Guest Blog from Lisa Mondello Author of Lone Star Lady!
Give a warm welcome to Lisa Mondello, author of Lone Star Lady, eighth book in the Texas Hearts series!
Pull up a chair, grab a drink of your choice from the cooler, or there’s homemade lemonade in the pitcher on the counter. Chose a Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter cookie from the plate, and let’s find out a little about Lisa, her Lone Star Lady and the Texas Hearts series.
Lisa, Lone Star Lady is part of the Texas Hearts series. Tell us about connecting books in a series.Creating a new world for a romance series can be difficult for an author. How do you create a series of connecting characters while making every book fresh?
When I wrote the Lone Star Lady, part of the Texas Hearts series, it wasn’t originally supposed to be part of a series. It sold and was originally published by another publisher. But when I got the rights back to the book, I knew I didn’t want it to be a standalone book. So I rewrote it to be part of the Texas Hearts series. In doing so, I had to figure out how a standalone book that was very different than the Gentry brother’s story, could fit into that world.
My solution to connecting Lone Star Hero to Texas Hearts came by connecting the heroines from The Wedding Dress and Leaving Liberty to the heroine of Lone Star Lady. Life sometimes pulls you in different directions and different places. But friendships from the past endure. And so Hannah Ward and Liberty Calvert became Theresa Morales’s best friends. It gave me the opportunity to revisit those characters from past books and give readers and update without allowing their storylines to take over the current book.
I also included country singer Brock Gentry, hero of book 4 Gypsy Hearts, in the story as an off camera character. So readers who are familiar with the series have an automatic connection to that world even though I created a new location outside of Texas to set the story.
Authors love writing series just as much as readers love reading them. But the constant work to create something fresh to keep readers interested is work. Fortunately for me, I love this work. I hope you check out Lone Star Lady and all the Texas Hearts books at http://texasheartsromance.blogspot.com.
Interesting, connecting characters from different books in a series is the reason so many enjoy reading series. They don’t have to say goodbye to characters they’ve grown to love.
A sneak peek between the pages of Lone Star Lady!
“I didn’t know who else to go to. I really need your help.”
Teresa Morales listened to Dr. Dennis Harrington’s words as she sat curled up on the soft beige sofa in the lodge at the Taos Falls Mountain Ski Resort. The fire in the huge granite fireplace in the center of the room was burning hot—almost too hot for her comfort. Or maybe that was just her anxiety kicking in. This was supposed to be her vacation. No one was supposed to need her help here.
She bookmarked the page in the book she had been reading before Dennis’s abrupt arrival and closed it, setting it aside on the end table. With a swift motion, she untangled one long leg out from underneath her and brusquely hit her bare feet to the wide pine floor with a dull thud. If this was his idea of a joke, she wasn’t laughing.
“Dennis, I’m just a tourist here. What help could I possibly give you?”
“Last night…” His voice trailed off. His face looked stricken, and Teresa knew he wasn’t talking about the New Year’s Eve party they’d both attended—or the dance they’d shared. No, he was referring to what had happened afterward—the reason behind the beeper call that had pulled him out of her arms and away from the party after their dance. The horrible car crash on the bridge just a few hundred yards from the ski resort had been the only topic of conversation throughout Taos Falls today.
“I’m not sure you understand how severe the accident that took place last night really was.”
It was wonderful having you with us today, Lisa! Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Lone Star Lady.
Views: 343
Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Contemporary, Lisa Mondello, Lone Star Lady, Romance, Texas Hearts, Western by Tena Stetler with 1 comment.
C.B. Clark Chats About Her New Release Bitter Legacy
Give a warm welcome to C.B. Clark, author of Bitter Legacy!
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 C.B. CLark and Bitter Legacy just released yesterday!
What inspired ‘Bitter Legacy’?
Fires in sawmills are a big concern. With clouds of highly combustible dry sawdust clogging the air, explosions and fires are not uncommon. Mill owners take precautions, but devastating fires still occur. The largest employer in the town where I live is the lumber industry. These are state of the art, multi-million dollar industrial mills that employ hundreds of skilled workers. What would happen if a mill were destroyed by a fire? What if someone deliberately set that fire? Add in a reluctant heroine and a no-holds-barred hero, and you have another kind of heat, just as explosive.
Where do your story ideas come from? Do you get up in the middle of the night and write them down?
Possibilities for story plots are everywhere. Coffee shops, shopping malls, airport waiting lounges, and people I pass on the street all provide potential for intriguing story lines. Articles in newspapers, and the want ads are also great.
