Please help me welcome Misha Crews to my blog. Misha will be giving one commenter complimentary copy of Homesong in their choice of format, as well as a gift card to Starbucks. So be sure and leave her a comment so you can be entered in the drawing.

Hi Cynthia! Thanks so much for having me on your beautiful blog! It’s a real pleasure to be here.

How did you get started writing?

My first writing project was when I was about seven or eight. It was actually a full stage show (put on by myself and my friends, at a premium ticket price of 25 cents each). We had jokes, songs, and even clowns! It played to a packed house of four grownups. I had my taste of creativity, and I was hooked.

Tell us a little about yourself and your latest book.

Well, my most recent release is actually a re-release of my first novel, Homesong. It’s a multi-generational story about a small town called Angel River, Virginia, and it’s told from the perspective of two childhood sweethearts who are reunited on a Caribbean cruise. It was originally published in 2008, and was a finalist for the Bronte Prize for Romantic Fiction. I’m really tickled that it’s available again on Kindle, and is coming soon in Nook and paperback (yay!). In fact, one commenter on this blog will receive a complimentary copy of Homesong in their choice of format, as well as a gift card to Starbucks. (Yay again!)

How likely are people you meet to end up in your next book?

I refuse to answer on the grounds that it may… oh, heck with that. It depends a lot on the person and the circumstance. There’s no denying that parts of people I know – gestures, mannerisms, etc. – end up in my writing. That’s part of the fun of it!

What is your favorite part of writing?

Getting to know the characters. Each book is like making a whole new set of friends: learning their stories, what their families are like, what makes them laugh and so on.

What is your least favorite part of writing?

Getting my new friends into trouble! I hate putting my characters through unhappy times, making them suffer. But at least I also get to take them through to their happily ever after (at least, most of the time!).

What genres are you drawn to as a reader?

When I first started reading I was a total mystery addict. Nowadays I’m drawn to romance with a touch of mystery, especially stories that have gothic elements. But really I’ll read anything! As long as it’s well-written and interesting, no genre is out of the question.

Do you prefer to read in the same genres you write in or do you avoid reading that genre? Why?

That’s an interesting question! There have been times when I haven’t wanted to read in my genre, because I was afraid I’d be influenced too much by other writers and wouldn’t be able to create an original story. But these days I enjoy reading the genre that I’m working on, because it puts me totally in the mindset of what I’m writing, even when I’m relaxing.

What’s next for you?

Well, I had so much fun reviving Homesong that I decided to spend some more time in the fictional town of Angel River. There’s a quartet of novellas in the works, with some new characters (and a few old friends). All four novellas will be out in 2013.

* * *

About the Author

Raised in a family of book lovers, Misha’s mother first encouraged her to read by offering to pay her two cents per page of Hop on Pop, by Dr. Seuss. At first Misha was happy just to be raking in the cash, but before long she traded the pennies for the riches of the written word, and since that time she’s seldom been seen without a book in her hand, in front of her nose, or at the very least in her purse! Misha is married and is currently living and working in Northern Virginia. She welcomes messages about writing, reading, workshops, ice cream, antique typewriters, stuff that make you laugh, etc., and can be contacted via her website: MishaCrews.com

About Homesong

In a small town, everyone knows everything about everybody. Or do they?

For twenty years, Kate Doyle has been haunted by the night when she was forced to flee from her tiny Virginia home town and abandon her childhood sweetheart, Reed Fitzgerald. So when Kate, now in her mid-30s, escapes her unhappy life in Washington, DC and takes a much-needed vacation, the last thing she expects is to be reunited with Reed. Now, under the warm clear Caribbean sun, amid ancient churches and pink flamingos, Kate and Reed seek to revive the love that they thought was gone forever.

But will small-town secrets ruin their last chance for happiness? Woven into the modern tale of Kate and Reed are the tales of those who came before them. Their mothers: teenagers in the chaotic 1960s, best friends who are in love with the same man, although only one of them knows it. Reed’s grandmother: already a bitter old woman by the 1930s, she would do anything to carry on the family name…and would drive away anyone who came between her and her grandson. And even the founder of the town: in 1865, what guilty secret drove one man to bring his two daughters across the ocean from Ireland and settle in the dark Virginia hills?

At its heart, Homesong is the story of a small town: its lies and truths, its beginnings and endings. It’s about proud secrets, unrestrained joy, and the old adage that you may leave your home, but it never really leaves you.

Excerpt from Homesong

It was dusk when they finally returned to Bonaire Horseback Tours. The day had been long, hot, and sticky, but the scenery was beautiful, and the tour had been very entertaining.

