Life in Suitcases
by Melissa Kendall
Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Rebel Ink Press
Heat Level: Steamy
Word Count: 6,940 words
Buy Links
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Blurb
After a tragedy changes the course of Elise Morgan’s life
leaving her without a family and in foster care, she meets Anthony Scott. It
doesn’t take long for them to become fast friends and they do everything
together. When Elise manages to get a scholarship to college and Anthony
doesn’t. They find themselves separated. As the years pass, they lose touch.
Feeling restless with her life, Elise sets about trying to
find what is missing in her life. After breaking up with her boyfriend she
takes a trip home hoping to find a sense of peace. One hug reveals that what
Elise thought she was missing wasn’t a place or a thing it was a person.
Can she find true love with the one man she thought she
might never see again?
Warning: This title is intended for readers over the age of 18 as it
contains adult sexual situations and/or adult language, and may be considered
offensive to some readers.
About the Author
Melissa is a 37 year-old stay at home mum and
part-time Software Support Consultant. She lives in Perth Western Australia
the most isolated capital city in the world.
She’s always loved to read and
write and spent most of her teens scribbling poetry and short stories on any
scrap of paper she could get her hands on. Over the years as daily life pressures
got in the way she lost the passion for it. After her son was born, she
discovered online books and her interest in writing was rekindled. It has been
a large part of her life ever since.
Connect with Melissa
Kendall
Website: http://www.melissakendall.net
Twitter: @mkendallauthor
Excerpt #1
At
thirteen, I was too old for most people to consider adopting. No matter how
hard Mary looked, she
couldn’t find me a foster home. I went from having
everything to having nothing. My parents weren’t well off. They were just your
average middle-income family with a mortgage. Once the house was sold and all
the debts were paid, I wasn’t left with much. There was just enough money to
buy a second-hand car when I was old enough and two suitcases full of personal
possessions, including a few photo albums. That was all my thirteen years of
life added up to: two suitcases.
My
first few weeks at Abbott’s were probably the worst of my life. I spent my days
just going through the motions at school. At night, I would cry in bed until
sleep finally claimed me. After about three weeks of feeling as if I was
drowning in a never-ending pit of despair, I met Anthony. I felt the bed dip
behind me one night as I was lying on my side and sobbing particularly hard. I
was so upset I didn’t immediately register that it meant someone was lying with
me. Then I felt an arm wrap around me and heard a soothing voice in my ear
telling me everything was going to be okay.
When
I woke up the following morning, I rolled over to see just who had climbed into
bed with me. A skinny boy with short brown hair grinned at me.
“Anthony
Scott.” He held his hand out.
“Elise
Morgan,” I replied. “Thanks for last night.”
“Ain’t
nothing.”
We
talked for a little while longer, getting to know one another. Anthony was the
same age as me, but had been at Abbott’s since he was six. His parents were
drug addicts, which caused his removal from their care. After telling him how
sorry I was that had happened, I explained my story. It was still so hard to
talk about, but I got through it and only cried a little bit.
After
that day, Anthony and I were inseparable. We were the best of friends. We did
everything together. When I tried ballet, he did too, no matter how much
teasing he got from the other boys. When he took up guitar, so did I, even
though I sucked at it. Barely a day went by that we didn’t see or speak to each
other at least a hundred times. I doubt I would have survived my teenage years
if it weren’t for my best friend.
Though
the days were fairly easy to survive, the nights were always tough. Curled up
in bed alone, the reality would hit the hardest. Memories of families lost and
dreams of what could have been plagued each of our thoughts. We spent many a
night in each other’s beds providing comfort. Those were always the nights I
slept best.
For
five years, it was Anthony and me against the world.
All
that changed senior year. Anthony and I had both been working toward Cornell.
We were in all the same AP classes and had the same GPA. We both applied for
scholarships, knowing that was the only way we’d ever get to go to college.
When I got a scholarship and he didn’t, reality came crashing down around us. I
told him I wasn’t going without him, that it had been our dream. Anthony,
always the strong one, told me I needed to go follow my dreams, that I deserved
to go to Cornell, and he wasn’t going to let me waste my one chance to get the
hell out of San Francisco .
After
graduation, we agreed to have one last hoorah over the summer before heading
off on our separate paths. We had the best time. We found a little apartment in
the city. It was really only big enough for one person, but since it would just
be Anthony’s apartment come fall, I didn’t mind it being a bit cramped.
