Finally Home by Author L. Simpson – Book Blast
Give a warm welcome to L. Simpson author of Finally Home!
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. L. Simpson will be awarding $10 Boroughs Bucks to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Tell us a little about Finally Home.
HEART AND SOUL
Ben McTavish is besotted when he sees a vixen in striped leggings own a cringe-worthy moment and turn it into a hilarious bit. He can’t stop thinking about her even though he puts his foot in his mouth every time he tries to get to know her. Ben would love to spend some time with this woman who has captivated him, but he needs to get his farm established before the bank takes back the land.
Kate Bloomington is all about whipping her life into shape, including getting to know her grandmother who she is now caring for. When she meets Ben, also known as Saint McT since he helps all comers, she pushes him away. Somehow, he shows up at every inopportune moment, mortifying her and enticing her at the same time. She learns that he needs help as much as she does, and together they create a love that is unbreakable.
A sneak peek between the pages of Finally Home!
True to his word, Ben was at my door right before eight in the morning. I was running a little late because I was struggling to focus. My emotions were a tumble, and while I was unable to deny my excitement at seeing him despite the fact he was Saint McT and I was a hot mess, I was still trying to bury the events of Friday night. Images of Frank would pop up, and I questioned my decision to do nothing. But the system wasn’t fair. I needed to move on. I had just started to get my life back, to feel like I belonged, and after being alone for so long, I simply couldn’t go back. It wasn’t right, but I couldn’t see any other option.
“Do we have time for coffee?” he asked as I got into his truck.
“Of course,” I said trying not to turn into mush as I took him in. He was dressed casually again, and while I missed the suit I’d caught a glimpse of, his navy woolen jumper and fitted, faded jeans had my mouth watering.
“Great,” he said and drove us straight to the bakery. While we ordered coffees, every local in the place stared at us. Their gazes sharpened when Ben put his hand on the small of my back as we walked out. I wanted to tell them all he was just being Saint McT, but it was hard to concentrate because my body came alive at his touch and I was within smelling distance. Yes. That’s right. The pastries held no sway now. I was all about Ben and his sexy, fresh soap smell. This trip was going to be a nightmare. Would it be easier or harder on the back of his bike?
“Do you not ride your bike often?” I found myself asking, trying not to sound hopeful.
“Not as often as I’d like. I didn’t think you’d appreciate it in that skirt,” he said grinning wickedly at me. I blushed.
“Have you ever been on one?”
“No way, my mother forbade them.”
“Well, anytime you want a ride…” he trailed off and I laughed, blushing.
About the Author: As a girl growing up in Australia, Laura was lost in the world of Anne of Green Gables and Little Women. During high school, volleyball dominated her life. There had to be something positive about being 6’1” with red hair. Representing Australia from a young age she eventually took a scholarship at the University of Iowa. Living in America and being a full time athlete in a college town was an eye-opening experience and lots of fun (from what she can remember). #gohawkeyes
Returning from the States, her career took a different turn as she started working at the Red Cross and completed her Masters of Law in Human Rights. As one of the few non-lawyers in the class, her essays were far more floral than the rest, something that caused the discerning professors to shake their heads. Through working and studying, she realised there are other ways to win hearts and minds.
While she’s spent the last 14 years as an advocate against poverty and homelessness, the desire to change the world through storytelling has only got stronger. She now lives in the Alpine Valleys of North East Victoria, Australia with her husband, daughter, son, two dogs and seven chooks. When she’s not doing the whole mum thing, working at a homelessness agency, renovating her farmhouse, or trying to do laundry bleary-eyed at midnight, she is writing.
Say G’day to Laura:
website: http://www.lsimpsonauthor.com
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/l.simpson.romance
twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lsimpsonauthor
instagram: http://www.instagram.com/lsimpsonauthor
linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-simpson-47278971
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Finally-Home-Alpine-Valleys-Simpson/dp/1951055020/ref=sr_1_1
Thanks for providing information on Finally Home. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Finally Home!