When Kate dismounted and waved a final goodbye to Stacy, she was amazed by how tired and sore she was. She had forgotten how strenuous horseback riding could be. And she wasn’t alone in her exhaustion. The entire group was silent with fatigue as the transport lumbered back to the ship.

Hot breezes blew through the gathering dark, spiced with the smell of tropical dishes and ringing with the distant sound of music. It made Kate long to wander the city and find the sources of those enticing sounds and smells. But by the time they got back to the ship, all she wanted was a hot shower, a bite to eat, and a long night’s sleep.

Then Reed gazed down at her with those soulful, luminous eyes. Holding her hand, he murmured a suggestion, and Kate found herself nodding in agreement. She trailed after him to his stateroom, and ten minutes later, she was soaking in his whirlpool bathtub, up to her chin in fragrant, frothy water. She had closed her eyes in modesty as he showered in the frosted glass stall adjacent to the tub, and had promptly drifted into a doze.

The sound of the shower turning off roused her, and she rubbed her face with wet hands as she struggled to stay awake. “I have to warn you,” she called. “I’m falling asleep out here.”

“Don’t worry,” he called back. “The bath balm will help with that.”

“What’s in it, anyway?”

He opened the door and stepped out, a long towel wrapped around his waist. Although she knew he couldn’t see through the frothing water, she folded her arms discreetly over her breasts as he stood looking down at her.

The motion wasn’t lost on him. He knelt beside her and stroked her cheek, intensely aware of how close together they were. The steam from the shower enveloped them, combining with the scent of the bath to form a heady fog that seemed to draw them together.

“Lemon and peppermint for energy,” he answered softly. “Epsom salts and baking soda for tired muscles.”

She felt herself blush as if he had propositioned her.

He let his finger slide along her jawbone and down her neck, pausing as he traced her collarbone. A few inches more and his hand would disappear under the frothy water, slide under her sheltering arms and cup her breast.

He could imagine how soft her flesh would be there — warm from the water, her nipple pressed against his palm. His mouth went dry at the thought, and he couldn’t quite get his breath.

He could see the pulse beating hard in the hollow of her neck, and he knew she wanted his hand to drift under the water, wanted his fingers to wander where they would. A smile ghosted around his lips. When his eyes met hers, they were bright with longing.

Reed stood up. Kate swallowed hard and struggled to pull herself together. His touch on her damp skin had been achingly gentle, sending hot chills rushing over her. She’d had to fight to keep herself from dragging him into the tub, towel and all.

Help me welcome Norah Wilson to my blog to day. Her new book, Comes The Night will be available on December 1 and you’re seeing the cover here first. It ROCKS!

Please leave Norah a comment and be entered in to a drawing for a $10 gift card or an ebook. There will be two winners.

What genre(s) do you write in and why?

With my solo writing, I write romantic suspense and paranormal romance. But I’ll tell you a secret – the paranormal romance is just romantic suspense with the addition of supernatural beings.  At least that’s my approach. As for the why of it, I love how the strong external plot gives me something to hang the romance on. Straight up contemporary romance is my first love, but when I tried to write it, I found it positively exhausting trying to come up with stuff for them to do. The strong suspense plot gives them plenty to worry about, and the romantic development becomes so much easier once I’ve thrown them together in a high stakes battle. You know the axiom that true character is revealed under pressure? When I throw them into this crucible, the characters come to know each other’s character on a very fundamental level in a relatively short time. That totally appeals to me!
I also write young adult paranormal with writing partner Heather Doherty. Again, that fast-paced, suspenseful plot really helps! Heather and I also write the laugh-out-loud Dix Dodd cozy mystery series. I can find no explanation for that. LOL! You’d have to read one.

Tell us about your current series.

My best selling series right now is the Serve and Protect Series, which are romantic suspense stories featuring sexy police detectives (with a police K-9 handler thrown in there). I guess you’d call them women in jeopardy stories, if you feel the need to pigeonhole them. But that doesn’t mean my heroines are shrinking violets. They are strong, smart women who just happen to find themselves in situations where they need protection.

Also doing reasonably well is my Vampire Romance series. I wish I could entice more of my romantic suspense fans over to the dark side, since these books really are nail-biting suspenses.

What is your next project and when will it be released?

It’s a joint project with my writing partner, Heather Doherty. By December 1, 2012, we expect to have the first book in our Casters series of YA paranormal/horror launched. It’s called Comes the Night, and it’s sooo scary. We’ve created a whole new entity. Three girls who are sent to a boarding school which is just one step away from jeuvie find a way to escape their pain by literally escaping from their bodies. There are four books planned in the series, to be released over the course of 2013.

