Well, I’ve got to hand it to Alex, Claire, Ed and Fien and everybody who called in. I didn’t think making radio could be SO much fun. It was like standup comedy, and the laughs we shared in studio still reverberate in my ears. (Thankfully, they will remain private jokes for ever more… What goes on in studio, stays in studio, ha!)
Last week Wednesday (5 December), I took part in my Second Midweek Drive over at Siren FM.
Also in studio were Alex Lewczuk, Claire Parker, Ed Wellman (for a little while), and Fien Hiel.
Of course, no opportunity goes unmissed for sharing Sophie’s Turn with the world… and Alex promised to put the little Christmas flyer up somewhere prominent for me: Thank you!
The line-up included: Cameron Tilbury, CEO of Maple Star Music and Media; Liz Brewer, Premier Publicist and Author of “The Ultimate Guide to Party Planning and Etiquette”; Michele Monro; Deborah White, author of “Deceit” and “Wickedness”; and top filmmaker, Ilana Rein.
Here are your links for listening in…
PART 1
~Reading of Sophie’s Turn at 18 mins (and I nearly got in trouble!)
~Inspiration for Sophie’s Turn at 23 mins (Terminal Rock Star Addiction!)
Well, it was awesome and I can’t wait to do it again!!
In fact, I’ll be back in studio on December 21 for the Siren FM 24-hour Broadcasting Marathon to ward off the End of the World which is due according to the Mayan calendar, so more news about that… after the fact (if possible). 🙂
Roll out the red carpet!
Open the champange!
It’s time to enter the Hall of Fame!
Whoop! Not only is it Nikolaus day today, but it’s also launch day over at Sapphire Star Publishing! Today we are celebrating the launch of Finding Claire Fletcher by Lisa Regan!
Lisa is visiting over all the way from across the pond to introduce her debut masterpiece… but first of all, she’d like to tell us 10 things people might be surprised to know about her! Give it up for… Lisa Regan!
10 Things People Would Be Surprised To Know About Me
1.) I love romantic comedies. Love, love, love them! I know they are silly and unrealistic and not characteristic of real relationships but they make me all happy. I can’t get enough.
2.) I also love revenge movies like Man On Fire, Italian Job and Count of Monte Cristo.
3.) I once boxed a girl in a bar for money. I won $50.00.
4.) I studied martial arts for 10 years and used to teach children. It was awesome.
5.) My favorite class in my graduate program (which was in Curriculum & Instruction) was School Law.
6.) I have all 10 seasons of the show Friends and whenever I am feeling bummed out, I watch some of them. I don’t know why but that show cheers me up. My favorite seasons are 5 and 8.
7.) My feet are always freezing. I frequently steal my husband’s giant man-socks and wear them over top of my own socks.
8.) I don’t eat lettuce. It doesn’t agree with my stomach. So in salads I substitute fresh spinach.
9.) My favorite book as a child was Sesame Street Grover’s The Monster At The End of This Book—it scared the crap out of me every time and yet I wanted to read it again and again!
10.) I hate cooking but I love to bake.
Well, wow, Lisa ~ what can I say! Loveya, is what springs to mind. Am with you on the romcoms, obviously, love them. Can’t believe you won $50 boxing a girl in a bar, how did that come about?? Am neither here or there about the lettuce and would adore some instruction from you in martial arts. GREAT post, thank you. Now let’s meet your book!
Finding Claire Fletcher
Newly divorced and with his career in jeopardy, Detective Connor Parks takes solace in the arms of a beautiful woman he meets at a bar. The next morning, Claire Fletcher is gone, leaving nothing behind but an address and a decade-old mystery. The address leads to the Fletcher family home where Claire’s siblings inform Connor that their fifteen-year-old sister was abducted from a city street ten years ago and is presumed dead.
During those ten years, Claire endured the cruel torture and depravity of the man who abducted her. Paralyzed by fear and too ashamed to return to her family, Claire is resigned to her life as Lynn, the identity her abductor forced upon her. Every time she attempts escape or betrays him in the smallest way, someone dies. Even now, her clandestine run-in with Connor Parks may have put his life at risk, as well as the lives of her family.
