Giving birth to a book. @Emilia_Mancini is in labor! #writerslife

Guest post by Emilia Mancini

As I sat reading the galley for Seducing Kate, I realized what an incredible labor of love this book had been. If you’ve ever raised children, you can relate to the publishing process.

The pregnancy—the creating a new being, the hopes and dreams of what this being will eventually grow up to be, then finally, you start pushing thing out of you. Painful as it may be, there’s just no stopping it. You. Just. Have. To. Push.

Once it’s out, it’s not the most attractive thing, but you love it all the same.

Then it starts growing up and you realize that, much as you love it, your baby isn’t perfect. It’s colicky, cranky, and sometimes it takes a dump on you. You and your parental partner, your editor, go to task to mold this thing into a respectable fully-grown manuscript.

It hurts you, it breaks your heart, but at the same time, you swell with pride as you get ready to release it upon the world.

Seducing Kate was like this. The pushing out process was fairly easy. Kate and Kyle had a solid story and they were ready to share it with the world. It was the growing (editing) part that nearly killed me. Luckily, I have an incredibly patient editor who can see through all my personal writing ticks to the beauty that lies beneath.

She saw through my repetitive wording and my filtering and all those other bad author things I do. She saw through all the bullshit I pile on, scraped it away, polished this up, and made it shine.

I am so excited and so proud to be sending this respectable and fully-grown manuscript out into the world. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into this one, and those disgusting bodily fluids weren’t just mine. Jeanne De Vita did a fantastic job helping me raise this little bugger.

I feel like a proud mama and I can’t wait for you to meet my baby.

It took Kyle one look to realize he wanted to seduce his best friend’s mother. And one kiss to realize he didn't have to.

It was lust at first sight for Kyle when he met his roommate Justin’s mother Kate. Kyle, a college transfer, was too far from home to visit on short school breaks, so Justin took him to Minneapolis where his mother was serving up a family meal for Thanksgiving.

One look left Kyle with a healthy obsession for Kate which grew with each visit. When he landed an internship in Minneapolis, he moved in with Kate for the summer, and got in touch with his voyeuristic side. It wasn’t until one late evening and a few too many glasses of wine that Kyle began to suspect his attraction wasn’t one-sided.

When he dared to push the issue, he found Kate more than willing to succumb to his seduction.

To read an excerpt from Seducing Kate, please click HERE.

Emilia Mancini is the naughtier side to author Marci Boudreaux. Emilia stays hidden in the shadows like a nefarious side kick, slipping out only when the stories Marci wants to share are a little too grown up to be called sweet romance.

Seducing Kate is Emilia’s second release and, at least for the moment, her crowning glory.

Be sure to check out the Pinterest board for Seducing Kate.

Visit Emilia on her website. Stay connected on Twitter and Facebook.

Is it Summer Yet? #bloghop Hot Hero Wars! @MusaPublishing #finallyeverafter

"Is It Summer Yet?" Blog Hop

What could be better than a hot hero for a hot summer day? How about two hot heroes!

Read the blurbs below and let me know whether you think Zane or Wyatt makes the hottest summer hero. I'll pick one random winner and send them their choice of Zane's Art OR Wyatt's Guilt in their preferred e-reader format.

Zane's Art
A high school art teacher must choose between her students and the artist she never stopped loving.

High school art teacher Julianne Truman's last chance to save her beloved art department from budget cuts is to sell the old sketches that her former boyfriend—and now famous artist—Zane DeMonde drew for her. But is she prepared to let go of his artwork and the last traces of him in her life?

Desperate to save his artistic reputation from the exposure of his early works, Zane returns to the home town he wanted to forget. He accuses Julianne of profiting from his success and demands she take his art off the market and cancel the auction.

Their high school attraction flares back to life, forcing Julianne to choose between the students who count on her and the man she never stopped loving.

Wyatt's Guilt
Nicole trusted Wyatt with her heart once. She won’t make the same mistake twice.