How has your experience with self-publishing been?

It’s been extraordinary. I got in early – the summer of 2010. I was – and still am – agented, but I had a number of books that had already made the rounds of appropriate traditional publishers, with no takers. I came to the conclusion that they were never going to sell to New York and I had nothing to lose by self-publishing them. Well, with the possible exception of my reputation. At that point, self-publishing was still pretty much synonymous with vanity publishing. But I’d been listening with great interest to fellow author Delle Jacobs, who is the first author I knew personally to take the plunge. I figured if it was good enough for Delle, for whom I have enormous admiration, it was good enough for me. Sales started slow, but about six months in, they exploded. Apple was the first market I penetrated with any substantial numbers, and they are still a very important market for me, but after I put my free loss leader short novella on Amazon and they price-matched it to free, my Amazon sales came on very nicely. At this point, I’m not out there leading the indie pack, but I’m comfortably somewhere in the middle. 

Right now, I’m fortunate enough now to have a book out with Montlake Romance (Every Breath She Takes, Sept. 2012), and I’m thrilled with what that has done for my indie sales.

Tell us about your hero. Give us one of his strengths and one of his weaknesses.

I love talking about my heroes! Since your focus is indie, I’ll talk about John Quigley, or Quigg, from Guarding Suzannah, the first book in my Serve and Protect series. Quigg is strong, protective and sexily capable, but he may also be the least Alpha hero I’ve written. In a lot of ways, he’s smarter, more patient and better adjusted than a lot of those out-and-out Alphas who can sometimes go off with very little provocation. He’s the son of a laborer and sees the heroine, Suzannah, the daughter of a chief justice, as somewhat out of his league. Suzannah, a criminal defence attorney, is also abhorred by his colleagues on the police force for her habit of demolishing them on the witness stand. When Quigg discovers Suzannah has a stalker, he has to walk a fine line between solidarity with his colleagues and his need to protect this beautiful, independent woman who refuses to make an official complaint to a police force she half suspects is behind the harassment. When she refuses to go to police, he appoints himself as her protector, whether she wants it or not. Of course, with his patience and steadiness, he turns out to be the perfect match for the sexually and romantically skittish Suzannah.

Do you have any words of inspiration for aspiring authors?

Absolutely. Don’t give up. There are more avenues than ever before for authors to succeed. But even with the self-publishing avenue open to anyone who wants to take it, there will be challenges. Discoverability in a world where shelf space has become unlimited is the new mountain to be scaled. I know lots of amazing authors who toil in relative obscurity. But here’s the thing – if you self publish, you can have a successful career writing to a relatively small niche. For instance, New York has pretty much declared the romantic suspense dead, and only the superstars of the genre continue to sell at a clip that will support a traditional publishing career. Traditional publishing requires a blockbuster of a book to make it a profitable undertaking. But as an indie, there are more than enough romantic suspense fans to support my books. And for readers, the genre has been revitalized by the indie movement, with more choice than ever before. So yes, it’s a challenge, but you can target a niche market and write to it. Work on your craft. Deliver a quality product. Work with an editor. Commission a cover that looks great in thumbnail and which SCREAMS the genre. Make it available on as many platforms as you can. Build you fan base with another book and another book.

Thank you for hosting me, Cynthia. It’s been a blast!

Excerpt from Guarding Suzannah (Serve and Protect Series, #1)

She looked so thoroughly disheartened, way beyond what a flat tire should cause. “Relax, Princess.” He pushed away from the pillar. “I’ll change your tire, have you on your way in five minutes.”

“Don’t bother,” she clipped. “I’ll call CAA.”

“Hey, I can handle this. Besides, with any luck, I’ll get dirt or grease all over me and won’t have to go back in there.” He indicated stately Old Government House with a nod of his head.

“Thanks for the offer, but I don’t have room in my trunk for four spares.”

“Four?” He blinked at her. “They can’t all be flat.”

“They can if they’ve been slashed.”

Quigg shot a look at the valet, who nodded a confirmation, then retreated back to his station.

He gripped her elbow. “What’s going on, Suzannah?”

Calmly, she removed her arm from his grip. “Nothing that’s not par for the course, Detective.”

“Jesus, your tires are slashed and you don’t even bat an eyelash?”

She opened her ridiculously tiny beaded purse and pulled out an even tinier cell phone. Seconds later, she was talking to the CAA dispatcher. Cripes, she had the auto association on her speed dial? He listened as she gave her situation and her location.