Connor is convinced that not only is Claire Fletcher alive, but that she is also the woman he met at the bar. Driven to see her again, he begins his own investigation, off the clock and without the police department’s consent. He is determined to find her and unravel the mystery of her abduction and odd reemergence. But finding Claire Fletcher proves more dangerous than he anticipates. In fact, it may be deadly.
Amazing ~ sounds just like my cup of tea. I can’t wait to get reading!! Feel the same way? You can get your copy of Finding Claire Fletcher here:
1 signed copy of the paperback of Finding Claire Fletcher
1 e-book version of Finding Claire Fletcher
All you have to do is visit the Finding Claire Fletcher Blog Tour & Giveaway page on Lisa’s blog which you can find here and comment on that page letting Lisa know whose blog you’ve just come from. Each commenter will be assigned a number and then the winners will be chosen using random.org. Winners will be announced on 12/24/12!
What are you waiting for???
Huge congratulations on your launch day, Lisa ~ Enjoy the party and wishing you lots of sales! Rock on!!
Roll out the red carpet!
Open the champagne!
It’s time to enter the Hall of Fame!
Whoop! It’s launch day over at Sapphire Star Publishing, and today we are celebrating the launch of When We Collide by A.L. Jackson!
A.L. has popped over all the way from across the pond to share with us some her writing essentials and introduce When We Collide! Give it up for… A.L. Jackson!
Thank you so much to my Sapphire Star Sister, Nicky Wells, for inviting me to be a part of her blog today in celebration of the release of When We Collide! I’m very excited to be here today.
When We Collide took me almost exactly one year to write. . .to the date. A year is a long time to put into a project, and when I spend so much time working on something, there are a few things that really help me to get that job done.
So here they are ~ My must haves for writing!
First and foremost, I need my laptop! I have a docking station since most of my writing is done in my office, but I love that I can pop my laptop off and take it with me wherever I want to go. You can find me writing in bed, on the couch, and sometimes working while I watch my boys at the skate park.
A notebook is a must for me when I’m writing. Even though my books are written on the computer, most of my thoughts and ideas start here. I find handwriting really helps to get my creative side stimulated and working. I have notebook after notebook of scribbled words and lines that don’t make a whole lot of sense, but that’s okay, because I really can’t read my handwriting anyway.
Don’t forget the music. Sometimes I just close my eyes and sit back and listen to the music and lyrics while I watch my characters in my mind’s eye.
Tablet! I keep my tablet close by my side when I’m writing. I’m a firm believer in reading being one of the key elements in an author’s writing life.  If I’m feeling stuck, I go directly to my Kindle reader and. . .read. It usually only takes a half an hour or so for those words to break up the monotony in my mind and get me in the writing mood.
Okay, so maybe this one isn’t a must, but who doesn’t love a bunch of colorful pens to brighten up the office? I do!
Coffee! I believe this one is self-explanatory.
Diet Coke. Yeah.
And Monster. Anyone else sensing a trend here?
So what are your writing must haves?
Happy writing!
Thank you so much for this fabulous post, A.L.! I’m with you on the laptop, music, coffee (well, tea in my case) and Diet Coke. I might add chocolate and a blanket to my ‘must haves’. 🙂 Now tell us about When We Collide…
When We Collide
William has spent six years running from his past and the last eight months trying to rid his mind of the dreams that increasingly haunt his nights. Trapped in a world of false ambitions and feigned affections, William knows he’s reached a breaking point and something’s going to give.
Maggie had lived her entire life without hope until one man showed her what it meant to be loved. He’d been her light in a lifetime of darkness. Six years ago, that darkness stole him away. Without him, she’s surrendered herself to an existence she doesn’t know how to escape.
When the family William left behind is struck by tragedy, he is called back to the one place he’s sworn to never return to again. In a moment that will change his life forever, William comes face to face with the girl who, with one look, captured his heart. He is unable to ignore the buried desires and the hope for the future they’d once believed they’d have.
Now William is ready to fight to take back what had been stolen from him six years before.
But he never imagined what that fight might cost him.
A.L. Jackson gives you an intimate look into the lives of a family bound by an unseen connection in this romantic thriller with a supernatural twist.