Nicole DeMonde’s car breaks down the moment she returns to her hometown for her brother’s wedding. The cop who stops to help her is none other than local hottie Wyatt Truman, who slept with her then dumped her when they were teens. She has no choice but to accept his help. However, she knows better than to trust him with her heart twice.

Wyatt is determined to earn Nicole’s forgiveness and make amends for his callous past. Once he lays eyes on her, he can’t help wanting a lot more than forgiveness, despite his intention never to hurt her again.

Just as Wyatt starts thinking his best intentions are of the forever variety, Nicole decides to work Wyatt out of her system with a one night stand. Can either of them make peace with the past in a single weekend, let alone survive with their hearts intact?

Zane or Wyatt??? Leave a comment with your pick! Don't forget to leave your e-mail address so I have a way to contact you.

Return to Blog Hop Here

Why I Love Reading and Writing Romance #writerslife

1. The Love Story: Obviously, right? I love to read about two people who care about each other so much that they’ll fight for each other. I love that they believe in each other more than anyone ever has before or will again. There is something so satisfying, so heartwarming to watch two characters fall in love, usually against their will, and rise above all the conflict to live out that love they deserve.

2. The Emotions: No other genre does the roller coaster of emotions like romance. One minute I’m laughing at a particularly witty line of dialogue, and the next I’m sobbing as the hero or heroine takes a figurative (and occasionally literal) punch to the gut. Does your life feel stale and blah? For the hours that you’re reading a romance, you’re living the gentleness of the hero caressing your cheek, the frustration of that one person who always has to make life difficult, the thrill of finally giving said person their comeuppance, the sweetness of a first kiss, the stark terror of falling for the person who could cause you to lose everything, and absolute joy of spending forever with the love of your life.

3. The Happily Ever After: Of course, we all know how a romance novel ends. The hero and heroine get together and live happily ever after. Some people scoff at this guarantee, but it is my number one reason why I will always read and write romance novels. Every day you can pick up the newspaper and read about a life that ends in tragedy. In our own lives and in the lives of our friends and neighbors, there are problems that we can’t wave a wand and make everything magically turn out okay. Who needs to read about more pain, suffering and general cynicism? Definitely not me. Instead, sit down for a couple hours and escape to a romance. Vicariously conquer every roadblock thrown at you. Best of all, no one can take away your happily ever after when you reach the end.

Sisters in Jeopardy #regencyromance from Vonnie Hughes @AuroraRegency @MusaPublishing

If you like regency romance and romantic suspense, you need to check out Sisters in Jeopardy, Book 3 of the Aurora Regency Sisters series by multi-published Vonnie Hughes is now available.

A kidnapper makes a grave mistake and faces a revenge he never expected.

Annis's new husband investigates crimes, and Caroline's new husband is a capable ex-Army officer. When their ladies are kidnapped in an effort to suppress the evidence of pilfering and murder, Giles and Fort fight their way through all the lies and subterfuge to not only rescue them, but also to avenge them.

EXCERPT:
Fort approached the person on the seat. “Mr. Young, we’ve been looking for you.”

If that was Mr. Young, why was he listing to one side like a ship at sea?

“Is he injured? Has John hurt him?” She hurried towards them.

“Stop!”

Fort’s peremptory order stopped her in her tracks. She watched as Fort examined Mr. Young’s head and neck. He lifted Mr. Young’s hand. It dropped laxly.

“He’s dead,” Fort said, turning towards Caroline. “Sweetheart, do you know your way out of the maze? I must stay here with the body. There’s been enough moving of evidence already.”

“How—?”

Fort gesticulated with a finger across his throat.

“Oh! I’ll fetch Giles. Sir William Harding will have to be notified too.” Caroline cast her husband an anxious look. “Please be careful, Giles, in case John comes back.”

“You be careful too, my love. Walk slowly and listen for footsteps on the other side of the hedge. And if you meet anyone—anyone at all, man or woman—scream. Scream loudly.”

Caroline nodded and plunged back along the gravel paths surrounded by greenery. To her great relief she met nobody, although she was so rattled by events that she took a wrong turning and had to retrace her steps. “Hurry,” she told herself. “Fort is alone there and John is on the loose.”

