**UPDATE**

Congratulations to Laura Monroe, the winner of the free ebook of Slow and Steady Rush!

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So, as I’ve mentioned before, a common thing us writers do is judge contests, which is a fabulous way for us to connect to other writers whose work we adore. Such was the case with Laura Trentham. I had only the first twenty pages of a historical novel she had written, and I knew there was no way I could end my relationship with her writing at that point.

Laura has since landed multiple book deals and has more novels coming out between now and next summer than I can keep up with — the first of which released this month!

She’s here today to tell us what we can expect out of Slow and Steady Rush and to offer a free digital book to one lucky commenter!

 

She lives by the book—and is still searching for her happily ever after.

Darcy Wilde has tried hard not to live up to her last name. As a librarian in Atlanta she lives a fine life far away from the football-obsessed town of her childhood. But when her beloved Grandmother needs help, Darcy takes a leave of absence and heads back to the home and past she left behind.

He knows how to play the field—and is in no rush to settle down.

Robbie Dalton knows a thing or two about painful pasts. After bouncing around in foster care and the Army for years he is finally ready to move on and make a home for himself in Falcon, Alabama as the newest high school football coach. Sparks fly when the sexy new coach and the sharp-tongued librarian meet, but neither of them is looking to make ties.

But when it comes to love, sometimes you’ve gotta throw away the rule book to cross the finish line…

Everything changes when Darcy falls in love, not only with the gruff, protective, and smoking hot man who’s sharing her days and nights, but also with the complex tapestry of people who weave Falcon together. Could this be where she belongs — and who she belongs with?

 

Laura, what should readers expect out of Slow and Steady Rush outside of romance?

Besides a smoking hot romance, readers can expect the town of Falcon, Alabama, to be a fully fleshed out world full of secondary characters that play a huge role in Darcy and Robbie’s relationship–from Darcy’s grandmother, her cousin, and her best friend to the football players Robbie coaches and the troubled youth he crosses paths with. The town and the characters will ring true for readers. Hopefully, you will want to return to Falcon for a visit. Book 2, Caught Up in the Touch releases in July and Book 3, Melting Into You releases in November.

 

To toss your name in the hat for the free digital copy of Slow and Steady Rush, leave a comment on this blog. Any comment will do. We’ll pick a winner at random on Tuesday, March 24th.

Slow and Steady Rush is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, or iBooks.

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Visit Laura at www.LauraTrentham.com, Facebook, or Twitter

 

I was born and raised in a small town in Northwest Tennessee. Although, I loved English and reading in high school, I was convinced an English degree equated to starvation! So, I chose the next most logical major – Chemical Engineering – and worked in a hard hat and steel toed boots for several years. Now I live in South Carolina with my husband and two children. In between school and homework and soccer practices, I love to get lost in another world, whether it’s Regency England or small town Alabama.

 

SONG OF THE WEEK: Taking Back Sunday “Better Homes and Gardens”

PROGRESS FOR THE WEEK: about 5,000 words (not so great)

This story looked too funny to pass up, so I asked author J.L. Salter to visit with us on the blog. Please help me welcome him today!

Amanda can’t believe Jason, her new lover, is already cheating — they’ve only been a couple for seven months. But her domineering older friend, Christine, has “proof” and insists Amanda should take it seriously. Knowing Jason spoke with a woman in the mall food court and another in the grocery store isn’t exactly an iron-clad case.

But when she hears rumors about a different woman stalking Jason at his workplace, Amanda reluctantly finds the evidence sufficient to allow her boyfriend to be tailed… provided Christine and her posse of amateur detectives can be discreet. Unfortunately, Christine’s idea of discretion is akin to blowing up a billboard.

The more Amanda learns about Jason’s unusual behavior, the more their recently shaky communication crumbles. Unable to resist the momentum of the mounting case, Amanda joins the investigation and stakeout.

Does Jason have the seven-month itch? If he does, which tramp might be scratching it? And is it remotely possible for their relationship to grow even closer despite the clumsiest surveillance efforts bossy Christine can devise?