Wow! I am hooked! I’ve got When We Collide on my Kindle and you can get it here:Amazon.com Paperback; Amazon.com Kindle; Amazon.co.uk Kindle. A.L.’s book will also be available from Barnes & Noble, Smashwords and other e-book providers.
About A.L. Jackson
A.L. Jackson first found a love for writing during her days as a young mother and college student. She filled the journals she carried with short stories and poems used as an emotional outlet for the difficulties and joys she found in day-to-day life.
Years later, she shared a short story she had been working on with her two closest friends and, with their encouragement, this story became her first full length novel. A.L. now spends her days writing in Southern Arizona where she lives with her husband and three beautiful children. Her favorite pastime is spending time with the ones she loves.
The new Bond film, Skyfall launches tomorrow – but why wait until then for a military intelligence hottie? Let me introduce you to the lead male in Mandy Baggot’s new romantic thriller, Security, and reveal the eye-catching 007-style book cover!
First of all… here’s Nathan Regan. Hello, handsome!
And here’s the gorgeous book cover… are you ready?
Security
Lies hurt, but the truth can get you killed
Autumn Raine is a pop vocalist at the very top of her game. She’s a style icon, the paparazzi’s darling and everyone wants to be her friend. But when her safety is threatened, her whole life starts to unravel.
Enter Nathan Regan, an ex-elite soldier who is assigned to protect her. He’s a good man doing bad things but what drives him? Passion? Madness? Or grief? Demons from his past are threatening to consume him. Can he win the fight alone or will he have to admit he needs help?
As the threat deepens, Autumn starts to find out who she really needs in her life. Is there still room for personal assistant Janey or rapper boyfriend Rockweiler? When everyone around her is feeding her lies, how does she work out the truth? Does her record producer know more than he’s letting on? What is her mother, the British Foreign Secretary’s involvement in the situation? And can Autumn put her faith in a forty-something Jamaican woman who handles an automatic weapon as expertly as she cooks?
Eluding kidnap and trying to stay alive, can Autumn find the strength to be the person she longs to be? And can two people, poles apart, forge something strong enough to survive anything?
Security is coming from Sapphire Star Publishing on 4 April 2013! If you can’t wait until then to find out more here is the teasing trailer!
And to up the fun a bit more, Mandy is offering a great competition right here, right now.Â
FIVE paperback copies of Mandy’s novel Strings Attached are up for grabs! All you have to do is collect the Bond films. On each of the websites featuring the Security cover reveal, there will be Bond film mentioned (NOT Skyfall).
Once you have all the titles, drop Mandy an email mandybaggot@sapphirestarpublishing.com and you will go into the draw for one of the books! Easy ~ you have until November 1st! Here are the website links you need:
Yesterday saw another first in this, my year of authorly firsts. I hosted my first meet-the-author and book signing event. Hooray!
A few weeks ago, I connected with my local librarian, the lovely Karen Waring, and she was extremely enthusiastic about the idea of hosting a local author in one of her libraries, complete with book signing event. We picked a date (20 October) and a place (Welton Library, in Welton-by-Lincoln) and even set a time (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.). We were on!
Both of us set to work publicising the event and yesterday morning, I presented myself at 9:50 a.m. to set up shop.
Was I nervous? Of course I was a little nervous. One worry was simply: would anyone turn up? And the second worry was: how would people feel about being invited to buy a book in a library, where they normally come to loan their reading material?
Taking a closer look… yes, I think this is good. Spy the fancy bookmark in the upright copy? This was a publication day present from two very special people and doesn’t it just add panache to the ensemble?
Caught sharing a laugh off camera…Â Having fun already.
AÂ huge Thank You to Karen for her amazing enthusiasm and stellar support. It is outstanding to have a library working so hard at creating a real sense of community and at bringing authors and readers together. I feel honoured and privileged to have made friends and I look forward to many more book signings in libraries up and down the county (and beyond?). You rock!
Thank you also, of course, to Karen’s fellow librarian, Jo, for helping set up, directing people my way, taking photos, printing photos, making cups of tea and generally keeping things ticking over. You ladies are a brilliant team!
…And Action!
Yes! Readers came! My first visitor arrived at just a few minutes after 10 a.m. Witness: my first author signature in a newly-purchased reader’s copy of Sophie’s Turn. Awesome feeling!