BUY LINK

All of Vonnie’s books are available on Musa Publishing and Amazon.

Vonnie Hughes is a multi-published author in both Regency books and contemporary suspense. She loves the intricacies of the social rules of the Regency period and the far-ranging consequences of the Napoleonic Code. And with suspense she has free rein to explore forensic matters and the strong convolutions of the human mind. Like many writers, some days she hates the whole process, but somehow she just cannot let it go.

Vonnie was born in New Zealand, but she and her husband now live happily in Australia. If you visit Hamilton Gardens in New Zealand be sure to stroll through the Japanese Garden. These is a bronze plaque engraved with a haiku describing the peacefulness of that environment. The poem was written by Vonnie.

Learn more about Vonnie Hughes on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Goodreads.

Print book giveaway of Love Him or Leave Him #smalltownromance @RomanceIsBliss

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Love Him or Leave Him

by Sara Daniel

Giveaway ends May 29, 2014.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Love Him or Leave Him

Sometimes dreams are where you least expect them

Connor O’Malley and Becca Sanders were once high school sweethearts, ripped apart by rumors in the small town of Kortville, Illinois. Connor left to join the military, and Becca stayed, waiting for her younger brother to graduate so she could live her dreams of traveling the world. But now that Connor's back as the town sheriff, Becca finds herself struggling to resist the too-handsome man who once broke her heart.

Connor loves Kortville—its quaintness keeps at bay the painful memories of Afghanistan he’s sure make him unworthy of any woman, particularly the beautiful brunette he’s always secretly dreamed of a future with. But when a scandal rocks the town, suddenly Connor and Becca must trust in each other if they want to weather this storm…and come out on the other side of it together.

Buy Links:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
All Romance eBooks
Kobo
iTunes

Sample the first chapter of Love Him or Leave Him here

Book Spotlight - A Different Class by @LeighEllwood @DecadentPub M/M #1NS

A Different Class by Leigh Ellwood
a 1NS Story from Decadent Publishing
M/M Erotic Romance, 11000 words

From Leigh: I am thrilled to be part of the Decadent family! The idea for A Different Class came about after an invitation arrived for an upcoming high school reunion. I asked myself what might happen if somebody felt reluctant to attend because of bad experiences and memories, and how one night arranged by Madame Eve changes everything.

Right now I am halfway into the follow-up to this story, another hot M/M. I hope you’ll pick up A Different Class, and if you enjoy it drop me a line on Twitter at @LeighEllwood. J

Blurb

FDR High Class of 2004 graduate, Glenn Carson contacts fellow alumni to get a list of who will be attending the upcoming festivities. One call to a disgruntled former student leaves him shaken—apparently, not everyone is looking forward to the reunion. Hoping to ease his frustration, he contacts the 1Night Stand service for a relaxing and passionate encounter.

Known as “Mumbles” to former classmates, Rod Maloney would prefer to focus on the present and his successful business. However, past tragedies continue to haunt him, so he requests Madame Eve find him a man to show him a hot time and help him forget his troubles.

Will their one night together lead to a reunion after all?

Buy

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Different-Class-1Night-Stand-Series-ebook/dp/B00K6OF6UO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399495214&sr=8-1&keywords=a+different+class+leigh+ellwood

B&N - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-different-class-leigh-ellwood/1119449289?ean=2940149293131

Decadent Publishing - http://www.decadentpublishing.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=266&products_id=942&osCsid=6c1232251c1e45744bd0b3ee7262f414

Add to Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22035340-a-different-class

Excerpt

“Mr. Maloney? I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

“Who is calling?”

The voice—deep and rich, anything but a mumble—intimidated him. Maybe the guy had been a jock, a several-foot-wide football player who helped the school win the championship senior year. He hadn’t attended many games and had skipped homecoming. “Um….” Right, we’re planning a reunion here. “I’m representing the reunion committee of the Franklin D. Roosevelt High School Class of 2004. You can probably guess our big tenth is coming up—”

“You know what? I’m going to save you the sales pitch,” Mumbles Maloney said. “I don’t know who you are, and I don’t give a shit. It’s taken me a long time to get past all the crap I put up with in high school, and if you think I’m going to show up at some rented ballroom all smiles as though the hell you assholes you put me through never happened, forget it.”