Tell us a little about yourself — who you are and what you write.

Retired library administrator, award-winning poet, book reviewer; former photo-journalist, U.S. Air Force veteran; husband, father, grandfather of six.

After decades of focus (and publication) on poetry and non-fiction, I began writing novels and novellas in 2006 after an early retirement from library work. Have since completed nine novels — seven of these have been published (Astraea Press & Dingbat Publishing) and one is under contract. Two of my novellas are also published.

Some of my novels are hybrids of genres, so they aren’t easily pigeon-holed. Other than the two “Amanda” titles in the screwball comedy vein, I’ve written other comedies, a suspense, and books which contain humor, romance, and action. One of my most important novels – fitting that last category – is my tribute to the Greatest Generation, “Called to Arms Again.”

Give us a little insight into Amanda. Is she an inherently suspicious gal, or is she the victim of overzealous friends?

At her job, Amanda is overworked, under-appreciated, and sometimes bullied by her lazy boss. In early family life, she was dominated by a much-older sister who seemed “perfect” and appeared “favored” by the parents. In her relationship with Jason, Amanda thought she’d reached a comfort level even though – him being a big sports jock – they didn’t actually have all that much in common.

Amanda has enough insecurities that she is fairly easily swayed by her domineering friend Christine, who has taken over where Amanda’s older sister left off — “managing” Amanda’s life.

Even though she initially discounts the reports of Jason’s unusual contacts with other women, Amanda begins to be swayed when other “evidence” starts accumulating.

Which authors or series of novels would you say your writing style is similar to?

I honestly can’t think of another author or novel which is similar to the style of my Amanda Moore or Less series. [But if anyone else has a notion, I’d like to hear it.]

However, I can definitely state that my writing in these two screwball comedies was greatly influenced by Hollywood’s wonderful screwball movies of the 1930s and 1940s. In fact, I refer to those films in both of these novels.

In a screwball story, there are almost always characters willing to go to bizarre extremes because of some misunderstanding… and yet hardly ever are they able (if, indeed, they even TRY) to resolve anything by simple, straight, honest conversation. Consequently, small misunderstandings quickly become huge brouhahas.

Scratching the Seven-Month Itch is the prequel to Curing the Uncommon Man-Cold. Tell us a little about that story.

Man-Cold – though written first – is the sequel… and occurs a few months after things are settled about the Seven-Month Itch.

Man-Cold treats a theme likely quite familiar to most women — that many men are real babies when they get sick. Whereas most women (when sick) have to carry on with family, home, and job responsibilities… men (allegedly) expect to be waited on hand-and-foot while the planet ceases to revolve. Ha.

I think my cover tagline captures the dilemma Amanda faces when Jason comes down with his man-cold: “A stubborn boyfriend with the sniffles is the last thing Amanda needs in her apartment during THIS work crisis.”

And the question readers ask during this novel is: “Will Amanda’s relationship even survive the kooky Scare-Cure of Jason’s man-cold?”

What is your writing process? Do you plot everything meticulously or do you dive in headfirst without a rope?

It varies. I often say I write in a hybrid of plot-ster and pants-ter. Sometimes it depends on how fast the story hits me. If I get an idea for a scene which would be in the middle or near the end of the story it will belong to, I may just start writing that scene and then fill-in the rest as I go along.

But if I have a fairly developed concept of a novel – in which I can envision both a beginning and general ending – I may very well spend my early efforts on a sort of outline. It’s usually not a complete outline, however. It’s more like notes to myself about what should happen and roughly in what order. As I’m doing that, I may even stop to write a few lines of dialog or action in certain places.

Whichever way I approach the story, you can be sure that I often find myself eagerly following the characters, wherever they take me. And, often, where we end up is a total surprise to me!

Who are some of your favorite authors and what are you currently reading?
I’ve recently blogged about favorite authors and/or books.

