when I was still single. The internet and dating services have come a long was since then. I don’t plan on being in the position to date again, but I’d still be reluctant to arrange a date over the internet. I’ve heard good and bad stories. I have made some great friends though and hope to meet them in the future.

JL: How would friends describe your personality?

JS: Busy. Most people ask me how I do everything that I do, including find time to write, but it has to be this way for me or else I’ll go crazy or maybe I’m already there. After all, I do have voices in my head. I call them characters. 🙂

JL: Celestial Seduction is a short story. How did you choose the length of the story? What do you like about short stories?

JS: I wrote this story with the intentions of submitting it to Decadent Publishing for their 1 Night Stand series. According to their detail sheet, submissions must be 7-12K words. It was a challenge for me to write a short story though as everything I’d written before had been at least 50K. I learned a lot along the way and continue to write short novellas.

JL: What’s next for you on the writing horizon?

JS: I have another 1 Night Stand story coming soon from Decadent Publishing called Beneath the Starry Sky. There is a common character in both stories, but they are separate stories. I also have several other projects on the go.

JL: Thanks for visiting, Jessica.

JS: Thanks for having me, Jennifer! I appreciate your support.

Readers, go out and get your copy of this fantastic story! Jessica is helping you by giving away an e-book of Celestial Seduction for commenting on this post through 9/9/11.

I hope those of you in the northern hemisphere are having a happy ending to your summer. I’m in denial about the last days of my favorite season, defiantly planning a pool party for this weekend. Take that, September!

Speaking of happy endings, I definitely prefer them in novels. I don’t need everything tidied up in neat perfection, but I do want to feel some sense of hope at the end, especially if the author has tortured the characters (as I like to do).

Recently I finished the popular novel Little Bee by Chris Cleave. The story covered some painful territory, including death and torture in Nigeria, and I was hoping for some kind of meaningful, hopeful ending. Unfortunately my hopes were dashed. It was a very well-written novel but the less than satisfying ending made me view the story less positively. See my review HERE.

How about you? What kind of endings do you prefer?

Today Omnific Publishing is hosting a new blog hop, celebrating several events, including the release of Patricia Leever’s Cat O’ Nine Tails, the Back-to-School $.99 sale, and the new cover of Nicki Elson’s Three Daves. Hooray! Please join in.

Did you know you can invite your favorite author to your book club? Galleycat, a great publishing website, has made it possible to connect with authors. If the author’s local, invite her to attend your book club to discuss her book. If the author doesn’t live nearby, invite him to do a Skype chat!

Check it out HERE.

I know I’ve signed up on Galleycat, and I’ll try to make it to Ohio-area book clubs that invite me. In fact, any book club that chooses With Good Behavior or Bad Behavior will receive a free package from me including a book and swag!

There are already questions prepared for book club discussions on the “Book Club” tab on the menu above.

Authors: Fill out this easy Facebook form to sign up.

To follow up on my post from last week, our book club had a really fun time at my condo last week, discussing the book Half-Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls. The blueberry cupcakes turned out pretty well and I ended up choosing the book Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard for next month’s read. (Too bad Ms. Howard hasn’t signed up on Galleycat). I hope everyone enjoys the romantic suspense!

Alas, it’s Monday again and happily that means it’s time for Meet an Author Monday Blog Hop, hosted today by Killian McRae.

Are you in a book club? If so, you’re lucky! I love my book club, which I’ll be hosting on Thursday. (Check out the “Book Club” tab above on my website for a photo of my lovely friends holding my novel With Good Behavior!)

We’ll discuss Jeannette Walls’ Half Broke Horses. See my review HERE.

I’ll serve Blueberry Hill Cupcakes (I hope). Check out the recipe. My friend Eric made these for July 4th and they were YUM.

The hostess chooses the book for the following month, and I need your help to decide. Here are some options I’ve been considering:

1. Divergent by Victoria Roth. I selected The Hunger Games for book club in November and everyone loved it. My review of Divergent wasn’t quite as glowing but I still enjoyed it. The problem is there’s a long waiting list for this book at the library, and we only have a month to read the book (most of the members are busy working mothers).

2. Summer Lovin’ Summer Breeze Anthology. This short story anthology benefits the breast cancer research organization Save the Ta-tas, and my book club is always out for helping women’s organizations. However, it seems a bit self-serving to choose a book for which I contributed a short story. I really enjoyed the opportunity to read a variety of authors–here’s my review.

3. Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard. I loved this romantic suspense novel (which I reviewed here) and it would be a nice light read to end the summer. This was published in 2003 so it would be easy to get.