The person who invented sticky notes should be knighted. As soon as an idea comes to me (usually in the middle of the night), I have to write it down on a sticky note, or I’ll forget my inspiration. I love those small, square pieces of multi-colored paper. I plaster them on the wall, the kitchen cupboard doors, and all over my writing desk.
Wow, your desk looks my writing area! If writing is your first passion, what is your second?
I love to write. It makes me who I am, but like most authors, I have other passions. I used to work as an archaeologist, and nothing catches my attention quicker than reading about a new archaeological discovery. After seven months living in a tent in northern British Columbia conducting an archaeological survey, I’d had enough, and transferred out of the freezing rain, swarms of mosquitoes, and baking sun, and into a climate-controlled writing room.
You’ve got a time machine, a cloak of invisibility, and one hour. Where would you go, and what eavesdropping would you do?
A time machine would be a fantasy come true. I’d visit the distant past, and my first stop would be 100 million years ago in the Cretaceous era when large dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Imagine the smells, the sounds, and the incredible sights. Just to breathe the air would be amazing. Of course, even with a cloak of invisibility, I probably wouldn’t last long. A hungry Tyrannosaurus would sniff me out and make me his lunch, so it would have to be a quick visit.
I love your idea! What Bitter Legacy about?
Sharla-Jean Bromley returns to her hometown after a seventeen-year absence with vengeance in her heart. From the very beginning, her plans go awry when she meets devastatingly handsome Josh Morgan, the man to whom her father left half of his multi-million dollar lumber mill.
Josh, suspicious of Sharla-Jean’s reasons for returning to town after such a long absence, vows to keep control of the company he feels is rightfully his. She is equally determined to prove she can run her father’s mill, even though it means working side-by-side with Josh, a man whose very presence evokes an attraction that is increasingly difficult for her to ignore. In the process, they must overcome a villain who’s determined to destroy both the lumber mill and their lives.
Will Sharla-Jean succeed and heal the anguish that has long filled her soul? Wills he and Josh find the passion of a lifetime?
Can we have a sneak peek between the pages of Bitter Legacy?
Fire!
Even as the dreaded word reared like a monster inside her head, a thin trickle of smoke crept out of the dark storage room. Terrifying images of flame, smoke and searing heat threatened to overwhelm her. For a nightmare second, she was back in the midst of scorching heat and roaring flames.
Using all her strength of will, she tore free of the chilling memories. Instead of fleeing, she placed one wobbly step in front of the other and shuffled toward the storage room. Her nostrils flared at the acrid tang of gasoline and smoke. With a shaking hand, she gripped the door handle and opened the door.
A figure burst out of the darkness, crashing into her, knocking her back.
She yelped at the pain of the blow and the shock of falling. A jolt of agony and blinding light as her head hit something hard.
Heavy boots pounded across the tile floor. Cold air washed over her. And then darkness.
Two Tweets about Book: ***I hope these are what you mean. I’m not great at tweets***
“She only had ever wished for two things: a red dress and her father’s death.”
“Anyone who’d wear that red dress to her father’s funeral isn’t frightened of anything.”
Buy links:
Amazon, The Wild Rose Press, Nook, Kobo, and iTunes,
C.B. Clark has always loved reading, especially romances, but it wasn’t until she lost her voice for a year that she considered writing her own romantic suspense stories. She grew up in Canada’s Northwest Territories and Yukon. Graduating with a degree in Anthropology and Archaeology, she has worked as an archaeologist and an educator. She enjoys hiking, canoeing, and snowshoeing with her husband and dog near her home in the wilderness of central British Columbia.
To learn more about CB, you can find her at:
Blog https://cbclarkauthor.wordpress.com
Twitter https://twitter.com/cbclarkauthor
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cbclarkauthor/
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15029617.C_B_Clark
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/C.-B.-Clark/e/B01BK61TQG/
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Bitter Legacy!
Views: 423
Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Bitter Legacy, CB Clark, Contemporary, Lumber Mill, Romance by Tena Stetler with 16 comments.
Susan V. Vaughn – Beyond Fate
Give a warm welcome to Susan V. Vaughn, author of Beyond Fate just released on March 24, 2016!
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 Susan and Beyond Fate.
Susan if you could use one line to discribe Beyond Fate, what would it be? Years of separation mean nothing when love is in the air…
What inspired this particular story?
I have a huge connection to Beyond Fate because I wrote the first chapter of it when I was still in college. I attended Central Michigan University, which is the same college my characters meet. The fraternity party they were at is based off a frat house I used to go to all the time. Years later, when I found this story, I decided it needed a proper ending. I began the story from a college perspective, which is when my characters first fall in love. I finished the story from an adult perspective, which is when my characters get their second chance at love.