Any list of favorite authors has to include Walker Percy, a critically-acclaimed novelist (among other writings) who lived in my hometown of Covington LA and was also a good friend of my parents. I’ve read all of his novels – some more than once – and have greatly enjoyed almost every one.

When I have my druthers, I often read what I categorize as “international intrigue”. Ken Follett, Jack Higgins, and the EARLY Robert Ludlum books, would be good examples. I also like fiction set during the WW2 era.

Since I’ve been writing stories which include romantic relationships, I’ve also read a variety of the books published by my RWA colleagues. As merely one example, I greatly enjoyed Duffy Brown’s novel, “Killer in Crinolines”.

What’s your current work in progress?

Gosh, I have SEVERAL WIPs going. I have well over a hundred “starts” for stories. Some of these are merely concepts, but many have pages of notes / scenes / dialog. Quite a few have several thousand words already. At least a dozen have over 5,000 words already… and three or four of those have over 25,000 words each.

I guess the comedy I’m trying to resume work on is the actual answer to this question, and I’ve recently passed the 40,000 word mark on it. It will be my 10^th novel when I finish.

I have a brand new contract on a novel I completed 13 months ago and just recently revised. I’m sure the next couple of months will feature a lot of editing on that story.

Is there anything else you’d like us to know about Scratching the Seven-Month Itch?

I make a very general reference to this in my acknowledgements, but about six years ago, I was talking to a young female relative (on my wife’s side of the family). She happened to mention that she’d recently been out with a couple of friends helping one of them “catch” that friend’s cheating boyfriend. No details, other than it apparently involved one or more vehicles.

That image stuck with me as I was writing the Man-Cold novel and I began to think of scenes in which Amanda and her friends did that very thing. But it didn’t fit in the Man-Cold story – which was already pretty ‘busy’ – so I decided trying to catch a suspected cheater deserved its own novel!

I’m glad I did.

And so are we! Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Scratching the Seven-Month Itch is available on Amazon.

My published novels (with Astraea Press) are: “The Ghostess & MISTER Muir” (Oct. 2014), “Hid Wounded Reb” (July 2014), “Called to Arms Again” (May 2013), “Rescued By That New Guy in Town” (Oct. 2012), and “The Overnighter’s Secrets” (May 2012). Also the novella “Don’t Bet On It” … which released in April 2014.

With Dingbat Publishing, I have the screwball comedy “Curing the Uncommon Man-Cold” (Dec. 2013) and its prequel, “Scratching the Seven-Month Itch” (Sept. 2014).

Romantic comedy and romantic suspense are among nine completed novel manuscripts.

I’ve also published — as a short companion piece to “Called to Arms Again” — the story, “Echo Taps” (released in June 2013)… and a short story in the AP anthology, “Love and Diamonds”.

I’m co-author of two non-fiction monographs (about librarianship) with a royalty publisher, plus a signed chapter in another book and a signed article in a specialty encyclopedia. I’ve also published articles, book reviews, and over 120 poems; my writing has won nearly 40 awards, including several in national contests. As a newspaper photo-journalist, I published about 150 bylined newspaper articles, and some 100 bylined photos.

I worked nearly 30 years in the field of librarianship. I’m a decorated veteran of U.S. Air Force (including a remote tour of duty in the Arctic, at Thule AB in N.W. Greenland).

I’m the married parent of two and grandparent of six.

Follow Jeff on Facebook or Twitter.

 

SONG OF THE WEEK: Joy Division “Love Will Tear Us Apart” – because I just finished Eleanor and Park and am a little beyond obsessed. More to come on that next week. But in the meantime…

A heroine who wrestles alligators for a living. Yep. Please help me welcome Blaire Edens to the blog today!

Former debutante Rachel Hansworth longs for the days when “alligator” was followed by “pumps” or “handbag.” Broke, Rachel takes the only job she can find: removing nuisance animals from Texas homes. Unfortunately, fighting the attraction to her boss proves more difficult than wrestling a gator. Army veteran Mark Winters needs help with his business, but he wants Rachel more. He must honor a promise to his dying mother and find a fiancée. A real girlfriend isn’t part of the plan-he’s been there, done that. There’s only one problem: He can’t stop kissing Rachel.