We
did everything we ever wanted to do together that summer. We visited museums
and art galleries, rode the cable cars, and spent hours upon hours running
around Fisherman’s Wharf. We even went to the beach and the zoo.
All
the while, our separation loomed. It was constantly present in our thoughts, as
if we knew it was going to be our last summer together. We were heading in two
different directions come September and might never see one another again.
Tempted By Trouble
by Susan Arden
Erotic
Contemporary Western Romance
Publisher: Crimson
Romance
Release Date: April 1, 2013
Heat Level: Sizzling
Word Count: 57,000
Coming April 1!
Blurb
When a woman is the magnet for
the wrong man, it takes a bad boy to break old habits.
Carolina Rodriguez is a large
animal veterinarian on a mission to escape South Florida
and her overprotective family. Willing to do just about anything, she accepts a
job in Annona , Texas over the Internet from a family connection.
At her cousin’s wedding, she runs
into Matt, a handsome Texan in the church parking lot. Matthew McLemore is
more than gorgeous, he’s Carolina ’s
new boss, and needs her help to determine why his cattle keep dying. Matt’s instantaneous
attraction to Carolina
sorely tempts him to push the boundaries of their work contract, but a roll in
the hay may prove too volatile to handle. Until she arrives on his ranch and is
too hot to resist.
Author’s
Warning: Contains a smoking mess of scorching love scenes. Ice may be needed
for blazing imaginations.
CBLS Promos Warning: This title is intended for readers over the age of
18 as it contains explicit sex scenes and/or situations and adult language, and
may be considered offensive to some readers.
Excerpt
“Evermore Ranch,” she read aloud.
“I hope this won’t upset your
plans?”
“Would it matter? I signed a
service contract that included a non-disclosure agreement. Even if I had a
problem, I couldn’t tell a soul and I’ve promised you two weeks of my time.”
He chuckled softly. “Yes, two
weeks to do my bidding.”
She almost choked at the thought
of doing his bidding. “What the heck have I gotten myself into with you, Mr.
McLemore? Exactly what type of office do you run?”
His expression changed.
Sharpened. “Strictly business. Look, Dr. Rodriguez, we’ve gotten off on the
wrong foot.”
“Wrong foot … the whole body is a
problem, sir,” she hissed.
He smiled broadly, reassuring
her. “Let’s discuss this later. This isn’t the correct time or place. Don’t you
have to help the bride or something?”
“Yes. As a matter of fact, I do.
I don’t know what you think you’ve contracted, but I’ll only supply you with
vet services. As long as you understand that fact, there’s nothing more to
discuss.”
“Well, there is. In the service
agreement, there’s a provision that we need to discuss before you’re allowed
access to the ranch barn and stable sites. So, either we can do it later or
when you arrive in Texas .
But until you and I have a little sit-down and get a few things ironed out, there
won’t be any work for you to do directly. I’ve got a ranch to run, and I don’t
have time to play games. I’ve already spent enough time finding a vet.” His
eyes glittered and dropped to her mouth. “If you think I’m about to waste more
time because you’ve got second thoughts, Dr. Rodriguez, the next communication
you’ll have from Evermore Ranch will be from my attorneys. Had I known who you
were before, believe me, I wouldn’t have … I’d never let the situation get away
from me.”
Up close, his eyes shone
sherry-colored. A muscle flexed along his jaw. His masculine scent of leather,
smoke, and wood filled her head. The hard set of his mouth didn’t resemble the
man from before. He’d done just as he’d promised, shutting one door, and leaving
in place a man who didn’t look as if he enjoyed playing games. No this version
of Matt McLemore had a locking gaze and if looks could kill, she was a goner.
“I’m glad we understand one
another then, Dr. Rodriguez. I expect to meet with you tomorrow at your
convenience. Our relationship will be strictly business, if that’s what got you
in such a dither.”
Guest Post
Part One: How to Craft The Sexy
Scene. Spark to Flame
In Tempted by Trouble, I knew this was
going to be a hot ride. I wanted the sexual tension to be tight and immediate. With
a romance, especially erotic romance, there’s a necessary set up that launches the
love story yet the hero and heroine must be properly positioned, so to speak.
In Tempted the name says it all. The
parking lot scene(s) provide Carolina and Matt the necessary tools to spark
their interest heating each other’s desire. Tempting yet are they held apart.
What happened and why?