What? The man’s anger surged through him and sped up his heartbeat. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

“F*** you, f*** FDR High, and f*** every last piece-of-shit homophobe in that backwater town. I hope you all get cancer.”

Click.

Beth burst back into the room, waving a thick tome with a scaly blue cover. “Found it,” she chirped.

“Never mind.” Glenn pushed away from his workspace. Mumbles Maloney’s palpable rage lingered in the quiet of the small office, invoking a sense of doom in an otherwise dull place. He doubted he’d forget the voice for a long while. The man had pent-up issues with his former schoolmates, no doubt, yet for all the vitriol burning through the airwaves and sizzling in the veins, Mumbles had sounded…well….

Sexy.

About Leigh

I am Leigh Ellwood. I write smutty stories about people who like getting naked and having sex. Some have more sex than others, some have sex with people of the same gender, some have sex with more than one person, and still others have sex with toys and things that require the use of batteries. My stories range from a few thousand words to well past 70k. My books are available at Amazon, B&N, Smashwords, Kobo, and ARe.

Home – http://www.leighellwood.com
Blog – http://leighwantsfood.blogspot.com
Twitter - @LeighEllwood
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/leighellwoodauthor
Authorgraph - http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/LeighEllwood

Passion in its Many Forms @samcheever @MusaPublishing #realityTV #thebiggestloser

Guest post by Sam Cheever

My newest release, The Biggest Poser, is based on a reality television show that makes losing weight into a contest between overweight people and their trainers. Like the real-life show it spoofs, The Biggest Poser is unpredictable, exciting, at times frustrating, and generally inspirational to those of us who constantly struggle with our weight. Unlike The Biggest Loser, however, the book is also about passion.

Passion isn’t just about romance and sex, though that’s certainly the focus of most romantic fiction. Many of us are also passionate about food. Some might call it an addiction. In a way it is. But since we can’t give it up, we need it to live, and it’s a rampantly social activity, I think it’s too simplistic to put food into the addiction category.

In The Biggest Poser, contestants must learn to balance their passion for gastronomic delights with their wish to be healthier, stronger, and slimmer. It’s a common battle in a society where food is everywhere. We see it all over the Internet and on television, hear about it on the radio, and view it on billboards and in the pages of magazines. We can’t escape it. More importantly, those of us with a passion for great food don’t want to escape it. We want to embrace that passion, without letting it overcome us.

That’s really the struggle with any passion isn’t it? To find the balance between enough and too much? The characters in The Biggest Poser, including the trainers, all struggle with it in their own way. But in the end it’s their passion that allows them to find that balance, to conquer their tendency toward overdoing. In The Biggest Poser the road to health is hard, fraught with potholes big enough to eat an overweight man, but it’s traveled with spirit, humor, and, yes, even a bit of ruthlessness. And in the end, each person makes his or her own choices and achieves his or her own level of success.

You can’t ask for more than that!

May the biggest liar win. Or die trying!

Personal trainer for the ever popular, Lose it! reality show, Jillie Maxwell is up for the most important award of her career. And she’s competing against the biggest b-eye-itch she’s ever met. Fortunately for her, she has the sexiest man alive in her corner. Problem is, each and every one of them has a dirty little secret that could tank a career.

For the contestants, the race is on to lose the most weight and win everything. For the staff of the popular weight loss show, the clock is ticking to the culmination of their lies and the possibility of losing it all.

Will the Biggest Poser win? Or will the lies just grow and grow until they sink the whole show? Only one thing is certain. Whatever happens, it’s gonna be an entertaining ride!

Book page with BUY links

AUTHOR BIO

​Sam's published work includes 50+ books of romantic suspense and fantasy/paranormal. Her books have won the Dream Realm Award for fantasy and The Swirl (interracial romance) Award. They've been nominated for and/or won several CAPAs, have been nominated multiple years for “Best of” with LRC and The Romance Reviews, and have won eCataromance’s Reviewer’s Choice award. Sam is published with Musa Publishing, Changeling Press; and Ellora’s Cave. She also publishes as Declan Sands, writing m/m fiction, and under her own imprint, Electric Prose Publications.