“Wanna explain what’s going on here?” he asked as she tucked the phone away again.
She shrugged, an elegant lift of the shoulder. “Just the cost of doing a little criminal Legal Aid in this town.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? And why wasn’t your first call to the cops, especially if this isn’t the first time it’s happened?”

“The police.” She laughed, a surprisingly grating sound that lacked real amusement. “Yeah, that’d work.”

Quigg sucked a breath in through his teeth. “You think cops did this?”

She arched a delicate eyebrow. “Congratulations, Detective. I’ll bet you graduated top of your class.”

“No.”

“No? Gosh, with those deductive powers, I’d have –”

He stepped closer. “No, it wasn’t a cop who did this.”

Her bosom lifted on a long inhalation, but she didn’t huff out an impatient sigh as he half expected.

“Look, I’ve been around the block a few times, Detective. I know I haven’t endeared myself to you guys. I also know you stick together –”

“But not like this –”

“Hey, I understand. Really. The blue wall. You’re charged with enforcing what amounts to a pretty puritanical code, one that abhors improprieties like drunkenness or lewdness. So you avoid those social situations where you might make a hypocrite of yourself. Then, before you know it, your social sphere includes nothing but other cops.”

“Can I just say –”

“It’s okay. I totally get it. You put that uniform on, that badge, and it isolates you from your friends, from your community, even from the legal system. Which sets up the us/them solidarity thing. So when a guy gets a rough ride from me on the stand, of course the rest of you are going to empathize pretty strongly with him.”

“Thank you, Dr. Phelps, for that lesson on police sub-culture. But read my lips – it wasn’t one of us slashed your tires.”

Help me welcome Mara Jacobs to my blog today. Mara has generously offered to give away 3 ebook copies of her book to 3 commentors so be sure and leave her a comment.

What genre(s) do you write in and why?

I write 2 series that are romantic mystery series, as well as contemporary romance. I like my happy endings!

Tell us about your current series.

The Worth Series is a contemporary romance series featuring three life-long girlfriends who are now in their mid-thirties. Subtitles are The Nice One, The Pretty One, and The Smart One. Each woman was pegged with their title in school and in some ways it has shaped the women they’ve become —and yet they’re so much more.

What inspired your latest book?

Worth the Drive, the second Worth book, was totally inspired by my long-time crush on professional golfer Jose Maria Olazabal. Very fun to play out that fantasy!

How much time do you spend promoting your books? What works best for you?

This is very new to me—I just debuted with my indie books in October—so I’m still feeling out what works. I’ve done some ads, some blogs, and the usual social media outlets. I truly believe that the best promotion is getting the next book out, so I’ve really tried to concentrate on spending my time writing.

How has your experience with self-publishing been?

So far, so good. My agency, Writers House, was offering the expertise of a self-publishing service to their authors if they were interested. I decided to do my first 3 books through them, and my 3 Worth books myself so I could compare and contrast the experiences. I’ve found pros and cons to both venues—timing and control being a pro of doing it all yourself. And of course the time taken away from writing by doing it all yourself (or hiring those to do things like formatting, cover art for you) is a major con. It’s been an interesting process and I learn something new about it all everyday.

What advice do you have for other authors wanting to self-publish?

Weigh out time vs. money when deciding what to do yourself and what to hire out. Is it time that would serve you better in the long run by writing the next book instead of spending time learning to format, etc? Having said that, I do believe you HAVE to get professional looking covers and editing done from an outside source unless you have strong graphic design skills.

Do you have critique partners?

Yes, and they have been instrumental in my continuing to write. They are both very different (and awesome!) writers and bring different things to the table on the critiques they do. Hopefully I do the same for them. One of our three-some is multi-published with the major houses as well as self-published and a great wealth of information on the publishing industry.

What is your favorite dessert/food?

Red Velvet Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. Thank God I don’t have one near me!

What is most difficult for you to write? Characters, conflict or emotions? Why?

Probably conflict, because I honestly believe that we’re sometimes our own biggest conflict. Internal conflict, to me, is more human that outside conflict – at least in contemporary times. And yet, a book with ONLY internal conflict may not be everybody’s cup of tea. So, the hard part for me is balancing internal conflict (which is easy for me) with external conflict (which is not so easy).

Give us an elevator pitch for your book.

For Worth The Weight: Woman loses half her body weight and heads to her hometown to try out her new body on an old flame.

What are you currently working on?

The third Worth book, Worth The Fall, is just wrapping up and I’ll have it out right around Christmas.

Excerpt

“God, I love the smell of theater popcorn, there’s nothing else like it.”