4. Little Bee by Chris Cleave. I’ve started this book and it seems good but possibly really sad. Any opinions of this one? I prefer to preview books before selecting them.

What is your opinion? Any other books you adored that you’d recommend?

Hop on over to Lisa Sanchez’s blog for the Meet an Author Monday Blog Hop!

C’mon over to Author Darcia Helle’s blog, “A Word Please”, to check out her interviewing me. Darcia gave With Good Behavior five stars (bless you, dear!) and drummed up some really interesting interview questions about psychology and writing. I loved Darcia’s novel Enemies and Playmates (see my review and interview of her here) and look forward to reading more from her.

Today it’s my pleasure to introduce author BJ Thornton to the blog. She is one of six authors contributing to the short story anthology Heat Wave, and the author of the novel The Way That You Play It. First will be my review of Heat Wave followed by an interview of BJ.

Heat Wave is one of two short story anthologies benefiting the breast cancer research organization Save the Ta-tas, and its sister anthology Summer Breeze doesn’t come close to its sizzling fire! Some readers prefer novels to short stories, but I find anthologies a wonderful way to discover authors. It was a distinct pleasure to read new-to-me authors BJ Thornton and Debra Anastasia, as well as enter different worlds created by more familiar authors Lisa Sanchez, Robin DeJarnett, Jessica McQuinn, and Kasi Alexander.
New Flame by BJ Thornton is perfect for this charity anthology because it features breast cancer survivor Shae. She’s been through a harrowing journey of treatment, and is determined to reclaim her body, wrestling it back from cancer’s death grip. What better way to do that than get a fabulous tattoo? Listen to the description of this amazing tattoo:
“The uppermost tip of a wing grazed her delicate collarbone, and the detail arched down over her mastectomy scar. He had inked another wing on the back of her shoulder. The two met under her right arm to make a female figure that stretched down her side. But from the front or the back, Shae would simply have wings hugging a hurt place.”
Wow. Lucky for Shae, her tattoo artist Harley is just what the doctor ordered. After sharing so much time creating the warrior masterpiece on her skin, he asks her out to dinner, and their romance takes flight. I really enjoyed their interesting banter—I never knew what to expect from either character. Like the butterfly tattoo Shae initially wanted, Harley is able to help her emerge from her hoodie cocoon, spreading her wings to fly. Truly a beautiful story.
Next is Starstruck by Lisa Sanchez. Amberly gets a flat tire and handsome boy “T” stops to help her out. She’s been unlucky in love but has a blind date that evening, and he’s so smoking gorgeous she wishes he could be her date. They’re changing the tire when a brilliant meteor crashes nearby. Deciding to check out the crash site, T encourages Amberly to make a wish on the “fallen star”. That’s when the meteor explodes, covering them in green goo and turning the story into an other-worldly romance.
I liked how we got both Amberly and T’s perspectives, and T’s mysterious identity makes for a great ending. Lisa’s writing is sexy and fun.
Next up is Shackled by Debra Anastasia. My friends know that I have a thing for men in shackles *blushes* so I was eager to read this story and it did not disappoint! I have Debra’s novel Crushed Seraphim waiting for me on my Nook and I can’t wait to get to it after sampling her awesome writing in this story. I loved it!
Aeliea is a bitchy real-life princess who gets whatever she wants and kills whoever she wants, especially when she’s PMSing (hee hee). She’s about to order the death of an innocent woman when the woman’s grown son steps forward, sacrificing himself to take her place. Markus definitely catches Aeliea’s eye:
“He locked his deep green eyes on Aelia. He was tall and well-muscled. His hair was too long and disheveled, but his jaw was strong and his confidence was huge. The hate in his eyes glowed.”
Aeliea orders Markus to be shackled and brought to the castle as her new boy toy. Her threats to kill him mean nothing to him, and she’s shocked he won’t bow down to her. The sexual tension is thick, though Aeliea won’t stoop to consider a commoner and Markus would rather die than touch her. My favorite stories involve characters growing and changing, and when Markus says “You know you don’t have to be like this. You could change. If you could find even one drop of sensitivity…” I got excited. Can Aeliea develop some empathy for those she rules? If anyone can teach her how to love, it’s Markus.
Concessions by Robin DeJarnett is next on tap. Her romantic suspense novel Whirlwind was fantastic and I couldn’t wait to read her foray into paranormal romance. The story features Lindsey, a bored young adult concessions worker at a movie theater in Las Vegas. The typical customers for matinees are local Goths who dress head-to-toe in black despite the intense heat of the city. One such Goth is Clyde, who takes Lindsey back to the control room and begins kissing her. His kisses make her remember that he’s really Devon, sexy vampire, gradually turning her into a vampire as well. His gentle bite mixes their blood and erases her memory until their next rendezvous.
I love the idea of Goths as hidden vampires, and once again Robin weaves an interesting tale around family relationships, creepy bad guys, and sweet romance.
Do you want some men in uniform? I know I do! Jessica McQuinn delivers them to you in her playful revenge story Big Guns. It’s the end of a long training day for a SWAT team and they head to a bar in Santa Monica to blow off some steam. Team leader Flynn orders cocky newbie AJ to buy a round of drinks for the group. AJ disrespectfully mouths off that he’ll be the leader soon and can get any woman he wants in the bar. To teach him a lesson, Flynn and Clark cook up a plan for Clark’s girlfriend Brea (also secretly SWAT) to seduce AJ then take him down a notch.