Views: 0
Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged > Simpson, Alpine Valleys Books 3, Contemporary Romance, Finally Home by Tena Stetler with 4 comments.
Interview Sandra Dailey & 99 cent sale The Chief’s Proposal
Give a warm welcome to Sandra Dailey author of The Chief’s Proposal, which is on sale for 99 cents! Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Sandra and The Chief’s Proposal.
My inspiration:
It might interest you to know that The Chief’s Proposal was inspired by my own marriage of convenience. When I met my husband, we were both in our mid-twenties with two pre-school age children to raise alone, (a situation I didn’t impose on my characters). However, it was pretty interesting to live with a man I barely knew. I’m happy to report that it worked out well. I believe our thirty-nine-year marriage has worked because we accepted each other as we were with no pre-conceived expectations – and because my husband is handsome, patient, generous, and a really nice guy.
Wow sounds like you hit the husband jackpot! Marriages that start out with the parties knowing each other well, don’t always turn out as great as yours did. Congrats!
Tell us a little about The Chief’s Proposal!
Desperate times call for desperate measures
Ginny Dearing has finally realized her goal of teaching, but finding a position is proving impossible. After exhausting all possibilities, an Internet ad is her only hope. In a small town hundreds of miles away there is a job with one huge string attached…a husband.
Burned by love once, Brett Silverfeather finds his bachelor life more than satisfying. He’s facing re-election for sheriff, but this time the voters are looking for a family man. Brett finds himself pursuing a marriage he doesn’t want.
Ginny and Brett are opposite in every way, but opposites do attract. Can Brett protect his heart as well as he does his town? Can Ginny hide a secret past that could possibly destroy her future?
A peek between the pages of The Chief’s Proposal.
“Why do we need a fire?” Ginny asked.
“We need all the elements.” Brett motioned toward the lake, the sky, the ground, and back to the fire as he said, “Water, air, earth and fire.”
“Is this a Native American thing?”
Brett lowered his head and shook it. It was becoming a gesture she recognized as him gathering patience. He did it a lot around her. “Yeah, in your language this would be called a truth telling.”
“What would your people call it?”
“A truth telling. Now will you pay attention?” Brett stretched out on the blanket with his head resting on his saddle. “Come down here and make yourself comfortable.”
Ginny copied his pose, and then asked, “What’s next?”
“I’m going to ask you a question and you have to answer it, honestly and completely. After that, I’ll answer a question you have. What is said will stay here when we leave.”
“What’s your question?” Brett turned his head to look at her. She’d never seen him look so serious.
“Why is it such a bad thing to be married to me? I know I’m no prize, but you look as if you’ve just received a death sentence.”
Ginny thought for a long moment. “I don’t know if it will be bad. I don’t really know you. I just hadn’t imagined myself being married to anyone, ever.”
Buy links:
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, and Amazon.com.au.
About the author:
From childhood I’ve moved from place to place, from Indiana to Florida, stopping in several places in between. I also moved from job to job; as a waitress, soldier, retail manager, dental assistant, etc.… The one thing I never had to leave behind was my imagination. Storytelling has always been my favorite way to pass time. I’ve often been told I should write a book. Finally, I did. It was so much fun: I felt I must write more, so I have. I’ve been a student of Long Ridge Writers Group and once won a short story contest with Harlequin. I currently live in North Florida with my husband, whom I torture with crazy story lines and half written manuscripts.
Contact Info:
Website/Blog: http://www.sandradailey.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sandradailey.author
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sdaileyauthor
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/sandradailey
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6551048.Sandra_Dailey
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with 99 cent sale on The Chief’s Proposal.
Views: 0
Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Contemporary Romance, Sandra Dailey, The Chief's Proposal by Tena Stetler with 27 comments.
Interview Sadira Stone Author of Runaway Love Story
Give a warm welcome to Sadire Stone and her new release Runaway Love Story, book two in the Book Nirvana Series! Happy Book Birthday Today!
Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Sadire and her Runaway Love Story! A great story it is! Check back next week for my full review.
My Review:
This is the first book in the sizzling Nirvana Series. I loved it. I won’t recap the story, you can read the blurb. I will tell you that the author writes with humor, Great Aunt Maxie was fantastic along with her group of artsy friends. I laughed out loud so many times at her antics.
The relationship between Laurel (city gal) and Doug (country guy) is not as different as they appear. Laurel is so sure of what she wants that she completely overlooks the promising future that is right in front of her.
The family dynamics on both sides keep the book interesting while the chemistry sizzles between Laura and Doug.
This is a well-written story with lots of heart that I truly enjoyed. I’m going to have to go back and read the first book in the series. I highly recommend this book, if you like your romances spicy hot!
Sadira share the Inspiration for the Book Nirvana Series:
Until recently, I was one of those readers–literary snobs who look down their noses at romance for the usual stupid reasons: too corny, too predictable, too fluffy. Then I read a few online articles about how fun and lucrative writing erotica can be. I thought, what the heck? Let’s try.
I have never had so much fun with a writing project! My first steamy romance, Through the Red Door, nearly wrote itself, though it damned sure didn’t edit itself. I’ve totally immersed myself in the world of romance, gobbling books like popcorn, filling my ears with romance podcasts, and joining the Romance Writers of America. From skeptic to romance mega-fan in two short years, I’m totally addicted to passionate, heartfelt stories with happy endings.
Why set the series in a bookshop? Ever since I was a wee lass, I dreamed of owning one. Add to that my fascination with historical erotic art and literature, and you’ve got the Book Nirvana series, set in an indie bookshop with an extensive erotica collection behind a locked red door.
I love stories in which a couple’s powerful physical attraction leads them to consider a partner outside their usual M.O.—one who just might turn out to be their perfect match. That’s how it happened for my husband and me, and my romance fiction contains that element.
I sort of pulled the setting out of a hat. I wanted to set my series in a college town. I’d heard that Eugene, home of the University of Oregon, has a lively arts scene and a rich counterculture legacy from the hippie era. After much online research, correspondence, and hours on Google Earth, I finally made the trip. Eugene is even lovelier than I’d imagined. Kate Rock, a resident author, kindly shared her knowledge of the city’s history and the flavor of the different neighborhoods. I look forward to many return trips.
Tell us more about Runaway Love Story.
High school history teacher Doug Garvey is trying to enjoy his last few weeks of summer vacation, but receiving his final divorce decree hits him harder than expected. After a brief fling fizzles, he fears love just isn’t in the cards for him. If only he could find someone who’s real, someone interested in something beyond herself…maybe a new running partner who can keep up with his more carnal appetite. When sexy, straight-talking Laurel runs across his path, he dares to hope again.
He’s done with social-climbing posers…she’s ambitious and has big dreams.
Fired from an art gallery, Laurel Jepsen shelves her pursuit of an art career in San Francisco to help her beloved great aunt Maxie move into assisted living. While out on a morning run, she’s harassed by a group of teens until a tall, broad-shouldered hottie steps in, pretending to be her boyfriend with a kiss that makes her wish it were true. But she’s only passing through, not looking for a relationship.
Their fierce chemistry burns up the sheets—and the couch, the shower, the forest—but falling in love would ruin everything. Laurel can’t stay in Eugene, and he can’t leave. Doug’s only hope is to convince her the glittery life she’s after could blind her to the opportunities already in her path.
A sneak peek between the sizzling pages of Runaway Love Story.
“I’m sorry she called you the S word.”
“Huh?”
“Sensible.”
She laughed. “Yeah. That’s a curse word, as far as I’m concerned.” She leaned her head on his shoulder.
“I’ll strike it from my vocabulary. Your S word is sparkle.” He traced her jawline with a feather-light touch. “Look at you, Laurel. You’re blinding.” His twilight-blue gaze made her heart dance—a steamy tango with swirls and dangerous dips. He kissed her, and, for a moment, she forgot all about caution, about cutting things off before they became too serious, about San Francisco. Her focus narrowed to his lips on hers, his nearness heating her whole body, opening her like a blossom, soft and willing. Ripe for the plucking.