Finn Robbins heard the female voice from behind him. He couldn’t say the same. The smell of fresh popcorn made him sick. It seemed the aroma stayed with him wherever he was, the buttery stuff burning into his nose with every breath. It was enough to make him puke.

It’d been okay when he’d worked here years ago, but this time around it was too much. Everything was too much.

Something about the voice made him turn. Three women stood at the concession stand counter, one of the new high school kids waiting on them. Finn had his head buried, connecting a new Coke tank. The old tank had just died, spraying Coke all over his white shirt. Just another sign that the universe was having a good laugh at him.

He checked out the women. Mostly all he saw were packs of kids and couples at the theater. It was refreshing to see a group of thirty-something women together. The two he could see were striking, but in very different ways. Completely opposite in looks. The first was tall and Nordic looking, and strikingly beautiful. A Viking princess. The other was all soft curves, darker skin and hair, but still blonde. A dark Finlander and a light Finlander, the two mainstays of the Copper Country.

There was something a little familiar about them. Maybe they came to the theaters often? He dismissed that. He’d have definitely remembered the Viking.

The woman behind the two got her order and turned, allowing Finn to see only a flash of long black hair ending just above a wonderfully lush butt. He tried craning his neck, but from where he stood he couldn’t get a clear view of her.

Those damn high school kids were too fast. They had the women’s orders done before Finn had a chance to get out from behind the counter and get a proper look. He wanted to figure out where he knew the two from, and definitely wanted to see the third.

There was something about that voice. Maybe he could catch a glimpse of them after the movie as they left the theater.

Lizzie Hampton couldn’t concentrate on the movie, which was unusual. She, Katie and Alison had been seeing movies at the Mine Shaft together since sixth grade when they were finally allowed to go without parental supervision.

One parent would drop the three girls off in downtown Houghton. They would see the movie, then cross the street to the Big Boy for a hot fudge ice cream cake. One of the other girls’ parents would pick them up in front of the Big Boy exactly one and one-half hours after the movie was scheduled to get out. In that time, the girls would dissect the movie while plying themselves with the decadent dessert.

Over time, the girls’ critiques of the movies went from “isn’t he dreamy” to “the use of the wide angle lens by the director was really effective.” Although isn’t he dreamy never really went out of style. They had progressed from parents’ pick up and delivery service, to being old enough to walk on their own, to driving their parents’ cars, to driving their own.

Now they were back to walking across the bridge from Hancock to Houghton, but this time for the exercise. The Big Boy had long closed down, but Lizzie fully expected the Pavlovian response of craving hot fudge the moment the credits rolled.

Except tonight, she wasn’t immersed in the movie. “He didn’t even know me. Not a flicker of recognition,” she said out loud, as much to herself as her friends.

“SSSHHHHH,” came a voice from behind them.

Amazon Buy Link – http://amzn.com/B009MZQMAQ

BIO

After graduating from Michigan State University with a degree in advertising, Mara spent several years working at daily newspapers in Advertising sales and production. This certainly prepared her for the world of deadlines!

Most authors say they’ve been writing forever. Not so with Mara. She always had the stories, but they played like movies in her head. A few years ago she began transferring the movies to pages. She writes mysteries with romance, thrillers with romance, and romances with…well, you get it.

Forever a Yooper (someone who hails from Michigan’s glorious Upper Peninsula), Mara now resides in the East Lansing, Michigan, area where she is better able to root on her beloved Spartans.

Please help me welcome Lily Rede to my blog today. Lily had generously agreed to gie away and ecopy of her book today to onw lucky commenter so be sure and leave ehr a comment.

How has your experience with self-publishing been? What advice do you
have for other authors wanting to self-publish?

The only advice I have for authors who are curious about self-publishing is DO IT. For a long time, I think the world felt about self-publishing the same way they felt about internet dating – curious, but wary. Now, the situation is different. A solid chunk of my nearest and dearest found their better halves online, and self-publishing has become just as mainstream. If you have a solid critique group, a good editor, and some graphics skills (or a few pennies to throw at an artist with Photoshop), there’s no reason you can’t put out a quality product in a fraction of the time. Why wait two years to see your book in print if you don’t have to? Don’t get me wrong, those big publishing houses are there for a reason, but self-publishing is a great way for new writers to get their feet wet, build up an audience, and see if this whole crazy business is actually for them.

Tell us about your current series.

My current series – BRIGHT’S FERRY – is about a fictional New England seaside town where everybody knows everybody. I wanted to create a place where people have known each other for decades, but really have no idea what kind of strange and twisted things lie under the surface. The series is planned for three books, but may go further – a blend of hot erotic romance and romantic suspense.

Tell us a little about yourself and your latest book.

