Tag Archives: Sapphire Star Publishing

CentreStage with Amy Gregory: Racing to Love!

Welcome to CentreStageCentreStage showcases fantastic authors from around the world, introducing in particular fellow authors in the Sapphire Star Publishing family as well as fellow featured authors at loveahappyending.com.  In this new, exciting feature, these authors might write for you about their lives, or their writing journey, or anything else that matters to them.  Every feature will be different in format and flavour, so watch out for a variety of stories and tales.

Today, it is my tremendous pleasure to welcome fellow Sapphire Star Publishing author Amy Gregory to this latest edition of CentreStage!

Hello, Amy! I am so thrilled that you are visiting today.  What have you got for us?

What have I got for you…?  Well, let me see.  Here’s a story about stories and voices in my family.  I call it:

Too Many Words???

As a mother of three children I’ve have often found myself trapped in places with one or more of them trying to talk to me.  When they were around the ages of three to five years old they started telling stories.  I figured out by the third child it was coming and I could not escape!  These stories would often take several long moments to tell as I would stand, force a smile and nod, waiting for the end that would take seemingly forever to make an appearance.

Then I would shake my head and wonder where they came up with it.  Most times their little stories were cute, some made me laugh my ass off, some just made me think they were telling me something just to hear the sound of their own voice as parts were told over and over again.

And then, um….oh yeah and, and, and…..

Well, as my people have grown older their stories have become more important in their lives and mine.  They’ve been published in school literary journals, have been asked to share with the rest of their school, have been nominated to student council because their stories and ideas are beneficial to others.

Recently my two younger children took part in an essay contest sponsored by our school district that feeds into a much larger program put on by the metro area.  They were asked to write about a person in their lives that matters to them and is a wonderful person to those around them.  With no help allowed, they were to explain why their person makes a difference to those around them.

So as a writer, it was quite an honor to have not one, but both of my children’s essays chosen.  Their stories, their words, and their voices that were put down on paper.  Their talent for writing that was selected amongst those in their classes.

With Mother’s Day approaching here in the States [editor’s note: at the time of writing], it reminds me of those little voices in the backseat of the car…um, oh yeah…and then you know what happened, Mom?  The giggles that would follow, the long pauses as they found more words to make up more parts to an already never-ending story.   Yes, I always knew what happened because they always told me, always had the words.  Always had another story ready when they finished the one before it.

Those stories seemed to take forever back then, but I can see for myself now how their creativity has found its way into their school work, and into their hobbies.  As a writer, I couldn’t be more proud.  As a mother I grin, hearing their little voices replayed in my head, their stories told over and over.  Pieces of the past I still giggle at every now again.

Um, umand then you know what happened?  

Amazing! So that’s what happened!  Thanks so much for sharing…
🙂 Now, then: tell us more about your upcoming novel, Racing to Love: Carter’s Treasure!

From the outside, Molly West had everything, beauty, brains, and a career she’d retired from not once, but twice.  Being in the limelight and in a sport that was male driven, she was often surrounded men.  She ignored first the boys, and as she got older, the men.  Unfortunately, they were all the same, all after one thing, and she had absolutely no use for them.  Her cold shoulder and patented not a chance in hell look were usually enough to get her point across.  Occasionally, she had to resort to her sass—and her brother.

Molly had no plans in changing what was a perfectly good system. That is until she walked into the pits.  When she stood toe-to-toe with the sex in jeans, she knew right then and there that the man her adoptive mother always told her was out there, was now standing right in front of her.

Carter Sterling had traveled the racing circuit since he was a boy.  He’d heard all the old standbys, She’s out there somewhere, love comes along when you least expect it.  Good things come to those that… Yeah, he’d heard them all.  The last place he expected to meet the love of his life was on a pro track.  All she did was smile, and he knew, looking into her sapphire blue eyes, Molly West was his.  Forever.

If it was only that easy.  From the moment he laid eyes on her, he had a gripping feeling in him.  An overwhelming need to protect her.  A girl he’d just met.  Carter had learned a long time ago that gut feelings are almost never wrong.

Molly now held his heart in her hands, but it was going to take a lot more than just love to protect her from the past she thought she’d buried a long time ago.