“God, I’ve missed you.” He scooped her legs across his lap. One hand cradling her nape, the other gripping her thigh, he kissed her senseless. His velvet tongue teased her lips apart. He tasted of sugary coffee. The world around them faded—just two bodies, calling and answering, breathing in sync, their pulses beating the same rhythm.
Another Excerpt
Laurel’s conscience nudged the grin off her face. The customer was right—Doug was a natural with kids. He deserved a nice woman who’d stay in Eugene and build a family with him. She was just distracting him from his true path. If it weren’t for the chemistry pulling them together like an industrial-strength electromagnet, she’d never pick a guy like Doug. Sweet, dependable, generous, outdoorsy…
Shit. Except for not being an artist, he’s pretty much perfect. Leaving him in December is going to be damned painful.
Still, she’d been honest with him. He knew about her plans, and he wasn’t holding back. Why should she? Why deny herself his friendship, and a physical connection of volcanic proportions?
Because she was messing with his heart, that’s why. And her own.
And another, from the inside cover
He stepped closer, close enough to feel the heat rolling off his body.
A flush painted his cheekbones and his long, straight nose. Exercise, sunburn, or something more interesting?
The air between them vibrated with tingly energy. She focused on the floor, because looking into his face felt too dangerous.
He moved still closer, his toes nearly touching hers. “We’re good now?”
Her gaze slid up from his long, muscular calves, covered with blond fuzz, to his powerful thighs, to the impressive bulge between them, then up his slim torso, his muscular chest, his broad shoulders, until her gaze rested on his face.
His lids lowered, his lips parted. As if magnetized, her fingertips skimmed up his arm.
Stop. She dropped her hand. “We’re good. I’m sorry, Doug. I saw something between you two, and I jumped to the wrong conclusion.”
His smile blossomed slowly. “I’m glad that’s all cleared up.”
Not all, but it’s a start. Another thought, a crazy one. I could just kiss him, right here, right now. Get it over with, see what happens next.
Once that seed was planted, it was as if a giant electromagnet switched on, tugging them together. Its power hummed in her bones. Invisible sparks crackled between them. She slid a few inches closer.
Buy Links: Amazon Barnes & Noble Apple Books Google Play Books Kobo
About the Author.
Ever since her first kiss, Sadira’s been spinning steamy tales in her head. After leaving her teaching career in Germany, she finally tried her hand at writing one. Now she’s a happy citizen of Romancelandia, penning contemporary romance and cozy mysteries from her home in Washington State. When not writing, which is seldom, she explores the Pacific Northwest with her charming husband, enjoys the local music scene, belly dances, plays guitar badly, and gobbles all the books. Visit Sadira at www.sadirastone.com.
Sadira wants to hear from you!
Author Website Facebook Twitter Goodreads Bookbub Amazon Author Page
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Runaway Love Story and Book Nirvana Series!
Views: 0
Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Book Nirvana Series, Contemporary Romance, Runaway Love Story, Sadira Stone by Tena Stetler with 6 comments.
Interview Charlotte O’Shay Author of Their No Strings Affair
Give a warm welcome to Charlotte O’Shay, author of Their No Strings Affair released May 29, 2019
Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Charlotte and Their No Strings Affair!
What is the theme of this book?
The theme of this book and this series in fact is finding your home in another person.
This is a question or a theme in all of my books. Where do I belong? With whom do I belong? What was I put on this earth to do?
The answer is my characters belong with each other. Jake and Honey find home in each other. The story is about how they figured that out.
If this book is part of a series, how does this book and this cover fit in? This is the final book in the City of Dreams series. Each story is about people with big dreams who come to NYC because like the song says, if you can make it here, you’ll make it anywhere. There’s lots of angst, steamy scenes and black moments before the final chapters in the books.