SAFE FROM THE DARK is the first in the BRIGHT’S FERRY series – Evie Asher, a disgraced New York cop, heads back to town in search of a new start, and finds that and a whole lot more. From the start, she’s drawn to Colin Daniels, the popular mayor, who is exactly the kind of guy she should avoid – controlling, powerful, and dangerously
attractive. Unfortunately, she’s not the only one who thinks so, and Evie and Colin are thrown together to catch a killer. Colin finds Evie stubborn, pushy, and impossible to resist, so of course the sparks are going to fly as they try to protect each other from a dangerous predator.

What genre(s) do you write in and why?

I like contemporary romance and romantic suspense, but I’ve got some fun paranormal and fantasy titles planned for 2013! The process of building new worlds and filling them with great characters is completely addictive. And writing romance lets me really push
characters to their emotional limits, which is half the fun!

What is your least favorite part of writing?

Continuity. Sigh. Any time you change something on p.173, you have go back and make sure that it tracks on p.8, p.42, and p. 96. It’s the bane of my existence, because whenever I think I’m done, there’s ONE MORE MISTAKE! Argh.

What is your typical day like?

Snooze button. Hungry cats. Hungry dogs. Half an hour checking email and wasting time. I try to get all my promo stuff done in the morning, and then write for a couple of hours. Sadly, I’m not writing full time quite yet, so the afternoon is usually spent doing “paycheck” work, and then more writing. If I’m lucky, I’ll knock off
around seven.

What do you have planned for the future? How far do you plan ahead?

I usually have a concrete plan for about two months ahead, and a loose idea beyond that. I’ve learned that flexibility is key – in self-publishing, your deadlines are your own, so while it’s great to stick to a schedule, over-planning takes all the fun out of it.

Do you have any words of inspiration for aspiring authors?

Don’t stop. If you get a bad review, don’t stop. If the book is just a total mess, don’t stop. If nothing is selling, don’t stop. Natural talent is all well and good, but how do we get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice. My first attempts at writing were horrific, but I’m a better writer than I was five years ago, and I’ll be a better
writer five years from now. Do it because you love it and don’t listen to anyone who tells you to quit.

SAFE FROM THE DARK

EXCERPT

SHIVERING AND COMPLETELY DRENCHED, Evie dropped her backpack on the Daniels’ porch. It was a beautiful hundred-year-old farmhouse that was obviously in the process of being restored – scaffolding protected a new wing off the side of the two-story structure. Evie spared only a quick glance around – her teeth were starting to chatter.
Fingers tight with cold, Evie raised a hand to knock.
Nothing.
Come on, come on.
Someone had to be home, judging from the sporty little SUV in the driveway sitting behind a more utilitarian truck. The lights within blazed with beckoning warmth and the smoky scent of a fireplace teased Evie with promises of heat and comfort.
She knocked harder, kicking the door for good measure, stumbling back as it jerked open.
“What the hell, Tom? Can’t a guy take one Sunday afternoon – ”
He broke off abruptly, hazel eyes widening.
Evie tried to form words, but her brain inconveniently chose that moment to shut down, obviously overloaded by impending hypothermia and the sight of six plus feet of bare, tanned muscle standing in the doorway, clutching a blanket around his waist with lean, elegant hands. His skin had a light sheen of sweat and his dark hair was ruffled over those bright hazel eyes.
Hot.
Even the inner cop whimpered and she gave it a mental shove.
Pull it together, Asher.
“I’m so sorry to bother you, but I was looking for Mr. or Mrs. Daniels – ”
His brows snapped together with a frown.
“They’re dead. Over a year now. Car accident.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I was headed to the old Asher cabin down the road and my car got stuck.”
“You were trying to get out there in this?”
Incredulous, he gestured and the blanket slipped just a bit, exposing another inch of taut waist and a narrow pelt of dark hair under his navel that arrowed downward in a most interesting manner.
Evie swallowed and kept her eyes on his.
“I just need a phone to call the garage, if that’s okay.”
“Colin?” The breathy voice drifting down the stairs had Evie’s face heating in a blush, despite her shivers, as her brain stuttered back into working order.
Two cars in the driveway, panting sex god in the doorway. Way to go, Asher. You just cock-blocked your new neighbor.