She refuses to be duped by love again, and he won’t let a few hot make-out sessions tear down the walls he’s erected. But she’s all about the big bonus she’ll receive if she helps Mark. They’ll lower their defenses enough to trust each other when a wild animal is involved, but can they pull off the fake fiancée ruse and not be bitten by love?

 

Hello Blaire, and welcome to the blog! Tell us a little about yourself – who you are and what you write.

I’m Blaire Edens and at the moment, I’m writing contemporary romance for Entangled. I live in the mountains of Western North Carolina. I’m of mostly Scottish descent and my mother’s family has owned and operated the same farm since 1790. My father was a fighter pilot and my mother is a doctor, so I learned plenty about Alpha Males and Sassy Females growing up. 🙂 My favorite ice cream flavor is Salted Caramel.

 

I think you just gave me the most awesome interview question ever. New requirement if you’re going to be on this blog — favorite ice cream flavor!

So it looks like our heroine, Rachel, wrestles alligators for a living. I’m definitely intrigued! Tell us about her.

Rachel has, up until the opening of the book, led a very charmed life. When we meet her, she’s in a crisis. The bank is about to foreclose on her home, she can’t find a job. She has to find a pathway from where she is to the woman she wants to be. In her case, it’s via viper, but animals are on the vehicle. Rachel is relatable because she has to face her fears in order to grow which can be said for most of us. The book is about overcoming our fears, whatever they may be, in order to live a more authentic and fulfilling life.

 

Was there any hands-on research required for this book?

Yes! Before writing this book I knew very little about the home foreclosure process. It turns out that a foreclosure is essentially a home that belongs to the bank, which once belonged to a homeowner. A friend of mine who lives in Texas is a property investor and she pointed me in the direction of real estate websites such as Auction.com where I was able to learn more about selling and buying foreclosure properties. I wanted to make sure that this element of my book was as factually accurate as possible!

Also, I didn’t wrestle any gators, but I would be willing if Mark, my hero, was the prize. Seriously, I grew up on a farm deep in the woods of Southern Appalachia so used to wild things. I did use a few personal experiences—I really did have some snakes hatch in my house once. The house was a restoration project and somehow a mama Rat Snake decided to deposit her eggs underneath the laundry room. When they hatched, I had quite a surprise.

 

Seeing that snakes are frequent in my nightmares, let’s move along quickly. When you aren’t writing, what could we find you doing?

I am a serious knitter. I teach knitting classes–everything from beginner scarves to Fair Isle Sweaters. I usually knit while I watch television so I know voices better than faces. I also love to be outdoors, so my son and I frequently go camping and biking. Because of my dad’s job, I grew up around fighter jets. I still love to go to air shows!

 

What’s the heat level in Wild About Rachel?

Wild About Rachel is sexy. There is some hanky-panky but it’s fairly tame and not very graphic. The heat is within a serious relationship. I would say if you’re okay with sweet lovemaking, it should be just fine.

 

Is Wild About Rachel a standalone novel, or will there be others in a series?

That’s the $64, 000 question. It was written as a standalone but since its release, I’ve had several, as in more than fifteen emails, from readers who weren’t ready to leave Texas. I am open to writing another story that features some of the characters in Wild About Rachel but it won’t be my next novel. I’m thinking another novella or holiday novella might be a nice return visit.

 

I’m with those fifteen+. Series are fabulous for clinging on to the characters we love!

Name three things we’d find in Mark’s bedroom.

1. Firefly’s collar
2. A stack of National Geographic Magazines.
3. Fishing rod

 

What’s your drink of choice when writing?

Sweet Tea in a Tervis 24 oz. cup. I’m pretty adaptable but this is a MUST. When I’m on the road, I carry tea bags and sugar and the cup. No compromise, here. When you move around like I did when my dad was flying, you learn to travel light. This is probably the only MUST I have.