Absolutely intriguing, Amy, what an unusual setting!  This is so high on my wishlist!! I adore the cover, by the way, what a wonderful image for your book. Wow! Now tell us more about yourself…

About Amy Gregory

Amy Gregory leads an incredibly active lifestyle in Kansas City with her husband and their three fantastic kids who keep them running in three very different directions.  When she’s not rushing her oldest daughter to tumbling, her youngest daughter to music lessons, or sitting track-side watching her son practice motocross, she’s taking the few minutes in between to scribble the next pages in her Racing to Love series.

When asked, “When do you have time to write?” Amy Gregory giggles.  “In bits and pieces,” she says.

Amy is known for her snarky, off the cuff sense of humor, which you’ll find shining through in the characters she’s created.  Her debut novel, Racing to Love, Carter’s Treasure, is set for release June 7, 2012.

I’ve spent my whole life trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up, and now I’ve finally found it. – Amy Gregory

Find out more about Amy on her blog, or on her Sapphire Star author page.  Amy is also on Goodreads and you can find her on Twitter and Facebook.

Thank you so much, Amy, for visiting today and introducing yourself and your novel, Racing to Love: Carter’s Treasure. It’s totally intriguing and I can’t wait for launch day.  I look forward to welcoming you back on 7 June in my Hall of Fame as part of your launch party!! Rock on! 🙂 xx

Now, dear reader, it’s your turn. Have you ever been told, “Too many words…?!?”

Cover Reveal! ~Sophie’s Turn~

This is it! The ultimate cover for Sophie’s Turn.  How excited am I?

Why another new cover, you ask?  Quite simply, another new cover marks the start of a new era for Sophie’s Turn, the first published edition coming out from Sapphire Star Publishing on 6 September 2012.  As for those of you who’ve been following my publishing journey, it’ll strike you that actually, this new, ultimate cover is quite similar to the last version you saw.  That’s because the amazing folks over at Sapphire Star Publishing liked the concept so much, they didn’t want to change it much at all.  Thank you!  🙂  But check out the subtle changes… see if you can spot the differences!  I’m enchanted, personally.

Huge congratulations go out to the original creator, Jessie Dalrymple–see, I told you you rock. 🙂

And here it is! Cover first, but don’t miss the credits below…


Here’s the credits, with HUGE thanks:

Cover design:  Chad Lichtenhan

Original design concept:  Jessie Dalrymple

Image:  “A carousel and the Eiffel Tower lit up at night” by www.unrestrictedstock.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Over the coming days and weeks, you will gradually see this cover appear on all the usual sites, beginning with the book icon in the top right-hand sidebar of this very blog.  Hooray!

So… what do you think?

Nicky Wells, Gracing BBC Airwaves (Again)

Holy Microphone! as Sophie would say.
It’s official! I’m a radio addict.  I love being “live on air” on the radio.  So: I thought I’d do it all over again….

Nicky and Elise after the interview in December ’11

As many of you probably recall (given the noise I made about it!), on 21 December last year, I had the great fortune of visiting Elise Rayner on the Afternoon Show on BBC Radio Bristol to talk about my romantic comedy debut, Sophie’s Turn.  Elise gave me an amazing amount of airspace during my first “Beeb” interview and I remember ‘threatening’ that I might have to return when the sequel is written.Well, not only is the sequel, Sophie’s Run, written but it has also been signed by Sapphire Star Publishing–alongside, of course, my first novel.  So I thought it was time to make good on my promise (threat?) and return to BBC Radio Bristol for an update.

Today, I had the pleasure of having a 15 minute chat live on air with the wonderful Alex Lewis.  And did I have the best of times again?  Absolutely!

Nicky and Alex after the interview in May ’12
(Thanks for letting me snap-and-share again!)

Alex asked me about me, and my writing, Sophie’s Turn, the sequel, signing a publishing contract and also about loveahappyending.com.  Once again, I forgot all about being in a studio and talking live on air.  It was such fun!  I think I am addicted.

So here’s the audio…

The definite introduction to Me, Nicky Wells, and to Romance that Rocks Your World, with a big mention for loveahappyending.com.

