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Showing posts with label contemporary romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label contemporary romance. Show all posts
Friday, May 15, 2015
Author Spotlight - Holding Back by Helen Pollard
Today, I'm thrilled to host fellow Clean Reads (formally Astraea Press) author, Helen Pollard. We're talking about Helen's new contemporary romance, HOLDING BACK.
The last thing
they're looking for is love …
Laura Matheson is a natural at avoiding romance, so when she
is drawn to mystery guest Daniel Stone while helping out at her friends' hotel
in Portugal, she assumes all she needs is a little extra willpower.
Daniel is at the hotel on business. The demands of work and
a manipulative ex-girlfriend mean he doesn't have the time or energy for
romance, but Laura is a distraction he finds hard to ignore.
As they negotiate a minefield of misunderstandings and
mutual attraction, will they both continue to hold back? Or will they finally
allow love into their lives?
Excerpt Chapter
One:
"Excuse me. You've picked up the wrong bag."
Deep and decisive, the voice startled Laura from behind as
she loaded her luggage onto her hard-won airport trolley.
"No, I don't think so." She swung round to confront
the voice's owner. Unnerved to find him towering over her, she took a step
back, stumbling over her trolley in the process.
With lightning speed, he reached out to catch her arm, his
grip strong as he helped her regain her balance. When she was upright again,
she took in piercing blue eyes, thick dark brown hair, a hint of stubble on a
tanned face—and felt an immediate jolt of attraction.
Laura ignored it. "I can manage, thank you," she
snapped, thinking she wouldn't have tripped if he hadn't surprised her like
that.
He released his hold and raised an eyebrow. "As I said,
you have my bag."
Pushing away long strands of chestnut-brown hair that had
dared escape their ponytail, Laura returned his gaze.
"No, this is definitely mine." She was hot,
harassed, and late. The last thing she needed was a futile argument over her
own luggage!
"Would you mind if I check?"
"Help yourself." Unable to disguise her impatience,
Laura waved at it, adding, "But I am in a hurry." She winced at the
hostile tone in her voice, but she really didn't have time for this. Tapping
her foot in irritation, she waited to be proved right as he crouched over her
trolley.
"Would you care to look?" he asked.
Laura's foot stopped tapping. Recognizing undisguised triumph
on his face, she read the label over his shoulder with trepidation, but there
it was in black and white—Daniel Stone, London Gatwick to Porto. The heat that
rose in her cheeks seemed to burn right through her skin.
"But it's the same as mine!" she blustered,
watching with embarrassment as he hoisted the heavy bag from the trolley with
ease.
"It's hardly a unique design," he commented,
shrugging broad shoulders. "If you weren't in such a tearing hurry, you
might have spotted your own on the carousel."
Laura spun around to see her bag riding forlornly around with
the few that were left. Mortified, she opened her mouth to apologize.
But he spoke first. "Personally, I would advocate that
old saying 'More haste, less speed.'" His tone softened a little as he
added, "I'm sorry, but you're not the only hot, tired person whose flight
was delayed, you know." And off he strolled through the terminal, his bag
flung over his shoulder, without a backward glance.
About Helen:
Helen
Pollard writes contemporary romance with old-fashioned heart. She believes
there will always be a place for romantic fiction, no matter how fast-paced and
cynical the world becomes. Readers still
A
Yorkshire lass, Helen is married, with two teenagers and a psychotic cat. When she's
not working or writing, it goes without saying that she loves to read. She also
enjoys a good coffee in a quiet bookshop, and appreciates the company of family
and close friends.
Connect with Helen:
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Setting Goals for 2015
So
it’s 2015 and time for a fresh start. It’s a time two make new goals.
For me it's writing goals. Whether I success in those goals...well that's
another matter. Last year, I had the grand idea that I would write FOUR books
in 2014.
Confession…I
did not come close.
I
finished one book BY CHRISTMAS, which I ended up self-publishing as part of a holiday box set with 13 other authors. Then I put it out as a single book. It was my
first foray into the world of indie publishing so there was a big learning
curve, meaning everything took longer to accomplish. I did have the benefit of
working with 13 other fantastic authors from this group on the box set and
learned SO MUCH.
So
what about those other three books I was supposed to complete? Book two was
supposed to be the fifth installment in my Covington Falls Chronicles series.
However, somewhere along the line it became not Book 5 in that series, but Book
1 in a WHOLE NEW SERIES. It’s set in another fictional town, only this one is
in Florida. It centers on a prized pig named Matilda
who inherits a fortune from her eccentric owner. Oh yes, there are also three
women competing for custody of the pig (and control of the money, of course) as well as a trio of sexy men who might win their hearts.
The
other two books are part of another series. This one is a contemporary
romance/women’s fiction. It’s also set in Florida (different town) and it
follows three former childhood friends who return to their hometown and become
involved in rehabilitating an old dinner theatre called The Paradise. I
finished the first book a couple years ago, but book 2 and 3 still need to be
put down on paper.