We catch up with the characters from the other two books, Sabrina and Vlad, Lacey and Connor which was fun for me because we leave them all so happy with life.
All of the books can be read as standalones though and all of them take place in or around NYC, my hometown.
I love the cover. My idea for the cover was to show all of the possibility that exists when you first move to the big city for a job. The cover has a vintage feel because moving to a new place to pursue a career is an age old story.
What do you want your readers to take away from your books?
Great question. Most of all I want to entertain people, give them a little escape from whatever is going on in their lives. I also want them to believe in love and believe good people exist. But a reader will see that to earn a happy ending you must go through challenges that will test your character. My characters all go through tough times which makes their happily evers after even sweeter.
Do you find it easier to write from the male or female point of view?
I try to make my characters rounded enough so their conflicts, issues and motives are human rather than gender related. I have four daughters who are all very different so that supports my theory of universal rather than gender-based conflicts. I also have four brothers, four brothers in law, and four sons in law. So I’m around a lot of testosterone too. I listen. I observe.
It’s fun to turn old-school gender roles on their head if it makes sense in the story, a woman CEO, a man as a stay at home parent. But what I try to do is create male and female characters who fit like puzzle pieces, each one having strengths or traits the other needs in his/her life even though at first they may not see it that way and the inevitable clashes occur. Their careers are usually extensions of their personalities.
In my new release, Jake needs order, rules and control. He needs to make others feel safe. He’s an ex-SEAL and a security expert. He hides his tragic past behind perfect grooming and a smile.
Honey is a creative and a nurturer with a genius IQ. She sports piercings, purple hair and has zero clothing sense.
Speed Round 2
- Favorite Book of all time
Of all time is a long time but so far, Angela’s Ashes
- Where do you relax to read?
In a cozy chair in our living room but if the book is really good, I will stand at the kitchen counter and read when I should be cooking.
- What sound drives you right up the wall?
A mosquito heading my way in the middle of the night.
- What sound relaxes you?
My dog snoring at my feet.
- Favorite Drink
Coffee (since I was three years old…no wonder I’m so short)
- Walking in the sand, shoes or barefoot?
In the northeast, barefoot. Down south, I need something on my feet.
- Favorite Pet
Dog, hands down though I’ve met some charming horses and precious cats
- Snow- love or hate?
I love to hate snow in winter. But I could never live someplace where it never snowed.
- Painting my nails is like nailing jello to the wall. I can’t do it at all and when the salon does it, I wreck them the same day. Just once I’d like to have nice nails…is that too much to ask?
- Rock and Roll, Country, Jazz or Classical?
I like it all. I also like Celtic music and Russian and Spanish guitar. But I will say classic rock wins. The heroine in my latest story loves it because her mom does.
- Calendar or not? Paper? Electronic?
I have a paper agenda book. And another paper calendar. Some things go in my phone but I like to see the list and cross stuff off it.
- Favorite place to write?
Desk, kitchen counter, dining table-I have written on Amtrak with ear pods in. But never in a coffee shop. Too distracting.
- What is your decadent indulgence?
Scones, brioche, bread of any kind (with butter or olive oil)
- You just won $1000. And you have to spend it in 24 hours. What do you do?
First instinct, take my family out to a fabulous dinner. I might not be able to organize it in 24 hours since some live in different states. Another idea: I would spend some of it on books…and with the rest, treat my husband to a romantic seaside weekend at an inn on the coast.
- Plotter or Pantser?
Definitely a combination. I need an outline, and I need to know who my characters are inside out, then I begin writing.
- Introvert or extrovert?
Introvert
- Flight or Fight
If my family needed me I would fight my strong instinct to flee (if that makes any sense).
- Favorite Monster
Cookie Monster
- Magic or Not?
Yes, magic! We all have a little magic in us.