Amazon Buy Link – http://amzn.com/B00A1SR2NY

SAFE FROM THE DARK – BLURB:
Nursing a broken heart and a couple of bullet wounds, no-nonsense Evie-Asher leaves her career with the NYPD to move into her grandmother’s old house in a small New England town in the middle of nowhere. She wants nothing more than a new start and a chance to
forget the mistakes of the past and get her life back on track, minus the shootouts. Her plans are shattered when her new neighbor, the town’s hunky young mayor, starts receiving death threats from a dangerous stalker. Evie is unwillingly drawn back into a world of peril, and while her bruised heart tries to resist the out-of-control sparks that zing between them, she is forced to stay close to keep him safe as the stalking quickly turns to murder…

Colin Daniels has his hands full running Bright’s Ferry as their popular and busy young mayor. He doesn’t have time for stalkers or threats, much less a lovely gray-eyed cop with control issues who insists that the stalker is a member of the community, someone he knows and loves. When the situation takes a deadly turn, Colin finds that he has no choice but to give up some control himself and rely on Evie to protect him until they can unmask the killer. Passion sizzles between two stubborn hearts as they clash over the best way to handle a dangerous situation, but can they keep each other safe as the dark closes in?

Amazon Buy Link – http://amzn.com/B00A1SR2NY

BIO:
Lily has been writing since she was ten. She lives steps from the beach with a bunch of semi-feral cats and two goofy dogs who are forever tracking sand into the house, but she loves them anyway. She has lived all over the world and jumped into writing full time when her cubicle city became too confining. Lily writes hot contemporary
romance, paranormal, and works of ludicrous fantasy, depending on her mood. Titles include: BUILD ME UP, POUR ON THE HEAT, HOT FOR JOE, PASSION & PUMPKINS, MY FAIR HEX, and HOT & SWEET – BEGINNINGS.

Twitter: @RedeLily

Please help me welcome Blythe Gifford to my blog today. Blythe is giving away a copy of her book to one lucky commentor so be sure and leave a comment for her.

Was your road to publication fraught with peril or a walk in the park?

I started writing seriously after a corporate layoff. Ten years later and one layoff later, I was an “overnight success” when Harlequin Historicals bought my Romance Writers of America Golden Heart finalist manuscript.

Did you have several manuscripts finished before you sold? If so, did you send them out yourself?

I did not get an agent until I had two books sold and a contract in hand for two more. I sold my second completed manuscript. But by the time frame, you can see I made one of the number one rookie mistakes. I spent too long on my first manuscript! Six years writing, rewriting, submitting, reworking…! I did finally sell it, but I should have moved on much earlier.

Do you have any other words of inspiration for aspiring authors?

Obviously, based on the above, I’m a big believer in perseverance. But my advice sounds like just the opposite: If you can quit, do. What I mean by that is, if writing is something you are doing on a lark or for fame or because that lady who wrote 50 Shades of Gray made a mint, that won’t be enough to get you through all the difficulties of this profession. Make it easy on yourself. Quit now, while you’re ahead! Each writer has to find that inner reason that drives the work.

What genre(s) do you write in and why?

I write historical romance. When I first started writing seriously, that was my favorite genre to read.

Has your muse always known what genre you would write and be published in?

Well, I started writing (and illustrating) my first historical novel at age ten. In pencil. Thankfully for the world, I gave up illustration. But yes, I am firmly rooted in history. I just don’t get any contemporary ideas! But when I read history, which I do, even for fun, I start wondering what that event would have meant to a real person.

Do you prefer to read in the same genres you write in or do you avoid reading that genre? Why?

It’s so hard to keep up with my genre these days. (True confession: I have NOT read 50 Shades!) And, sadly, it’s harder for me to be swept away by a romance now because I read as a writer, analyzing how the author put the story together. To escape, I’ll read non-fiction (history) or a thriller.

Tell us about your current series.

RETURN OF THE BORDER WARRIOR is the first of three about the Brunson Clan, a family of Reivers on the Scottish Borders during the early Tudor era. It is the story of John, the youngest son, who returns home after years of serving as a “big brother” to the young Scottish king. John is a man with something to prove, both to himself and to his family. As the only blue-eyed Brunson, he’s always felt as if he didn’t belong. Now, he no longer wants to. As soon as he enforces the king’s command for peace, he plans to return to his life at court and leave the valley of his birth for the last time.

But first, he must persuade Cate Gilnock to release his family from their promise to avenge her father’s death. Cate is a woman fierce as a warrior, but behind her eyes John senses vulnerability and secrets she refuses to share. Bit by bit, he falls in love with her, and with each step, he is drawn back into the life he thought he had left behind forever. Because of Cate, he discovers he is more like the rest of his family than he thought until, finally, he must decide: Is he truly a Brunson? Or is he the King’s man after all?

CAPTIVE OF THE BORDER LORD, January 2013, will tell the story of John’s sister, Bessie Brunson and finally, Black Rob Brunson, oldest son and leader of the family, meets his match in TAKEN BY THE BORDER REBEL, March 2013.