That was fun. Let’s have another go…
Of course I’ll sign another!
Meet Some of My Guests
Honestly, I had no idea this would be so much fun! Thank you to everybody who agreed to have their photo taken and let me post it right here on my blog.
And the Verdict?
Obviously, I had a lot of fun. Huge amounts of fun, in fact. I look forward to doing it all again.
Did people come? They certainly did. I barely had a moment’s rest during the three hours. I met some wonderful people and had some fantastically interesting conversations. It was amazing.
Did I sell and sign some books? You already know the answer to that. Yes, I sold some books. Not dozens, and dozens. But more than I dared hope.
Moreover, two of my guests took a copy of Sophie’s Turn out of the library there and then in addition to the copy that had already been borrowed earlier in the week. Â There are copies in circulation! And as if that wasn’t enough, I’m told that two or three people requested a loan copy today so there is now a waiting list. My heart sings.
Lessons learned. Was it a perfect event? Probably not. Here’s what I will do differently next time.
1) I will have a proper stand for my huge visual.
2) Wherever possible, I will set myself up in direct line of vision (and walking) of the front entrance. The most important tool I had to draw people into conversation, apart from the librarians’ kind assistance, was eye contact. It’s easier to make eye contact if you’re unmissably in the line of sight; therefore, in future, I will put myself there.
3) I will print out and have available for perusing some of the fabulous reviews that Sophie’s Turn has received. This will get me around the uncomfortable moment of reassuring potential readers that of course Sophie’s Turn is a fantastic read. Instead of bragging, I can just let the reviews do their work. Easy, and obvious (hindsight is always 20-20!).
So this was it. My inaugural book signing event. I am elated, excited and exhausted. I feel very fortunate to have had my first signing event in such a lovely and supportive environment, and with such enthusiastic hosts.
I hope everyone who bought or borrowed my book will enjoy it and spread the word. Thank you. And I look forward to the next event… Karen has some places and dates in mind, and I am in her extremely capable hands.
Roll out the red carpet! Open the champagne! It’s time to enter the Hall of Fame!
Huge congratulations to my Sapphire Star Publishing sister and hugely talented author, Nancy S. Thompson, as she celebrates her first book birthday with the launch of The Mistaken!
Can I just say upfront that I absolutely adore the title of Nancy’s novel. It is so clever and intriguing, and perfectly perfect, and I’ve adored it ever since it was announced. Awesome!
Introducing: The Mistaken
Tyler Karras is an honest man, a transplanted Brit living the American dream, but his charmed life takes an unexpected turn when his brother, Nick, is coerced into joining ranks with San Francisco’s Russian mafia. Ty intervenes to secure Nick’s freedom, yet only succeeds in incurring their wrath. With no choice but to accept Nick’s new life, Ty returns to his own, but his dreams are dashed when his wife—pregnant with their first child—is killed, the victim of a reckless crime.
Despondent and bitter, Ty macerates his grief in alcohol. From the depths of the bottle screams a voice, howling for vengeance. His target is a stranger, the woman who drew his wife toward her death. He doesn’t know her, but he’ll find her, and when he does, he will make her pay, for a deal has been struck with Nick’s Russian associates, enslaving her into a life of sexual bondage. But as Ty moves forward in a cloud of alcohol, he mistakes the wrong woman for his intended victim, and now all his plans have gone straight to hell.
With his eyes made clear by the stark reality of his mistake, Ty is driven, compelled by remorse and a relentless sense of guilt to make amends and protect Hannah Maguire, the innocent woman whose life he has derailed. He vows to keep her safe and out of the Russians’ hands, but they’re holding Nick as leverage to force Ty to complete their deal. Once again, he must fight to free his brother, miring all three lives in further jeopardy. But Ty can’t do it all: save the girl, his brother and his own soul. One of them must make the ultimate sacrifice.
Nicky says: I am hooked. Tell me more…
Sit back and enjoy: Excerpt of The Mistaken!
Tyler dropped my hand and turned away from me, sitting straight along the edge of the sofa. With his elbows resting on his knees and his fingers steepled between his nose and upper lip, he struggled to find the right words. Unable to sit still, he stood and paced the floor.