Big Guns was touching and sexy, with a steamy romance between Clark and Brea and some poignant moments thrown in as well. Who doesn’t want to see an arrogant maverick get what’s coming to him?
Finally Kasi Alexander explores some spicy kink in her story It’s Only Kinky the First Time. Rutger invites Jessie to a fetish event in Denver. Knowing close to nothing about the BDSM lifestyle, Jessie takes the plunge and flies there from Michigan. Luckily Rutger is sweet and charming, handsomely dominant but respectful. He gradually introduces her to the community, making sure she is okay to proceed with each step. He moves so slowly he practically has Jessie begging for his touch!
It struck me how clear and direct the communication can be in a fetish relationship. Rutger has Jessie read a book before she meets him, and actually has a list of potential BDSM activities he reviews with her at dinner, checking her consent to try each one. Some vanilla types might think asking “Is it okay if I kiss you now?” can pour cold water over a sizzling romantic moment, but I think it’s pretty cool to make sure each partner is consenting to physical touch. Lord knows miscommunication runs rampant in romantic relationships.
I highly recommend Heat Wave as an engrossing, fun summer read, and a wonderful way to meet new authors. Now onto my interview with BJ Thornton!
Jennifer Lane (JL): A warm welcome to the blog, BJ. I’m eager to get to know you better. Where are you from and what’s going on in your life these days?
BJ Thornton (BJ): Thanks for having me, Jennifer. I was born a Southerner, and I live in Alabama now, but I was raised in Southern California. In a few months, I’ll be moving to the Netherlands to live with my lover. I guess that makes me a rolling stone, unfortunately not in a rock band.
JL: I loved your short story “New Flame” in the Summer Lovin: Heat Wave Anthology, particularly how the main character’s recovery from breast cancer echoes the charity organization this anthology benefits. What inspired this story for you?
BJ: I originally wrote New Flame for an erotica challenge. At that time, I’d already been acquainted with Harley for a year. I usually identify with my male characters, and he sprung from my own experiences with being misjudged because I’m a kinky dominant with a lot of tattoos.
For the challenge, I wrote a series of stories inspired by songs. I’d listened to “Meet Me On The Dark Side” by Melissa Auf der Maur, a banging redheaded guitarist who formerly played with Hole, and the lyrics conjured Shae. I wanted to write about a woman whose life had been split into a before and an after, through which she became acquainted with a shadow side of herself that she liked, even though her “normal” self insisted that she shouldn’t. Combined with meeting Harley, who I knew was a tattoo artist, I came up with the idea of Shae having a mastectomy scar that she wanted to cover.
When Omnific asked for anthology submissions, I immediately thought of that piece, and pulled it from one of my short story collections to donate to the cause. I think it was meant to be.
JL: Tattoos figure prominently in the story. Do you have tattoos? What draws you to tattoos?
BJ: I have ten tattoos, five of which have joined forces in a half sleeve around my upper left arm. Though all of my pieces have personal significance, getting tattooed in the first place wasn’t a deep thought or a big choice for me. I’m draw to it for the same reason that some women get waxed, or have their hair fried and dyed. I think ink is pretty.
I guess I don’t see skin as something to preserve. I think skin is a living canvas, waiting for sensations and marks. My artist once told me that one’s ink should be the story of one’s life, and being a writer, that jibes with me.
JL: How did you enjoy writing a short story compared to a novel?
BJ: I love writing short stories. They allow me to be loose, and play with characters that I probably wouldn’t take on if I had to write a whole novel about them. I also find that short stories are a great way to keep up my writing practice when I’m between novels.
JL: I haven’t had the pleasure of reading your novel The Way That You Play It but I hope to get to it soon. Please tell us about the story.
BJ: Here’s the blurb.
After her boyfriend dumps her for a teenage pop starlet, Caroline Curran moves to a rental house so far outside of downtown Atlanta that even her closest friends cannot reach her. Short, stacked, and soft-hearted to a fault, Caroline allows her failed relationship to drag down her songwriting career. An influential friend in the music business sends a gift to inspire her to write some new songs: a talented young singer named Trent Buckney whose beautiful voice is overshadowed by his stony demeanor and poor White trash accent.
Running from a violent past, feeling overworked and underpaid, and dealing with the overwhelming responsibility of his mother and sister, Trent is desperate to work with Caroline both for money and for a break from his dismal life. The songwriter and the singer form an uneasy relationship cemented by their mutual willingness not to ask questions that neither wants to answer.
However, just a few days together in Caroline’s house stir up artistic admiration and arousal while they collaborate on a song, “The Way That You Play It.” They try to sublimate their attraction into forming a band and recording a single, but late nights full of torrid blues music only feed their festering sexual tension. They engage a raw romance that is put to the test when Trent’s past catches up to them both. Facing the consequences of his actions leaves Trent with one chance, at one pivotal performance, to turn his feelings for Caroline into more than a one-hit wonder.
On opposite sides of the same guitar, they both learn that love isn’t limited to the hand that you’re dealt if you gamble on The Way That You Play It.