What secret do you use to blast through writer’s block?
I like to write the dialogue in a scene first, then go back through and add the action. Not only does this help me break through writers block, it decreases instances of choppy dialogue. It’s also a great way to give my characters their own voice while staying true to the story line.
What inspired you to write?
I have been writing romance for five years now. I started doing it for myself because I enjoy the creative process so much. But then things changed. I watched my children grow, and develop their love of writing. All the journals around my house now are filled with my kid’s imagination. There is no paper left in our printer, no notebooks unfilled. My children are little paper thieves! They write because I write. I have opened their world to the notion that you can make a living from your imagination. My children have given my creativity a greater purpose.
Do you see yourself in your characters?
Both the main characters in Beyond Fate suffer the loss of a loved one. For Russell, the loss is his sister. For Julia, the loss is her best friend. Although Katherine Webb is dead, both Russell and Julia began experiencing signs from her. But it’s only when they start following those signs that they find their paths intertwined again. It’s almost as if Kat is playing matchmaker from beyond, which is consequently how the story got its name.
I really connected to this story and to the characters, because I know what it’s like to lose someone I love. I know so many other people know this pain as well. Loss is a part of human existence. It is something that connects us all.
What do you want your readers to take away from Beyond Fate?
This book takes you on an emotional journey. There is love, loss, heartache, and of course, laughter. Every good romance has got to have laughter! For my two main characters fate leads them in directions they never thought possible, which is what I hope readers will experience while reading it.
Sounds like a greaat book.
Tell us a little more about Beyond Fate.
Julia Diaz never wanted to fall for her friend’s older brother, especially at a college frat party. But, for some reason, her heart was stolen by Russell that night. Eight years after, she never forgot him. Now destiny has brought them together. Only this time Russell is no longer a boy. He’s a man who knows what he wants and will not be denied.
Russell Webb used to be optimistic, and fun loving until a family tragedy turned his world on its side. Putting all his focus on work, he picked himself back up, and managed to turn his grief into something resembling a life. When a woman from his past reappears, and gives him a glimpse of true happiness, he’ll do anything to secure her heart. Even face the darkness he has avoided for so long.
How about a peek into the book itself?
His heart pounded as he made up the distance between them. He’d fought the urge to hold her in his arms all week. He no longer could.
“Hey! What are you doing?” Her question was lost as he pulled her against him, and covered her lips with his own. She sank desperately into his embrace for a moment, before pushing him back. “Russ, stop.”
“Why?” He grabbed one of her hands, and kissed the soft skin of her palm. She smiled, her face flushing red, her eyes flashing hazel.
“Because we are supposed to be friends, and we’re at work.” She glanced nervously around the deserted hallway.
“Nah, work’s over,” he said lightly, refusing to address the friendship statement. “It’s time for us.” He secured her hand in his, and led them toward the parking lot with single focus. “I’m taking you to dinner.”
“Wait! I have to grab my things from the music room.”
“No time for that.” He quickened his pace through the parking lot, determined to take her to dinner, not caring who witnessed his desperation. He’d waited all week for this opportunity.
“I guess you’re not giving me a choice then?” She sounded amused, not annoyed, a good sign.
“Now you get it.” He winked back at her. “I am your boss, after all.”
She sighed loudly in exasperation, and then began to giggle. It made him grin like a man who had never been happier in his life.
About the Author:
Romance Author, Susan V. Vaughn understood the meaning of sarcasm before she could walk. Her childhood in the suburbs of Detroit was spent mainly trying to outwit her six creative siblings. When she wasn’t working on the next soul-crushing jab, she sharpened her imagination on romantic literature and day dreamed about her knight in shining armor.
It didn’t take long for this hairdresser by trade to turn her passion for reading romances into writing her own unique love stories. Susan lives her life finding laughter in all situations, and delights in marrying sarcasm with romance to create realistic falling-in-love stories in the unlikeliest of scenarios.
Susan lives on the shores of Lake Huron with her real life knight in shining armor and enjoys watching their three children learn the art of sarcasm and wit.
Website: www.susanvvaughn.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/susanvaughn1124
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Susan-V-Vaughn-123758787958942/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14660814.Susan_V_Vaughn
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Susan-V.-Vaughn/e/B016H54WWI/
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Beyond Fate.
Views: 261
Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Beyond Fate, Contemporary, Fate, Romance, Susan V. Vaughn by Tena Stetler with 3 comments.