“Hannah, I’ve explained that you—by proxy, of course—have a price on your head, that you’d been sold already. I’ve been trying to get you out of this deal, but these people Nick and I are mixed up with are reluctant to renegotiate. They’ve already received payment from their client and are just waiting for me to deliver you to them. I’ve explained to Nick’s boss, Alexi, that I’d made a mistake, that I had misidentified you, that I had the wrong girl.”
Ty shook his head and kept his eyes pinned to the floor.
“From the beginning, Alexi knew I was intending retribution against Erin, and since he would directly benefit from it, he was only too willing to accommodate me, but essentially, he doesn’t care about the reasoning behind the plan. All he cares about is that I owe him his, uh…merchandise. Merchandise he’s already sold and been paid for. He only cares about closing the deal. I told him I would repay the price his boss, Dmitri, had accepted, with interest, and he could refund the money to his client. But he’s not willing to do that. Nick said it’s not about the money for Dmitri, it’s about power. They can’t allow themselves to be screwed with, to look weak.”
He stopped pacing, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and stared out the window.
“I told Alexi I would never turn you over—an innocent girl—to be used that way. At this point, I couldn’t even do that to Erin.”
Tyler’s focus wavered and he choked up. He looked down at his feet and continued, his brow knitted tightly together.
“We argued over this point for some time without coming to an agreement, so Alexi felt… He felt it…necessary to secure some kind of…insurance policy—leverage, you might say—to compel me to complete the deal by our prearranged deadline.”
Tyler dropped his hands to his sides and tightened them into fists. He glanced over his shoulder and looked me in the eye.
“Hannah, Alexi has my brother, and he will kill him if I don’t comply.”
Nicky says: Fantastic! I can’t wait ~ I’ve got my Kindle copy right here and am dying to get reading. As no doubt you feel the same, dear friends and readers, here’s the vital info:
Nancy is an interior designer with her own business since 1997. A California transplant, she currently lives with her husband of 21 years near Seattle, WA. They have one son together, a college freshman at ArizonaStateUniversity. She was recently contracted as a freelance editor for Sapphire Star Publishing.
Visit Nancy’s blog, follow, and leave a comment during her book tour between October 18th & November 1st for a chance to win an ARC of The Mistaken. Plus, 5 runner-up winners will each receive an ebook copy.Â
Last but not least ~Â Praise for TheMistaken and a fabulous trailer
“A deliciously slow burn that builds to a ferocious crescendo, Nancy S. Thompson’s THE MISTAKEN kept me riveted until the very last page. Tyler Karras is a complex and flawed protagonist, and his redemptive journey makes him the perfect anti-hero. This psychological suspense is a standout, and I can’t wait for Thompson’s next book.” ~ Jennifer Hillier, author of CREEP and FREAK
“Nancy S. Thompson’s debut novel, The Mistaken, is a first-rate thriller full of hair-raising twists and turns. Pursued by the police and the Russian mafia in San Francisco, brothers Tyler and Nick Karras are fascinating, fully-drawn, desperate characters. The action is non-stop. Thompson’s taut, intriguing tale of revenge, mistaken identity, kidnapping and murder will keep you enthralled and entertained.” ~Kevin O’Brien, New York Times Bestselling Author of DISTURBED and TERRIFIED
“Fast-paced and emotionally gripping – once the ride begins, you won’t stop reading until it ends.” ~Alex J. Cavanaugh, author of CASSAFIRE and CASSASTAR
Huge congratulations on your launch day, Nancy. Wishing you every success and a huge amount of sales!!! Rock on… 🙂
This is it! Give it up for the glorious cover of Sophie’s Run
Part 2 in the Rock Star Romance Trilogy
Coming from Sapphire Star Publishing on 7 February 2013.
Ready?
Wow. I am in love. A huge Thank You goes to Amy Lichtenhan and Chad Lichtenhan for their patience, good humour, great ideas and endless cheer as I changed my mind time and time again. You see, I had various conflicting visions for this cover and Amy patiently looked at all of them, gently but firmly guiding me onto the right path. And Chad is a hero for making all the little tweaks and changes that I kept heaping upon him. I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again, the team over at Sapphire Star Publishingtotally rocks.