 

Who are some of your favorite authors and what are you currently reading?

Wow. That’s a hard question. I read widely. I am a bona fide genre hopper. My sentimental favorites are Bertrice Small, Orson Scott Card and V.C. Andrews. I just finished Second Chance Ranch, by fellow Entangled author, Cindi Madsen. I haven’t met her yet, but when I do, I’m totally going FANGIRL. The next book on my Kindle is Cinder. I love Steampunk and can’t wait to relax into some YA that combines my love of fairy tales with Steampunk.

 

What’s your current work in progress?

The working title is Rock A Billie. It’s a single title contemporary chock full of fighter pilots, American Muscle Cars and one sassy mechanic named Billie who is determined not to fall in love with a flyboy. It will likely be out in Spring-Summer 2015.

 

Is there anything else you’d like us to know about Wild About Rachel?

I really hope you like it. I hope it makes you laugh. Most of all, I hope it leaves you feeling ready to take on the world just like Rachel.

 

Wild About Rachel is available on Amazon and through Entangled.

Blaire Edens lives in the mountains of North Carolina on a farm that’s been in her family since 1790. When she’s not plotting, she’s busy knitting, running, or listening to the Blues. Blaire loves iced tea with mint, hand-stitched quilts, and yarn stores. She refuses to eat anything that mixes chocolate and peanut butter or apple and cinnamon. She’s generally nice to her mother, tries to remember not to smack her bubble gum, and only speeds when no one’s looking.

 

Visit Blaire’s website, or follow her on Facebook or Twitter.

 

I am delighted to welcome my favorite British-American author to the blog today! Angela Britnell is here to discuss her contemporary romance Sugar and Spice.

The Way to a Hero’s Heart…

Fiery, workaholic Lily Redman is sure of two things: that she knows good food and that she always gets what she wants. And what she wants more than anything is to make a success of her new American TV show, Celebrity Chef Swap – without the help of her cheating ex-fiancé and producer, Patrick O’Brien. So when she arrives in Cornwall, she’s determined to do just that.

Kenan Rowse is definitely not looking for love. Back from a military stint in Afghanistan and recovering from a messy divorce and an even messier past, the last thing he needs is another complication. So when he lands a temporary job as Luscious Lily’s driver, he’s none too pleased to find that they can’t keep their hands off each other!

But trudging around Cornish farms, knee deep in mud, and meetings with egotistical chefs was never going to be the perfect recipe for love – was it? And Lily could never fall for a man so disinterested in food – could she?I am delighted to welcome my favorite British-American author to the blog today! Angela Britnell is here to discuss her new contemporary romance Sugar and Spice.

 

Tell us a little about yourself — who you are and what you write.

I grew up in a small village in Cornwall and left to join the Royal Navy many years ago – we’ll draw a veil over quite how many! On assignment in Denmark I met my wonderful American husband and married him before he could get away! We traveled for the next thirteen years, living in Sicily, California, Maryland and London before Richard retired from the Navy and got a job in Brentwood, TN. Along the way we had our three amazing sons who have now all left the nest. I now spend my days writing contemporary romance, usually with international settings/characters. Apart from writing most days I volunteer at my local library, belong to a book club, drink endless cups of hot tea and am a great believer in the medicinal qualities of wine and dark chocolate.

 

You are from a small village in Cornwall, England. Do your characters typically hang out in England, or here in America?

My characters hang out all over the place – from Nashville to Sicily, Cornwall to California and many places in between! I enjoy writing about the unique challenges presented by international relationships from things as diverse as language to simply the way to enjoy a proper cup of tea. ‘Sugar and Spice’ is set in totally the UK – mainly in Cornwall, but with visits to the Lake District, Oxford, London, Scotland and Wales. My novella ‘What Happens in Nashville’ is totally set in Nashville (there’s a surprise!) but the heroine is English which makes for a fun story.

 

Give us celebrity visuals of Lily and Kenan.