Author Claire Marti & Second Chance In Laguna
Give a warm welcome to Claire Marti, author of Second Chance In Laguna, available for pre-order Now!
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 Claire and her Second Chance In Laguna.
Claire Marti started writing stories as soon as she was old enough to pick up pencil and paper. After graduating from the University of Virginia with a BA in English Literature, she was sidetracked by other careers, including practicing law, selling software for legal publishers, and managing a non-profit animal rescue for a Hollywood actress.
Finally, Claire followed her heart and now focuses on two of her true passions: writing romance novels and teaching yoga. Her debut, Second Chance in Laguna, releases from The Wild Rose Press on March 31, 2017 and is the first in the Finding Forever in Laguna series.
Now tell me a little about what inspired you to write?
I’ve been writing since I was a child. I spent a lot of time alone and read prolifically. I started writing my own stories in elementary school. I dreamt of becoming a novelist, but was side-tracked with more “practical careers.” I’ve been publishing non-fiction articles for years in the wellness, yoga, and fitness industry. I also published a memoir a few years ago documenting my journey through breast cancer and how yoga helped me heal.
What do you want your readers to take away from your books?
I want readers to be inspired to always follow their dreams. I’m a big believer in manifestation. Whatever you focus on expands and whatever you remove your attention from diminishes. Life is short and there’s no time like the present to follow your deepest desires. When you are true to yourself, you’re in a position to love and be loved. Ignore the negative people who hold you back. Stop focusing on the million reasons why not. Find the one reason why and go for it!
If writing is your first passion, what is your second?
Teaching and practicing yoga. When I’m passionate about something, I have to share it. When I began practicing yoga, it helped me become a softer, kinder version of myself. I began teaching and also training others to become teachers. In terms of writing romance, I’m a hopeless optimist/romantic and sharing smart, sexy happily ever afters is my way of providing a little sunshine for others. I’m a work in progress—I was a yoga teacher who wrote, now I’m a writer who teaches yoga.
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I love to read, to spend time on the beach, to travel every chance I get, to practice and teach yoga and Pilates, to spend time with my husband and friends. I love delicious food, although I can’t cook to save my life.
You can follow Claire here:
website is www.clairemarti.com Twitter Facebook Goodreads
How about a little about Second Chance In Laguna?
When Sophie Barnes’s fiancé jilts her at the altar, her carefully planned life implodes. Considering her ex’s betrayal to be a rude wake-up call, she leaves everything she knows in San Diego and flees to Laguna Beach. She vows to transform her life by avoiding men for a year and by fulfilling her dream of writing a wildly successful novel.
Sophie’s new landlord, Nicholas Morgan, is a gorgeous, successful architect with a player reputation. He makes it tough for Sophie to remember that she’s sworn to be single. Nick’s avoided the intimacy of a long-term relationship–until Sophie’s independence, courage, and beauty touch his guarded heart. Both Sophie and Nick are terrified of being hurt again, but can they resist the pull of true love?
Can we have a sneek peek into Second Chance In Laguna?
Nick arrived right on time, looking gorgeous in faded jeans and a plain white t-shirt. How did he always manage to start the butterflies fluttering in her stomach? Just by standing there with the setting sun framing him? She was in trouble.
“Hi beautiful, ready to go?” He clasped her face in his hands and planted a soft kiss on her lips.
Returning his kiss, Sophie wound her arms around his neck and deepened it. She couldn’t resist. His strong arms wrapped around her waist, hugging her close to his broad chest.
“Mmmm, feel free to greet me like that every time I come over,” he said, lips curved up into a sweet smile.
Heat washed her cheeks and she returned his smile. “Let’s go. Prepare to be blown away by the movie snack of the century.”
Determined to keep things light and enjoy the movie before “the talk,” Sophie thrust down the lick of panic bubbling in her gut. She’d accomplished next to nothing all afternoon, instead wrestling with whether she needed to tell him about Doug.
The angel on her shoulder whispered to tell him because if they were going to have any kind of relationship, even a friends-with-benefits one, honesty and trust were vital.
The devil urged her to zip it. They’d only known each other a few weeks. What if he lived up to his “Player of Laguna” reputation and expected only a fun fling? Even though he seemed deeper than that. What if she scared him off with a premature talk?
You can find Second Chance In Laguna at the links below:
For a chance to win a $5.00 gift card, like Claire’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ClaireMartiAuthor/
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Second Chance In Laguna!
Views: 98
Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged Claire Marti, Contemporary, Laguna Beach, Romance by Tena Stetler with 9 comments.