Thank you for this amazing cover!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sophie’s Run
Her famous star remains her rock while life takes her on a little detour…
Who says that the road toward true love is straight and even? Sophie is certainly discovering that it is anything but.
Sophie has had enough. Confused and distraught, she decides that it is time for radical change. Surprising herself and shocking her friends, she embarks on a secret journey that eventually gets her life back on track.
Coming from Sapphire Star Publishing on 7 February 2013!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you very much to my lovely, amazing author and blogger friends who are taking part in my cover reveal today!
I’d like to dispense big hugs to:
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my scary alter ego, the Queen of Hearts, who helps me to cut the length of my manuscript. The carnage of Sophie’s Run is complete, and I dropped below the target word limit. Mission accomplished!
However, there’s more to editing than the structural stuff. There is the fine-tuning, too. Today, I share three of my personal red flags: exclamation marks, the humble word, ‘just’, and the humbler still word, ‘then’. (I’m going to bore you with serial commas and other fine points of grammar some other time).
JUST THEN! I’m a liberal sprinkler in a first draft…
Just! Then! !! Exactly. These three things feature heavily in any of my first drafts. There is a very simple reason for this, which is that I write as I would tell the story out loud, with flourish and panache and a lot of excited gesturing. Alas, the written word is a little less forgiving. Or perhaps it is more forgiving as it doesn’t need as many of these filler words and marks. The reader is generally with the story, paying attention, reading eagerly. And she will notice if I use the word ‘then’ five times in a row.
Thankfully, writing is not like cooking. It is perfectly ok to overegg the pudding, lean heavily on the salt and make free with the pepper because you can take it all out at the end. And that’s what I have been doing.
Get this. I had 750 (give or take) exclamation marks in the first draft of Sophie’s Run. I’m surprised none of the characters had shouted themselves hoarse.
I found 450 occurrences of the word ‘then’ and 500 occurrences of ‘just.’ Shocking, I know.
…but I carry out a vendetta on my liberalism when I polish the manuscript.
The exclamation points were easy. I clicked through them (yes, all of them) and took most of them out, except where shouting or emphasis was indicated. There are less than 150 exclamation marks left which, in a word count of 119,281, is a lot more acceptable. We’ll see what my fabulous editor over at Sapphire Star Publishing makes of that number. I’m fully expecting to cut some more.
Eliminating ‘just’ was an electrifying experience. I discovered a whole array of alternatives, and got some amazing insights into the many varied meanings of this humble little word. Of course, I knew all of that instinctively, having previously learned it formally at school, but I hadn’t given it much conscious thought for a while. Viable alternatives include, but are not limited to:
simply
only
exactly
precisely
at that point
Interestingly, there was many an instance when ‘just’ just wasn’t needed. It could go. Completely. It was a filler. An empty word. A naughty word cluttering up my word count! Be off with you, just!
So I thought I’d seen the worst of my criminal overuse, but no. I hadn’t even started until I touched then. See, then was everywhere. And I mean everywhere. I found one sentence with three lots of then in it. Obviously it wasn’t as clumsy as ‘then, and then, and then.’ No, my writing, even in its unpolished stage, is a little more refined than that. But still, a lot of then‘s were being had. Too many.
Most of them went. Yup, eliminating then was a killer experience. And the then‘s that stayed? They had a legitimate reason for staying.
However, something even more riveting happened while I was on my then extermination spree. As Word displays searched-for terms in their context, I found some highly amusing typing mistakes. Gone now, kapow! I found and seized opportunities for linguistic variety: kerr-ching, done! I cut out a couple of sentences altogether. Eureka.
Even though I focused on three red flags, I ended up polishing the entire manuscript and I am delighted with the result. The changes are subtle but they make me happy. I sent the manuscript off to Sapphire Star this lunchtime… and here’s to hoping that my editor feels the same about it as I do! Because that, of course, is the real test. I promise to keep you posted on how that goes, too.
Until then, I’d love to hear about your red flags. Which words or phrases do you criminally overuse?
Roll out the red carpet! Open the champagne! It’s time to enter the Hall of Fame!
Today, we’re partying in honour of my Sapphire Star Publishing sister, the one and only Dana Mason! Dana launches her debut novel, Dangerous Embrace today and I am really excited to be part of the launch day extravaganza.