What inspired your latest book?

The trilogy was inspired by a real historical event, the execution of a famous Border Reiver. The story is told, or sung, more accurately, in “The Ballad of Johnnie Armstrong.” Johnnie was one of the most notorious reivers on the Borders. According to the balladeer, Johnnie was not lawfully tried and convicted, but basely murdered when he was lured to a meeting with the king by a “loving letter” that insisted he come unarmed.

I thought Johnnie deserved a happy ending, so I set out to write one.

Having achieved your goal to be a published author, what is the most rewarding thing?

Oh, hearing from readers, absolutely. Even seeing a review that someone liked my book makes my day.

One lucky reader who comments on today’s blog will be randomly selected to win a signed copy of RETURN OF THE BORDER WARRIOR.

In this excerpt from Chapter One of RETURN OF THE BORDER WARRIOR, John has come across Cate, practicing her sword fighting against her own shadow. He thinks to play with her, easily besting her sword with his dagger, but the woman proves more capable than he imagined…

He jumped just in time to escape a touch. Now was not the time for distractions. He had expected a playful joust. Instead, he faced a warrior.

He swung high, but she held up her sword, turned sideways, to block his stroke. A clever move, but lifting the two-handed sword had strained her strength and when she lowered it, her arms shook.

Seizing on her weakness, he attacked and they crossed blades again. Prepared now, he leveraged his strength against her sword. Though she kept her grip, he pushed the blade away, coming close enough to feel her chest rise and fall, nearly touching his.

Close enough that his mind wandered, careless of the blades, thinking that under her tunic and vest, she had breasts. Now he could see her face, the angles of it, sharp and cleanly sculpted as her sword. Yet thick lashes edged her brown eyes, disguising some of the hatred there.

“Surrender now?”

Panting, she shook her head. Yet her lips parted, tempting him to take them. She was, after all, a woman. A kiss would be mightier than a sword.

He pushed her sword arm down, pulled her to him, and took her lips.

She yielded for a breath, no more.

But it was long enough for him to lose his thoughts, to forget she held a sword and remember only that she was a woman, breasts soft against his chest, smelling of heather…

In a flash, she turned stiff as a sword and leaned away, though her lips did not leave his, so he thought she only teased.

When he felt the point of a dirk at his throat, he knew she did not.

“Let me go,” she said, her lips still close that they moved over his. “Or you’ll be bleeding and I’ll leave you to it, I swear.”

He eased his arms from her back and she pushed him away, wiped her mouth, and spat into the dirt.

He touched the scratch she’d left on his neck, grateful she had not drawn blood.
Her eyes, which he had thought to turn soft with pleasure, narrowed, hard with fury.
“It’s a Brunson you’re facing,” he said, trying a smile. “Not a Storwick.”

She raised both sword and dirk, the larger wobbling in her grip. “It’s a man I’m facing who thinks what I want is of no consequence if it interferes with his privileges and pleasures.”

Had he imagined the echo of the bedchamber in her voice? No more.

He raised his eyebrows, opened his arms and made a slight bow. “A thousand pardons.” Words as insincere as the feelings behind them.

She frowned. “You are a stranger here, so you know no better. And because you are a Brunson, I’ll let you keep your head, but I’ll warn you just once. You will not do that again. Ever.”

She lowered her sword, slowly.

You are a stranger. She was the Brunson, besting him with a sword, displacing him at the family table. His temper rose. “And what if I do?”

The blade rose, this time, not pointed at his throat, but between his legs. “If you do, you won’t have to worry about bedding a woman ever again.”

He swallowed, gingerly, his body on fire. Only because she had challenged him. Nothing more. No man could desire such a woman.

“Then have no worries on that score, Catie Gilnock,” he said, flush with anger. “When next I bed a woman, it most certainly will not be you.”

BIO

Blythe Gifford has been known for medieval romances featuring characters born on the wrong side of the royal blanket. Now, she’s launching a trilogy set on the turbulent Scottish Borders of the early Tudor era, starting with RETURN OF THE BORDER WARRIOR, November 2012, Harlequin Historical. CAPTIVE OF THE BORDER LORD will follow in January 2013, and TAKEN BY THE BORDER REBEL in March 2013. The Chicago Tribune has called her work “the perfect balance between history and romance.” Visit her at www.blythegifford.com, www.facebook.com/BlytheGifford, or on Twitter @BlytheGifford.

Excerpt © 2012 Photo credits. Cover used with permission. Author photo by Jennifer Girard.