In real life, Sam lives in a cabin in the woods with 13 dogs and one husband. A self-proclaimed dog-aholic, Sam insists she's holding at 13...maybe... 

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Blog | About.Me | Amazon Author Page

The Duke and the Virgin - #1NightStand #regencyromance from @DominiEastwick @DecadentPub

The Duke and the Virgin

By Dominique Eastwick

Book 1 in the House of Lords series

A 1 Night Stand short story

Length

Heat 4

Genre Erotic Regency Romance

At what began as an uneventful poker game four Lords discover that the dull routine of the ton only needs a little help from Madame Eve to mix things up. We begin with the Duke of Foxhaven in The Duke and the Virgin.

In a time when women have few options for their futures, bluestocking wallflower Llysa Hamilton has aged out of the marriage mart. With offers for her hand unlikely, she enlists Madame Eve’s 1Night Stand service to find the perfect man for one passionate night.

Wolfe Thane, Duke of Foxhaven, has never lacked for anything, but he’s bored with his entitled life. Winning a 1Night Stand voucher in a poker game appears to offer a perfect, commitment-free opportunity to add spice to his sex life.

Hiding behind a mask during her date with the duke offers Llysa anonymity and courage. Wolfe has never met a woman as intriguing and disingenuous.

Can true love be unmasked in just one night or will it be destined to stay on the shelf?

  

Excerpt

“Don’t get scared now.” His voice, oh, that voice, did strange and wonderful things to her insides.

“I’m not scared.”

“Good, because I want to see what is hiding under all these layers.” Warm lips touched the hollow spot under her jaw, distracting her and, until he eased her gown over her shoulder and it fell to the floor, she’d been unaware he’d undone her lacings.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she waited. She stood in front of a man in her undergarments for the first time, and the nerves had begun. Not enough to have her running for the door, but enough to worry he would be less than pleased with what he saw.

“Have you ever seen Russian nesting dolls?”

Thrown by the questions, she opened her eyes. Why would he suddenly speak about a child’s toy? “I own a few of them.”

“Then you must understand that undressing you is like playing with one of those dolls. I open one to find another beneath it. I took away your gown to find you are still as clothed as you were a moment ago and I wonder how many more layers I will have to work through to get down to you—the doll I’m searching for.”

“Two.”

He smiled and her stomach did somersaults. “Just two?”

“Well, three, if you count the corset.”

“Oh, then we must count the corset as a layer.” He spun her and shivers ran the length of her spine as the ties holding her stays relaxed. “What is going on deep within you now?”

“Anxiety.”

“Fair enough,” he whispered near her ear.

Buy Links

Amazon   http://www.amazon.com/Virgin-1Night-Stand-Regency-Romance-ebook/dp/B00JFGHEOU/ref=la_B005CV526Y_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396587598&sr=1-9

Barnes and Noble   http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-duke-and-the-virgin-dominique-eastwick/1119068341?ean=2940149254972

BookStrand  http://www.bookstrand.com/the-duke-and-the-virgin

ARe https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thedukeandthevirgin-1468197-340.html

Where to find Dominique

Website http://dominique-eastwick.wix.com/dominique-eastwick

Blog www.dominiqueEastwick.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/dominique.eastwick

Twitter @dominieastwick #DukeVirgin #StudlyLords #1NS

Pinerest http://www.pinterest.com/dominieastwick/

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4188870.Dominique_Eastwick

 http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/DominiEastwick

Pinterest Duke and the Virgin Board http://www.pinterest.com/dominieastwick/the-duke-and-the-virgin/