I couldn’t agree more. Now tell me a little about Their No Strings Affair! (Love that title)
Honey packs everything she owns and heads to NYC to jumpstart her art career. Her cheating boyfriend is history, and she finally acknowledges the truth of her mother’s mantra: Careers are forever and happily ever after isn’t in their DNA.
All she needs is a job and a place to live. What she doesn’t need is a taciturn, sexy, ballbuster but she’s woman enough to know the difference between need and want. Isn’t she?
Jake’s childhood was marred by tragedy and his future hijacked to a promise born of guilt. His failure drove him to a career as a SEAL and a security expert.
But it’s not enough. Now he’ll give up his freedom in reparation for the life he lost. Honey may be the last sweet stop on the road to a joyless future. If it’s what they both want, where’s the harm in a no-strings affair?
Buy links for Their No-Strings Affair
Amazon US Amazon UK Amazon CA Amazon AU Nook IBooks Google play Kobo
A peek between the pages of Their No String Affair.
He tossed his shirt on the chair, then froze when he heard the faint sound over the white noise of the hotel’s piped-in music. A slight rustle through the thick wood of the bathroom door. He pushed back a step toward the armoire to get into position, then in one fluid motion, grasped and cocked the pistol he slid from the holster strapped to his right ankle.
The door opened as he leveled the gun, chest high at the opening.
Her mouth gaped, and a wild shriek issued in the short seconds it took him to uncock the pistol, push it into his waist, take one long stride to reach her, and shove his hand over her open mouth.
“What the hell?” Her muffled words tickled the palm of his hand, and heat flooded his chest as electricity ran in a hotwire from his hand to the tease of her soft lips against his skin.
Jake, pull your shit together!
“Damn right, what the hell! What the hell are you doing here?”
She was slippery as an eel as she jerked back and forth to get out from under the arm pressed across her chest from shoulder to shoulder and the hand covering her mouth. She wasn’t at all concerned he had a gun or with his superior strength, he could do serious damage to her without breaking a sweat.
Or maybe she was well aware what froze him in a cold sweat was the shock of seeing a fantasy come to life. There was nothing imaginary about the round little ass pressed against his body and the precarious state of the towel that was about to slide off her. She squirmed, and a torrent of curses flew out of her mouth against his hand. Yeah, she was in a temper all right, but so was he. Because this person, this woman, who had trouble written all over her, was back again. Somehow, angry and aroused as he was, somewhere deep in his gut, he knew. The rest of his life would be divided into the time before he met her and the time since.
“Stop. Right now. I have a weapon.” He put his lips a breath away from the delicate shell of her ear. Kept his voice low but didn’t disguise the snarl in it. “If I take my hand off your mouth, you shut up. I ask the questions and you answer. Got it?”
The spiky roadrunner head bobbed up and down. “Okay.” He lifted his hand slowly.
She stepped away from him, and right away her hands jumped up to tighten the towel around her body. She jerked her chin up, keeping silent as instructed, but her lips pressed into a determined line, and her dark chocolate eyes sparked outrage.
By now he didn’t even find it weird the emotion showing strongest in her eyes was indignation. Nor did he wonder his strongest desire was not to find out how or why she’d gotten in here. Nope. His hands itched to remove that towel. His jaw tightened, and the rest of his body hardened into painful readiness. He forced out a harsh breath, unclenched his fists. Searched for logic.
About the Author of Their No Strings Affair:
Author Charlotte O’Shay was born in New York City into big family and then married into another big family.
Negotiating skills honed at the dinner table led her to a career in the law.
But after four beautiful children joined the crowded family tree, Charlotte traded her legal career to write about happily ever afters in the City of Dreams.
Charlotte loves to challenge her heroines and heroes with a crisis and watch them figure out who they are while they fall in love.
Social Media Links:
WEBSITE INSTAGRAM TWITTER PINTEREST FACEBOOK PAGE BOOKBUB
It was a blast having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Their No Strings Affair!
Views: 0
Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Charlotte O'Shay, Contemporary Romance, New York City, Their No Strings Affair by Tena Stetler with 17 comments.