The
third idea is another series that is perhaps the craziest concept I’ve ever
come up with. My heroine is a spoiled heiress who dies and then gets recruited
as a celestial matchmaker, helping soul mates find their One True Love before
it's too late. It’s crazy and weird and hilariously funny…It is also so far
away from anything else I’ve ever written. A little scary.
So…yeah…that’s
a lot of books. And I have a demanding full time job. I don’t know how I will
possibly do them. I need a plan. I need help. I need to find that impossibly
rich tycoon so I can quit the day job and write full time.
Hmmm…okay...writing
all those books might happen first.
Friday, November 14, 2014
Author Spotlight - Heather Gray and Queen
Today I'm thrilled to host best selling historical romance author, Heather Gray who is here to talk about her latest release, QUEEN, Book 3 in her Regency Refuge series.
You can find Heather online at:
Website Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest
She can also be found most days at The Inspired Inkpot, a street team, prayer group, and all around awesome place to hang out - Inspired Inkpot
Back Cover Blurb:
You can't
hide from the past.
Queen's world was shattered, and she was banished
to a foreign land. Years pass before she dares to return, but what she finds is
of little comfort. Greed and dishonesty have festered and grown in her absence.
Embittered and cynical, Queen trusts few people.
Owen pursues a clandestine investigation and finds
himself working side-by-side with a veritable ghost, an agent few have seen, a
master of disguise known simply as Queen.
He craves her trust…but then uncovers a secret from his family's past
that could destroy her.
Queen once sought refuge in America and now seeks
it in disguise. Owen has always found his refuge in God, but will his faith be
strong enough for the challenges ahead? Can he convince Queen to stop hiding,
or is he doomed to become her most hated enemy?
Excerpt:
Three days had passed
since the beginning of his employment with Lady Rutherford. Owen stared at the
ledgers spread out across the considerable breadth of the walnut desk and
blinked slowly. By jove, I think I'm on
to something here. At the sound of approaching feet, he closed the ledger
and picked up some of the late viscount's correspondence.
The housemaid shuffled
in then. "I'm here to stoke the fire, Mr. Lobbing."
"Go ahead. By the
by, can you tell me your name? I keep forgetting to ask."
She bobbed her head
and gave a half-curtsy. "Isadore."
"I'm pleased to
meet you, Isadore."
"But we've met
before, Mr. Lobbing."
He chuckled. "Of
course, but we've not been introduced until this moment."
She gave him an odd
look and went about her business with the fireplace. He'd not seen her the last
couple of days, and according to Chambers, she'd been punished for some
infraction and assigned scullery duties. The butler hadn't been forthcoming
about the infraction, so Owen had been left wondering.
"It's good to see
you out and about again, Isadore. The footman did a passable job with my fire,
but he's not nearly as efficient as you."
She glanced at him
with wide eyes before she dropped her gaze back to her task. Once she was done
with the fire, she took a step toward the door, but her foot caught on the edge
of a rug. Time slowed. Isadore lurched to her right then overcorrected and
stumbled wildly to her left until her feet became tangled up in the legs of a
globe stand. The globe teetered, its position precarious, and Owen jumped to
rescue it. Neither of their jobs would be secure if something happened to the
globe, and he had a feeling Isadore didn't have many employment choices.
Isadore, in fighting
to get her feet free, finally sent the globe stand toppling onto its side. The
globe tumbled out, striking the floor before Owen could get a hand on it. He
helped Isadore to her feet and found his eyes drawn to her blue ones in the
most peculiar way. Owen turned his back to her and set the globe's stand to
rights again. Then he reached for the globe, but Isadore must not have been quite
steady on her feet yet, for her foot slipped past him and kicked the the
spherical object before she regained her footing.
"I'm so sorry,
Mr. Lobbing. Do you think it's damaged? I can't get in trouble again, I jus'
can't."
Owen glanced from
Isadore to the globe. It had made a sound when rolling that last little bit. "I'm
sure it's fine. You'd best be on your way."
He picked up the globe
and examined it. Much to Owen's relief, the sphere remained unbroken. Isadore
did not need more trouble with her employer. Waiting until the maid was out the
door, he shook the globe. A definite clank met his ears. Owen ran his fingers
across the globe's entire surface. A compartment had to be hidden within. Sure enough, over the western part of
the colonies along one of the seams, a slight irregularity could be felt along
the surface, nothing more than a small bump. Firm pressure from his fingers,
and he heard a satisfying click. The globe came apart in his hands.
About the Author:
Heather
Gray authors the Ladies of Larkspur inspirational western romance series,
including Mail Order Man, Just Dessert, and Redemption. She also writes
the Regency Refuge series: His Saving
Grace, Jackal, and Queen - plus
contemporary titles Ten Million Reasons
and Nowhere for Christmas. Aside from a long-standing love affair with
coffee, Heather’s greatest joys are her relationships with her Savior and
family. Heather loves to laugh, and this
theme is prevalent in her writing where, through the highs and lows of life,
her characters find a way to love God, embrace each day, and laugh out loud
right along with her.
Website Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest
She can also be found most days at The Inspired Inkpot, a street team, prayer group, and all around awesome place to hang out - Inspired Inkpot
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