Due to the length of the interview and the size of the resulting sound file… you guessed it, I had to split it into two parts. Actually, the soundcapture software did it for me without telling me but hey ho, I figured it out when two truncated files showed up. Apologoies! Anyhooo….  In Part 1, Alex asks me about my writing history and background right up to the point of signing with Sapphire Star **inelegant interruption of soundfile here**

**resumption of soundfile here** and in Part 2, Alex asks me about connections with Bristol, inspiration and loveahappyending. Rock on!

And here’s the question for the real pros out there:  How do you stop yourself from “uhm-ing” and “err-ing” and mentioning a lot of “stuff” when live on air?

Shooting a likeness!

What’s in a photo, you wonder? Well, anything, and everything.
When I launched my debut novel, Sophie’s Turn, unto the world, I was proud of the product (am, to this day, incidentally) and excited to present it to a keen readership.  I was a nifty author (still am, of course) but a hapless publisher.  As many of you have read over the past few months, my learning curve was vertical in every respect.  But there’s one aspect I haven’t yet talked about:  the author’s likeness.

The what?  you say, incredulous.  Yes, the author’s likeness, the legalese term that the industry appears to prefer.  A photo, to you and me.

Well, I needed one.  Naturally, I hadn’t given that any thought until I started blogging, tweeting and Facebooking.  I frantically dug around in thousands of digital photos taken over the past eight years or so, only to discover that not only wasn’t there a decent photo of me anywhere, but also there wasn’t a single (not one!) photo of me without kids or husband.  Somewhere along the motherly career path, I appear to have been lost as a person in her own right.  But that’s a different blog post for a different time.

Nicky’s author image, mach 1

Never fear, I am crafty with the old cut-and-paste function! Rather than being an egg-head, I selected the most suitable photo and cut myself out of it.  Yes, that one there, to the left. What’s that white fog, you want to know? Well, that was my older son’s hand, once, but it looked rather weird there, all chopped off and disembodied.  Granted, the white scwobble doesn’t look much better, but it did the job.  For… all of four weeks or so. Then I decided I need something more suitable.  When we happened to have some friends visiting and I had some time and looked presentable for once, we took some more snaps.  The outcome was author photo number 2, yes, the one to the right here.  An improvement, don’t you think?

Say cheeeeese! Nicky’s author photo, mach 2

This photo has graced my author’s pages, guest blogs and avatars all over the web ever since.  It’s an alright photo.  It’s sunny, and very me.  But it’s also decidedly… unexciting.  Unglamorous.  Not like me at all then, seeing as that I write romance that rocks your world! What to do? There had to be a solution somewhere.  Well, of course there was.  An obvious one, even.  I needed a photographer, and a photo shoot.  So that’s exactly what I did, with the help of amazing friend and budding photographer, Deborah Smith, and a superbly professional camera courtesy of Simon Smith.

Shooting a likeness:  The big photo shoot for Nicky’s ultimate author photo!

9 am: return from school run and switch on computer
9:10 am: switch off computer as feeling uninspired. Potter around the house
10 am: run bath and consume cup of tea
11 am: emerge from bath and dry hair
12 pm: have lunch, select outfit, beautify.  Yes, beautify. The whole works. Actual make-up. Eye shadow and everything. Might as well, just this once!

2 pm: arrive at Deborah’s house styled and ready, carrying bubbly for inspiration and courage.

Deborah getting ready for photographic action…

Spend a delightful hour flouncing around, posing, giggling, turning the music up loud and living every rock-star photo-shoot cliche and movie quote under the sun (go on, give me a bit more shoulder…. love the camera…. work it, baby!)

3 pm: done!

Job done! Cheers!

A portfolio of likenesses…

Very first picture… not bad.

A little shimmy on the floor?

Work it baby, work it…

Hello, I’m your local author!

Oh la la!

 …and here it is, the ultimate author’s likeness:  Nicky’s new, official author photo! ***Drumroll!***

Romance That Rocks Your World! Meet Nicky Wells, Author.

So there, that wasn’t so difficult. In fact, that was fun.  And what a difference, huh? (Please don’t tell me you like my old pictures better. No, honestly, don’t.  You can’t be serious!)

A big, massive Thank You to Deborah for taking the time to indulge my vanity, snap 150+ pictures (or thereabouts) and having fun along the way.  You are a rock star and a superhero. Here is your credit:

ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF DEBORAH SMITH.

or:

AUTHOR PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF DEBORAH SMITH.