Christina Hendricks from ‘Mad Men’ would be a perfect Lily with her red hair and voluptuous figure. I can absolutely see her wearing Luscious Lily’s trademark flashy clothes and staggeringly high heels.

Kenan absolutely needs to be played by British actor, Richard Armitage, tall, dark, brooding and totally 100% male. Of course when ‘Sugar and Spice’ is made into a movie I’d need to supervise Richard very closely on set!

 

What is your writing process? Do you fly by the seat of your pants, or plot meticulously?

I can’t plot to save my life! I have tried – usually after attending a workshop or listening to another writer who vows their method is infallible! The most I ever start with is a vague idea about a character, setting or general idea for a story thread. I open a blank Word document and somehow manage to start! My first draft is where I learn the story and then go back and fill in the blanks, edit, and do more research.

 

Who are some of your favorite authors and what are you currently reading?

I love English author Joanna Trollope, of course Nora Roberts, Kristin Hannah is wonderful too (I had a fan girl moment when I met her at the RWA conference in Dallas.) I also read a lot of mysteries particularly ones by PD James, Colin Dexter, Ian Rankin and Elizabeth George.

 

Is Sugar and Spice a standalone novel, or will there be others in a series?

It’s a standalone novel. I’ve never tried to do a series and doubt I will because there would have to be plotting involved and the whole keeping track of characters, places etc which wouldn’t suit me!

 

What do you love about Kenan?

His strength of character and integrity. He’s not an expressive man with words but shows how deeply he cares about his family and friends by his actions, even if they’re sometimes misplaced. Of course he’s also extremely easy on the eyes which never hurts!

 

Name three things we’d find in Lily’s purse.

I could probably name you about fifty because she habitually carries around a bright pink tote bag filled with everything she might need in case of unspecified emergencies – but I’ll narrow it down to pink lip gloss, dark chocolate and perfume.

 

What’s your current work in progress?

I’m just finishing up the edits for ‘Celtic Love Knot’ which is due for release in digital format at the end of this month. Olivia Harding is a level-headed Celtic Mythology professor from Nashville who goes to Cornwall to research the local giants and attempt to lay to rest a family secret that has shaped her life. Lanyon Tremayne is a dark-tempered, fiercely private Cornishman, whose own painful family secrets have led to him being an outcast in his own community. They have to decide whether giving love a chance is worth the risk of exposing their secrets and their hearts?

 

What’s the heat level in this story on a scale of one to ten? (One is sweet and innocent. Ten is hot! hot! hot!)

I’d describe it as sensual, so probably around a four.

 

What first inspired you to write for the romance genre?

Sharing a house with my husband and three sons meant I desperately needed an outlet for my female side! To get out of the house for a few quiet evenings I took a short creative writing course back in 2000 and was so inspired I’ve been writing every since.

 

Is there anything else you’d like us to know about Sugar and Spice?

The story grew from my obsession with the Food Network and gave me a good excuse to watch even more programs in the name of research! Food, and the way my characters think about the subject, is really a metaphor for the way Lily and Kenan view life differently at the beginning of the story but in the end it brings them together as good food always does.

 

Sugar and Spice is available on Amazon

Visit Angela’s website and follow her on Facebook or Twitter

Angela grew up in Cornwall, England and joined the Royal Navy in order to meet her own tall, dark, handsome stranger, a US Naval Officer called Richard, while serving in Denmark. After multiple moves and having three sons they settled in Tennessee and she has been trying to get used to the hot, humid summers ever since. A lifelong reader she did a creative class in 2000 simply for fun and discovered a passion for writing. She’s had short stories published in international magazines and several category length romances with Scottish publisher, DC Thomson. Her first novel ‘Truth and Consequence’ was published in 2006 and she has four other contemporary romances available published by Desert Breeze Publishing. In 2013 she won independent British publisher Choc Lit’s ‘Search for an American Star competition’ with ‘Sugar and Spice.’ Choc Lit also released her novella ‘What Happens in Nashville’ in March, and her next novel ‘Celtic Love Knot’ will be published later this month.