JL: On your Goodreads profile, it looks like you have a slew of novels slated to be published in 2011. Tell us more!
BJ: Most of my Goodreads works are erotic short story collections, like the one from which Harley and Shae were pulled. I have one more novel coming out this year, a romantic comedy called Hot Under The Halo. It’s about a bad girl who flies by the seat of her pants, and right into the lap of a good boy who doesn’t know how to relax. Hi-jinx ensue.
JL: What’s been the most surprising thing about writing so far?
BJ: Before I was published, I didn’t realize that being an author would be such a job. Writing novels is the easy part, as it turns out. Success requires some business savvy and marketing skills, which can be difficult to acquire while you’re dealing with increased attention and criticism. Building a brand isn’t the same thing as being yourself, which is difficult for people like me (and Harley) who aren’t blessed with a lot of finesse and patience.
JL: Thank you for stopping by and giving an interview, BJ! Interested readers can check out BJ’s blog HERE.
BJ: Thanks for having me, Jennifer.
Today’s Meet an Author Monday Blog Hop is hosted by Carol Oates. Go HERE for instructions.

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Congratulations to Sapphyria for winning the short story anthology Summer Breeze!

Visit and follow her at http://saphsbookblog.blogspot.com/

A signed print copy will be in the mail to you soon, Sapphyria. I hope you enjoy the variety of sweet romance stories in the anthology, especially knowing you’re benefiting the breast cancer research organization Save the Ta-tas.

I’m feeling rather exhausted today after spending four jam-packed days at the American Psychological Association convention in Washington, D.C. Walking around the city in the stifling humidity left me “glistening” and wilted, definitely not a professional look for me. It was wonderful to catch up with colleagues and friends. Happily I finished my term as a leader in one of the APA divisions, which will give me more time to pursue my beloved writing.

My division dealt with some drama involving a narcissistic psychologist, stimulating some thought about narcissistic characters in novels. I’m rather fascinated by individuals who seem so cocky on the outside yet so fragile and wounded on the inside. (Check out my post about Narcissistic Personality Disorder here).

This psychologist asserted that others in our field were hurting clients by using unsubstantiated interventions, pretending to be experts despite just having finished training. The ironic thing is this man is doing the exact same thing. I giggled when one audience member asked him if he had a citation for one outrageous claim and he had to answer no. The psychologist might make a few good points here and there but he’s so abrasive and pathetically smug that he alienates everyone from his message.

I’m excited to finish editing my Young Adult swimming story featuring a narcissistic father. Hopefully you’ll find him fascinating too.

Time for the Meet an Author Monday Blog Hop, hosted today by Killian McRae HERE.

 

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Are you an author or reader who questions the usefulness of short stories?

“If you can write a novel, why stop at a short story?”

I used to be one of those kinds of people, friends. In fact, I like to write LONG novels. Then Omnific Publishing decided to compile two short story anthologies this summer, with all proceeds benefiting the breast cancer research organization Save the Ta-tas. My mother is a breast cancer survivor so naturally I was sold on the idea from the get-go.

Deciding to use the opportunity to stretch my writing muscles, I wrote my first Young Adult story from a first person point of view, and had so much fun. A short story forces the writer to be concise in her plotting and characterization, attempting to grab the reader quickly. Now I’m a true believer in short stories!