I like the look of that–there’s a career here for you, Debbie!  And, dear reader, now YOU can tell me about your photo moments!  Have you lost your identity among the nappies and the baby puree, too?  Are you ready to be snapped by the paparazzi anytime? Do you feel the urgent need to glam up, go out, and have fun?  Or… have you got that ACE photo of yourself that inspires you with confidence on a bad hair day, anytime? Let me know…

Hall of Fame Party: Mandy Baggot launches “Taking Charge” with Sapphire Star Publishing

Roll out the red carpet!
Open the champagne!
It’s time to enter the Hall of Fame!

Today, it is my tremendous pleasure to welcome you to the Hall of Fame celebration party as Mandy Baggot launches Taking Charge with her publisher, Sapphire Star Publishing.  Let’s open the floor to Mandy to introduce herself and her book…

Well, here I am on Nicky’s Hall of Fame! Thank you for having me Nicky! Wow, Taking Charge is my fifth novel and it hardly seems possible. In the four years since my first novel was published, I’ve brought you a hot film star, an ice-skating god, an ex-Army/underwear model/escort/personal trainer, and a delicious rock musician. So what have I served up in Taking Charge?

Cole Ryan, hunk and gorgeous male hero in Taking Charge

Well, today I am introducing you to Cole Ryan. He’s handsome, athletic, intelligent and has a great sense of humour. He’s also sensitive, passionate and loyal. But besides having Cole as the hero of the piece, there are also some other equally gorgeous specimens of manhood in the shape of the Portage Panthers ice hockey team. Here are some of the main players! We have:

Mickey!  He’s tawny haired, well built and works as a mechanic. He’s easy-going, laid-back and takes life as it comes. He doesn’t really worry about anything. He lives for simple pleasures like beer and discounted pizzas. He has a good, honest heart and he’s a good friend to have. He’s a little bit of a joker and sometimes this makes him seem a bit dumb. He isn’t stupid though, just good-natured and content with his spot in life.

Brad! Brad is the ex-boyfriend of lead female character, Robyn,  and although he is the complete opposite to Cole in looks, he is equally gorgeous. He’s tall with short cropped blonde hair and he’s a police officer. He’s athletic in build with biceps like grapefruits, and he’s the character with the ice blue eyes! He likes to help people which is why he’s good at his job; but he does have a temper and can fly off the handle if he’s rubbed up the wrong way.

Henrik!  Until Cole joins the team, Henrik is unrivalled as the Portage Panthers’ best player. He’s recently moved to America and works at the local supermarket. His English isn’t the best and he sometimes gets teased by the team when he gets phrases wrong. He’s tall with brown spiky hair and some designer stubble he goes to great lengths to get just right. He’s a real ladies’ man and the crazy one of the team. He does what he wants and doesn’t care what anyone thinks of him. He loves hot-tubs and no one in Portage knows what nationality he really is!

So, that’s some of the boys! I hope that’s intrigued you enough to find out more!

It certainly has… and that’s why there’s a little more info about Taking Charge below.  But meanwhile, Mandy has another treat for us, haven’t you?

I certainly do!  OK, the last thing! To give you a flavour of the music of the town I have included a playlist of songs in Taking Charge. And here I am performing one of them for you!


Taking Charge:  Is going back Robyn’s only way forward?

American-born Robyn Matthers is going home. With her dad in hospital, his roadhouse in ruins and the ice hockey team slipping down the league, she needs to take charge. But does she have the strength to do it?

Cole Ryan is a hockey player on a personal mission. He’s tall, dark, hot and Robyn’s noticed! But can she trust her feelings – or his? And what will Cole do when he finds out the truth about her?

With an ill father, a trailer trash step-mom and ex-boyfriend Brad desperate for another chance, does Robyn have time to contemplate a relationship? Can she start again? Does she really want to? And can two people really fall in love in three days?

You can buy Taking Charge on amazon.co.uk and amazon.com from today! And don’t forget to join the party on Twitter using hashtag #TCParty–see you there!

About Mandy Baggot

Mandy writes strong contemporary romance and characters you’ll fall in love with. Previously self-published, she was signed by US publishing house Sapphire Star Publishing in January 2012. Shortly afterwards she became a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.