Celebrate Mom with @MusaPublishing #mothersday book #giveaway

Celebrate Mom with Musa Publishing

Grand Prize

$10.00 Musa Gift Certificate

6 Paperback Books

Beyond the Third Garden by I.J. Sarfeh

Outlaws by William Wendy

Seducing Kate by Emilia Mancini

Send Off For A Snitch by KM Rockwood

Typical Day by Gary K. Wolf

Unforgettable You by Marci Boudreaux

1st Place Winner

$5.00 Musa Gift Certificate
6 Paperback Books

The Andersen Ancestry by Addie J. King

For His Love by Nya Rayne

Outlaws by William Wendy

Seducing Kate by Emilia Mancini

Send Off For A Snitch by KM Rockwood

Typical Day by Gary K. Wolf

2nd Place Winner

5 Paperback Books

Outlaws by William Wendy

Seducing Kate by Emilia Mancini

Send Off For A Snitch by KM Rockwood

Typical Day by Gary K. Wolf

Wilder Mage by CD Coffelt

Plus

2 new winners are drawn daily. Each one will receive 3 books.

And

All participants receive a download of Cooking with Musa.

All entrants are eligible for Grand Prize Drawing May 10, 2014

Winners announced May 11, 2014

Enter daily to win!

No particular order to the daily drawings for the books below

Baiting the Hook by Mary S. Palmer and David Wilton
3.99 by Richard Satterlie
Amanda's Return by June Kramin
Buried Biker by KM Rockwood
Enter to Win by Kirsten Janey

ICE blue by Susan Rae
Lies in Wait by Donna Del Oro

Love Lies Bleeding by Lainie Giles
More Tomasewski by Del Staecker
Random Survival by Ray Wenck
Runt Wade by Robert G. Rogers

Steeled for Murder by KM Rockwood
Tales of Tomasewski by Del Staecker
Annabel Horton, Lost Witch of Salem by Vera Jane Cook
2012: The Rising by Joanne Hirase
Crazy Greta by David Hardy
The Dominus Runes by Peter Lukes
The Grimm Legacy by Addie J. King
Reunion by Joanna Fay



a Rafflecopter giveaway



Winners who reside outside the Continental United States will receive their prize in e-book format.

All must be claimed by May 15, 2014 or they are forfeited. Prizes will be shipped May 17, 2014.

Giveaway begins May 1, 2014 and ends midnight CST May 10, 2014

One Night with the Groom #CEO #ragstoriches new release from @DecadentPub

I am super-excited to announce the newest book in the One Night with the Bridal Party series: One Night with the Groom.

As if Luciana Cortez doesn’t have enough problems trying to save the family farm and pay her mother’s medical bills, her brother uses the last of the mortgage money to buy her a one-night stand. Even if she wasn’t boiling with rage, her farm chores leave her with no time to date. The only bright spot…she’s too busy and exhausted to think about the man who’d once pledged to marry her then abandoned her.

Working on an important presentation, CEO Blake Wellington doesn’t think twice when he steps out of the limousine…until the car leaves and he realizes instead of the business he needs to attend to, he’s on the doorstep of the farm where his past love Luciana lives. Without cell phone service or transportation to get back to civilization, he must rely on her for help. Powerful attraction and deep hurt immediately swirl between them, compelling him to use the evening to gain closure over the ache of what might have been.

The emotions and memories of the past are stronger than either can imagine, but Blake’s business is across the country and Luciana can’t leave the farm. When the night is over, they have no choice but to heed their responsibilities and go their separate ways…or turn their lives upside down and risk a lifetime of heartbreak.

Buy Links
Decadent Publishing

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
All Romance eBooks
Smashwords

Other books in the One Night with the Bridal Party series (on sale for 99 cents through 5/12/14):

One Night with the Bride

When her society matron mother presents Caroline with a one-night stand date a week before her wedding, she’s appalled. But the fantasy resort run by her first love reminds her of everything she threw away. Can Madame Eve reunite them or will one night with the bride destroy forbidden dreams?

One Night with the Bridesmaid

Sabrina Lopez decides to use an unexpected one-night stand gift to hook up with a man she'd otherwise never have the nerve to approach. Rob Wellington is determined to stop her from scamming her way into his brother's bed. He never expected her to steal his heart in the process…

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