Another benefit of shorts is the opportunity to sample writing from a variety of authors, and that was my favorite part of reading Summer Lovin’ Anthology: Summer Breeze. It was my first exposure to Hannah Downing and Sarah Glover, and I’ll definitely be back for more.

Here’s my 5 star review from Goodreads:

This anthology of short stories benefits the breast cancer research organization Save the Ta-tas. Its sister anthology, Heat Wave, cranks up the steam, but these short stories are more like a warm ocean breeze.

The first story is The Summer Prince by Carol Oates. Her lyrical writing sets the scene of the Beltaine celebration in a small Irish town years ago. Niamh is a 15 year-old sneaking around a party meant only for those 16 and older. A handsome stranger, a friend’s unexpected cruelty, and the folklore of the Fae evoke a mysterious and satisfying YA romance in this story.

How lucky I felt when I realized Susan Kaye Quinn’s short story Full Speed Ahead follows the wonderful characters from her novel Life, Liberty, and Pursuit. I loved her sweet YA romance novel and was happy to learn more about secondary characters Clayton and Teague. Clayton’s in the Navy, and boy do I love a man in uniform.

“I let him kiss me, because in his summer dress whites–all crisply pressed twill, gold metal buttons, and hat in hand–he just about knocked me out with the handsome”. Oo la la!

The ending of Susan’s story was surprising and wonderful.

Next is Hannah Downing’s The Second Sunrise. The story starts in Cabo where Hayley is vacationing with her brother and his friends. One of those friends, Chris, meets up with Hayley for a beach rendezvous, delivering a scorching kiss as the sun rises. Unfortunately, after that one kiss the sun quickly sets on their romance, and Hayley has no idea why. Three years later they’re back in Cabo. Will Chris finally get his head out of his butt? 😉 This story took me back to my college spring break days with all the partying and fond insults characterizing a tight-knit group of friends.

The next story is Sway by Nicki Elson. I loved Nicki’s novel Three Daves and she shows off her versatility in this anthology with a different and unique romance between an elderly woman (Rose) in a nursing home and a mysterious man who croons outside her window. Rose’s meddling older sisters are hilarious, but I most enjoyed the identity of the secret singer. Fantastical and funny!

Killian McRae’s Interpersonal Communication is a fantastic story featuring a divorcee named Katie who starts working for a hottie professor. The emergence of a secret admirer for Katie had me intrigued. I loved the text messages between her and “ShyGuy66” including Katie’s revelation that her nickname in school was the horrific “Inflate-a-Katie”. She texts: “My people are of the north and they like cheese”. Ha ha! Killian has such a keen sense of humor and I flew threw this playful story about a woman finding her voice.

I think Omnific Publishing might have saved the best for last with Sarah Glover’s Whatever it Takes. I’ve never read Sarah’s writing before but I can’t wait to get my hands on her upcoming novel. In this story a young widow named Jen is headed to an island off Maine with her neighbor/friend Graham. Awaiting her there is the dashing famous writer Adrian Bonair. Jen’s friends have set her up with the pompous writer (he reminded me a little of Professor Emerson from Gabriel’s Inferno with about one-tenth of Gabriel’s charm). Adrian is clearly not right for Jen, whereas Graham seems like the perfect match. Will Jen end up with snooty writer-boy? Or will she realize Graham’s the one for her? Stay tuned.

Also included is my story Swim Recruit. I won’t attempt to review it, but will give you the synopsis:

Not long after Abby Donahue’s family falls apart, she escapes on an airplane to Chicago for a recruiting trip. A talented high-school swimmer, Abby hopes to score both a college scholarship and some distance from her parents’ recent divorce. But is this university for her?

Her first encounter with freshman swimmer Reese McGowan makes her nervous. He’s a tall backstroker with a mess of blond hair, glittering aquamarine eyes, and a suspension from the team for badmouthing the school to another recruit. As Abby unravels the mystery underlying Reese’s disdain, she begins to unlock her own hidden emotions about her father. Together Abby and Reese battle bullies on the team and inner demons, learning that flipper feet and fighting for family can actually be a good thing.

Summer Breeze is a really great variety of stories for a good cause. I definitely encourage you to check them out!

I also wanted to share this link sent to me by Donna about Ten Unrealistic but Common Romance Novel Storylines. Find it HERE.

It’s time for Meet an Author Monday Bloghop, hosted by Lisa Sanchez. Authors, please join the hop! Readers, please check out author blogs on the hop.