Mandy is a self-confessed Twitter addict who also likes to show off her singing talents on You Tube:  check out Lady Gaga! She has auditioned for X Factor, appeared on ITV1s Who Dares Sings and longs to duet with Bryan Adams. She also has a fondness for white wine, mashed potato, country music and World’s Strongest Man.

Mandy lives near Salisbury in Wiltshire, UK with her husband, two daughters and two cats called Kravitz and Springsteen.

You can find out more about the launch (including the full blog tour schedule!!!) on Mandy’s website. You can also check out her author page at Sapphire Star Publishing.  Mandy is on Facebook and on Twitter (of course!), and she has author pages on amazon.co.uk, amazon.com and Goodreads.

A big congratulations to Mandy on her launch date for Taking Charge. Now what we’d like to know is… have you ever taken charge of an impossible situation?

Sophie has an exciting confession for Dan…

Indeed, it’s party time again!  Did you guess right yesterday?

I feel like a regular party girl these days. Break out the bubbly, have a little treat and join the party!  Oh, and know that while the celebrations continue, I’ll be planning the third part of the Rock Star Romance Trilogy… just how will the story end??XX

~Nicky 🙂

Hall of Fame Party: A.L. Jackson launches “Pulled” and “Take this Regret” with Sapphire Star Publishing

Roll out the red carpet!
Open the champagne!
It’s time to enter the Hall of Fame!

Today, it is my tremendous pleasure to welcome you to the Hall of Fame celebration party as A.L. Jackson launches not one but two books with her publisher, Sapphire Star Publishing.  This is a momentous occasion both for A.L. and her publisher, as the release of Pulled and Take This Regret marks the first offering of the brand new US publishing house.  Let’s open the floor to A.L. to introduce herself and her books…

“A huge thank you to my friend and fellow Sapphire Star Publishing author, Nicky Wells, for inviting me onto her blog! I can’t say how excited I am with the re-releases of Pulled and Take This Regret today! It’s been an incredible journey to publication day and it feels amazing to bring these books back.”

Pulled ~

Melanie Winters and Daniel Montgomery shared a love they believed bonded them together for life.  After the tragic loss of their daughter, overwhelming grief and misguided guilt distorts the truth, and their relationship ends in unanswered questions.

For nine years, they drift through life, each unable to forget the one who holds their heart.  Now, when their lives again intersect, will the power that drew them together be enough to heal the wounds from their past?

Pulled is a story of attraction and separation, of destiny and duty, of a love so strong it refuses to give up even when all others have.

Take This Regret ~

There are some mistakes we make that we will regret for the rest of our lives.  For Christian, it was the day he betrayed Elizabeth.

Christian Davison has a plan for his life.  He is determined to become an attorney and to one day take his place as partner in his father’s law firm.  Nothing will stand in his way, not even Elizabeth Ayers and their unborn child.

After Christian cuts her from his life, Elizabeth spends the next five years struggling to provide for her daughter and willing to sacrifice anything to give her child a safe, comfortable life.

For five years, Christian has regretted the day he walked away from his family and will do anything to win them back just as Elizabeth will do anything to protect her daughter from the certain heartache she believes Christian will bring upon them.

When Christian wrestles his way into their lives, Elizabeth is faced with asking herself if it is possible to forgive someone when they’ve committed the unforgivable and if it is possible to find a love after it has been buried in years of hate.  Or are there some wounds that go so deep they can never heal?

They say everyone deserves a second chance.

Whoop whooop! Here’s where the party starts. Huge congratulations go out today to A.L. Jackson and Sapphire Star Publishing.  In particular, raise your glasses and toast the amazing A.L. Jackson on her launch day.   You can now buy Pulled and Take This Regret in Kindle edition from Amazon, and the paperbacks are out, too:  Pulled  and Take This Regret.

Moreover, you can join the launch party on Twitter via #pulledparty  from 8 a.m. Pacific Time or 4 p.m. in the UK, do stop by and say hello… and you’re welcome to party in the comments below, too! 🙂

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.

Find out more about A.L. Jackson at her author page at Sapphire Star Publishing or on her blog.  You can also follow A.L. on  Twitter or find her on Facebook and Goodreads.

A Working Holiday for Sophie’s Turn