Dana shares her road to publication…
When I started writing Dangerous Embrace, I had no idea it would lead me here. I didn’t even think I could get my best friend to read the story. Until Dangerous Embrace was sent out for editing, Amy and Katie from Sapphire Star Publishing were the only two people, besides myself, who had read the novel from beginning to end.
When Sapphire Star posted the Month of Romance contest on their website, I decided to take the leap and submit. It was my very first submission for Dangerous Embrace, and the novel wasn’t even finished. I was still in the process of revising and editing. Fortunately they didn’t require completed manuscripts for the contest.
I couldn’t believe it when on the morning of March 10, 2012, I received the email from Amy offering me a publishing contract. I remember getting out of bed in the wee early hours of the morning and creeping into my office to check my email. While I didn’t think I had a chance of getting a positive response, I still hoped.
The rest is history…
…indeed! In fact, this is where it all begins. HUGE congratulations on your launch day, Dana, I am so excited for you. This is a tremendous moment and I hope you’re having the best time… ever! Here’s an excerpt of your masterpiece, let’s take a look…
Dangerous Embrace: the excerpt
Sarah pried open her heavy eyelids and turned, trying to focus on the clock. “Ow, dammit!” She clenched her teeth and looked down at the sling tied to her arm. The smothering realization pressed on her chest. When the nausea hit, she flung the covers off and rushed to the bathroom, fighting to get to the toilet before her stomach heaved.
When the painful dry heaving stopped, she lay back on the cold tile floor, exhausted, and waited for the room to stop spinning. Her ragged breaths roared in her ears and seemed to echo in the quiet room. When her breathing slowed, the silence ebbed around her in waves, but when footsteps approached the bathroom door, she tensed again.
A bead of sweat dripped down her scalp and at the same time someone tapped at the door. Her pulse spiked and she fought like hell to remember who brought her home from the hospital.
She closed her eyes. “Who’s there?” The waver in her voice pissed her off. Gawd-please don’t let me be pathetic in front of whoever this is.
A hesitant and completely unfamiliar man’s voice said, “Are you all right? Do you need something?”
Sarah sucked in a hard breath. “Um…” She exhaled slowly. “Who are you?”
“Mark Summors.”
She stiffened and tried to sit up. “Do I know you?” she asked her voice pitching.
“I can explain if you open the door.”
She steadied herself against the bathtub. The sling had slipped up her arm, exposing the trail of bruises. She swallowed another wave of nausea and tried to put the pieces together. Mark Summors? She glanced around for something to use as a weapon just in case, then she wanted to laugh-and cry. Who the hell was she kidding? She rolled her eyes. Good plan, Sarah, take on a strange guy with a toilet brush.
“Can I come in?” His voice was muffled as if he was resting his face against the door.
“Go ahead.” She clamped her mouth closed to suppress a shiver, then said, “It’s unlocked.”
The door eased open and a cup of water shot out at her.
“Oh, thank you,” she cried out, relieved to wash the disgusting film out of her mouth. She snatched the cup out of his hand and gulped it, letting her eyes lift above the rim to see his face.
“Ah.” Sarah choked and inhaled the water. She set the cup down, almost upending it as she dropped it. “Oh my God!” She would never forget those intense blue eyes, just like she would never forget the smell of her attacker’s breath. They were all thrown together in the same horrifying memory.
Wow! You have totally got me hooked. I can’t wait to read the whole book, it’s all ready and waiting for me on my Kindle!
And for all of those out there duly intrigued, as me, you can get your very own copy of Dangerous Embrace on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.
Last thing… let’s hear about you, Dana Mason, the author! 🙂
About Dana Mason
Dana Mason started writing to prove to her computer geek husband and her math & science geek kids that she actually has a brain; it’s just a right functioning brain instead of a left. She’s lived all over the country and uses that experience in her writing and character studies. Her debut novel, Dangerous Embrace, is the first in a contemporary romance series about a group of friends from Northern California who learn just how short life can be when you don’t hold on to what’s important. Second chances don’t come easy…but sometimes love is worth the risk.
When not writing, Dana specializes in professional development and training. She’s also a board member on the local Art’s Council and does what she can to support the art community.
As an avid reader and movie watcher, she always requires a happily ever after ending.
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