Please help me welcome my friend, Linda McLaughlin to my blog today. I know she’d love to have some comments.
Hi everyone! I’m so pleased to be here at Cynthia’s blog today to talk about my first published novel, Worth The Risk; Thanks, Cindy!
There is nothing more exciting for a writer than that first published book. You never forget the day you get “the call” or the day you hold behold that first published copy, though nowadays it’s just as likely to be an e-book as a print book. But it’s exciting either way, like your birthday and New Year’s Eve all rolled into one.
My writing partner, Anne Farrell, and I got the call one October, and our book was published the following April, Private Affair, Kensington Precious Gem #121, and for an entire month it could be seen in the book section at Wal-Mart. So it is almost as exciting for us to now see the book, now titled Worth The Risk, getting a second chance to reach readers in an updated and revised e-book version.
Worth The Risk is all about second chances, something our main characters could use. All are wounded: Amanda from a humiliating experience in her past, Mitch from a terrible accident and disastrous marriage, and little Josh from the death of his mother.
Blurb:
Children’s librarian Amanda Lloyd values privacy above all else. Three years ago her wedding ended in disaster when her groom was arrested at the altar and the story of the ‘Embezzler’s Bride’ appeared in the supermarket tabloids. The experience has left her determined to avoid being caught in the public eye again. Until she meets a sexy single dad with a scandalous past.
Ex-racer Mitch Delaney is a public figure whose life has been plastered across the tabloids more than once. But he believes that anything worth doing is worth a risk. After the death of his ex-wife, he moved to Southern California to take care of his son Josh. He doesn’t need the complication of a woman in his life, especially since Josh’s grandparents have filed suit for custody. But Josh is on the hunt for a new mother and he has his heart set on Miss Amanda, and Mitch can’t fault his son’s taste.
Against her better judgment, Amanda finds herself falling for both of the Delaney men. When she agrees to accompany Mitch to a high-profile movie premiere, they draw the attention of the tabloids. Overnight Amanda’s private affair becomes very public indeed, threatening her job and Mitch’s custody suit. She’s waited twenty-eight years for the right man. But will happiness come at too high a price?
Excerpt:
He held out a hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He peered at her nametag. “Ms. Lloyd.”
She nodded as she felt her hand swallowed up in his warm, friendly grasp. A tingling sensation shot up her arm. For heaven’s sakes, what was wrong with her? Her fiancé had been as good-looking, maybe better, but there was a sensual awareness in this man that she hadn’t been conscious of in Tim.
She pulled her hand free at the sound of a childish voice and turned to see a little blond-haired girl looking up at her. “Do you need some help?” Amanda asked the youngster.
“I can’t find the fairy tales.”
“They’re right over here,” Amanda said, leading the way to a shelf by the window. She pulled a few books from the shelf. “How about Cinderella, Snow White, and The Frog Prince?”
The child took the books with a happy smile. “I’m gonna marry a prince someday.”
It had never been known to fail, Amanda thought. The female of the species was a sucker for a happy ending. She hated to burst the child’s illusions, but… “There really aren’t—”
“Of course you will, sweetheart,” a low masculine voice interrupted. “Whoever you marry will be your prince.”
The little girl gave the handsome stranger a dazzling smile and ran out of the room.
“Shame on you,” he scolded. “You were going to tell that child there aren’t any princes, weren’t you?”
“Isn’t it better to be honest? Sometimes I wonder at the wisdom of filling children’s heads with fairy tales, even though it’s part of my job. That little girl will find out sooner or later that there aren’t any real prince charmings.”
He leaned against a table, his long legs crossed at the ankles. “Oh? What about Prince
William?”
Amanda raised an eyebrow. “Friend of yours, is he?”
“I wouldn’t go that far, but I have met his brother, Harry.”
Sure you have. Amanda recognized a line when she heard one. “All right, there are a few actual princes left. But we’re not talking about them.” The man was aggravating, standing there practically daring her to defend herself. “The truth is that frogs outnumber princes by about a million to one.”
The man grinned lazily. “Ah, a cynic.”
Amanda returned his smile. “Remember what the Brothers Grimm said: ‘Before you meet the handsome prince, you’ve got to kiss a lot of toads.’”
“If you think all men have warts, I beg to differ,” he said softly, staring into her eyes.
Worth The Risk is on sale today for 99 cents from Amazon Kindle.
Also available from Apple, Kobo, Nook and Smashwords.
LYN O’FARRELL is the writing team of Anne Farrell and Linda McLaughlin. Their romance novel, Private Affair, was a finalist in RWA’s prestigious Golden Heart contest and was first published in paperback by Kensington Precious Gems. It has now been re-released as an e-book under the title Worth the Risk. Anne and Linda live in sunny Southern California, the inspiration for the fictional town of Santa Elena.
Connect with Anne and Linda online at:
Anne Farrell: http://annefarrellwriter.com/
Linda McLaughlin: http://www.lindamclaughlin.com
Linda’s blog: http://flightsafancy.blogspot.com/