Carolina
arrives at the church delivering her cousin, Cynthia “Sam” Cainwright to her
wedding. They’ve been out all night and Carolina needs a few moments alone. I
wanted to introduce the “villain” so
I had him appear, briefly setting the heroine on pins and needles. This
interlude is the has a domino effect in making Carolina question her own
sexuality which is part of her arc. With this conflict in play, a vacuum occurs,
or character “want/need.”
In the opening
scene, I had to place Matt in “charged” proximity but not so close he’d be
available to the heroine. Actually I had to do something tricky so to keep
Carolina and Matt apart. A compromising position that would be both off-putting
and alluring. Difficult. As the writer, I needed to let Carolina see Matt
within a context that served as his own interview.
Sexually provocative. But that moment could get away from me if Carolina
decided to drive off and never get a glimpse of Matt.
I had to employ
another conflict: voila, the fender bender.
This becomes their first moment on stage. Highly important so I have them
engaged with a sassy exchange. We have
the hero and heroine meet in less than stellar circumstance. The hero remains cool,
collected, and a bit arrogant after being caught red-handed. Carolina likes
what she sees, yet knows this type of bad boy spells trouble. Oh, but the type
of trouble she likes…but can’t have. Who amongst us hasn’t wanted something we
know might be sensation but is unsuitable.
For Carolina, it’s Bad Boy Man Candy or
sex-in-suit.
So, here they
are standing toe-to-toe on the wrong foot, but they don’t know really who the
other is…or at least haven’t connected the dots yet (employer-employee). All
the hero and heroine know is they’re highly attracted to each other. The spark to the flame.
Book Trailer
Embed Code:
Connect with Susan Arden
Website/Blog:
http://www.susanarden.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/romancebysusan
Title: Worth the Risk
Author: Anne Lange
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Length: Novella
Word Count: 26,491
Page Count: 118
Price: 3.99
ISBN: 978-1-939194-51-0
Heat Level: 4
Editor: Rachel Firasek
Cover Artist: Annie Melton
Release Date: 1/4/2013
Author: Anne Lange
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Length: Novella
Word Count: 26,491
Page Count: 118
Price: 3.99
ISBN: 978-1-939194-51-0
Heat Level: 4
Editor: Rachel Firasek
Cover Artist: Annie Melton
Release Date: 1/4/2013
Blurb
Even the hottest sex might not be enough to
ease the pain of the past…
Molly Simpson arrives at a beautiful
provincial park, ready to spend the May Two-Four holiday camping with friends.
This weekend is the highlight of her year—or it was, until Tanner Daivies
showed up. Her high school crush is all grown up, sexy as sin, and he’s
demanding answers—answers Molly isn’t sure she can give him. She had her
reasons for leaving him all those years ago, but now, sex with Tanner is
scorching, and when they’re together, it’s clear they were never meant to be
apart. But the past doesn’t want to stay buried, and Molly isn’t sure reliving
it is worth the risk…
Anne Lange grew up
with a love of reading. In fact, if you take a close look, she’s got a book
with her
where ever she goes, and will usually sneak in at least a chapter or
ten whenever she can spare a few minutes. She reads many genres of fiction, but
prefers to write sexy romance with attractive men, strong females, and always a
happily ever after.
While embarking on a career as a
romance author, Anne juggles a full time job and a family. She grew up in
Southern Ontario (Canada), but now makes her home in Eastern Ontario where she
lives with her husband and three children, and Rocky the bearded dragon.
Buy Links
Connect
with the Author
To connect with Anne:
Web Page/Blog: http://authorannelange.com/
Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorAnneLange
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Anne_Lange
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/Anne_Lange
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/authorannelange
Anne Lange
Check your
inhibitions at the door.
Worth The Risk -
Etopia Press
(available now)
Giveaway Info:
Prize is a $10 Amazon Gift Card, $10 Starbucks Gift Card AND 1 eBook copy of "Worth the Risk". Contest is tour-wide and ends May 24. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Giveaway Info for Tempted by Trouble:
Prize is a $25 Victoria’s Secret Gift Card. Contest is tour-wide, open internationally and ends Apr 24. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Link to Schedule:
Lynelle,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for allowing me to guest post with the first part of the series Writing the Sexy Scene. Spark to Flame! A BIG YEE HAW for sharing Tempted by Trouble with your readers. Happy reading!
It was a great pleasure Susan.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for hosting my book
ReplyDelete