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A NIGHT OF LUXURY

Posted on by Melissa Chambers

If you know me well, you know I’m cheap as hell. Target is always my first stop for clothes and shoes unless I’m at the sale rack at Macy’s armed with multiple coupons (you can also check out them here). I drive 45 minutes to the town I recently moved from in order to pay $15 for my haircut. The gray is easing its way in, only because I’m too cheap to cover it and begin a $150 per month coloring habit.

I don’t get massages, although they sound fabulous. In my entire lifetime, I can count on both hands the number of combined manicures, pedicures, and spa treatments I’ve ever had. And my lunch typically comes out of a cardboard box.

All that said, Friday night, I lived the life of luxury.

My beautiful friend turned 29 *ahem* and her husband pulled out the stops. A crew of us was picked up in a limo similar to those seen at Moonlight Limo. A bottle of champagne was popped, and we were transported to a fancy schmancy restaurant where we were friends of the owner, whom my friend’s husband knew from college.

We were taken care of by the assistant director of wine, whom had pre-selected six bottles of French wine for us – my glass was never empty the whole night. The chef greeted our table personally, wished my lovely friend a happy birthday, and made suggestions for us. We dined on a drop biscuit with apple butter for a starter that I devoured as if I hadn’t eaten in a week. I had the most delicious rainbow trout in the history of delicious fish (I’m a huge fish fan – the fishier the better as far as I’m concerned).

For dessert the table was served each of the available options which included a chocolate bombe, cheesecake with fresh whipped cream and dried fruit compote, and apple cider donuts that blew my mind. Then, just when the button on my “skinny jeans” (har, har) was about to pop off, they finished us off with individual dark chocolate brownies that were to die for. Yes, literally. I would die for these brownies. It would have all been worth it.

We piled back into the limo and were delivered back to our friend’s home where our children were all safely playing (I’ll mention here that the babysitter said she was leaving there and going directly to get her tubes tied), and visited even more with our friends and neighbors. When it was time to go – and trust me, no one wanted to – we thanked our hosts with hugs, and then my husband, the kiddo and I padded home the six minute walk from their house to ours. Sufficiently sated, we all crashed.

It was a night straight out of a fairy tale, full of hospitality and indulgence, spent with fabulous friends.

For this gal who lives a fairly economical existence, it was something special.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW-TRACI ANDRIGHETTI

Posted on by Melissa Chambers
We welcome to the blog today author Traci Andrighetti to celebrate the release of her cozy mystery Limoncello Yellow. Love the title, love the cover, love the blurb! Here we go!

Francesca “Franki” Amato is a tough-talking rookie cop in Austin, Texas—until an unfortunate 911 call involving her boyfriend, Vince, and a German female wrestler convinces her once and for all that she just isn’t cut out for a life on the police force. So Franki makes the snap decision to move to New Orleans to work at her friend Veronica’s detective agency, Private Chicks, Inc. But Franki’s hopes for a more stable life are soon dashed when Private Chicks is hired by the prime suspect in a murder case to find out what really happened to a beautiful young boutique manager who was found strangled to death with a cheap yellow scarf. When she’s not investigating, Franki is hoping to seduce handsome bank executive Bradley Hartmann, but most of her time is spent dodging date offers from a string of “good Italian boys”—make that not-so-good aging Italian men—that her meddlesome Sicilian grandma has recruited as marriage candidates. As Mardi Gras approaches and the mystery of the murdered shop girl gets more complicated, Franki must decipher the odd ramblings of a Voodoo priestess to solve both the murder and the mystery of her own love life.

Welcome Traci!

I see Limoncello Yellow is the first in a series (yes!). Will the next book in the series feature Franki as our heroine or will each book feature a new lead?

Yes, Franki and the gang will be back in Prosecco Pink. In fact, I plan to write at least three more novels in the Franki Amato Mystery series. Then I’m probably going to introduce a new series about an Italian teacher (if that doesn’t sound intriguing to you now, just wait!).

Franki is an ex-cop and investigator. How much research did you have to involve yourself in for this book, or do you have any hands-on experience?

Actually, I didn’t do much research for Limoncello Yellow, and that was intentional. Because Franki leaves the police force as a rookie and she’s brand new to PI work, I didn’t want her to have too much knowledge of either field. The idea is to have her skills develop over the course of the series, as would happen in real life.

Franki has a meddlesome grandma who likes to fix her up on dates. Have you ever had a tragically bad fix up, or a first-date-gone-wrong?

Oh yeah. When I was in college, this guy asked me out—I thought—to dinner. But then he took me to a party instead. That might have been okay, but the party guests turned out to be super sketchy, and there was no food to be found. So, when the police unexpectedly came and told the hosts to keep the noise down, I asked them to take me home. And they did! Needless to say, that guy never called me again.

A police escort home from a date—must have been a doozie!

How did you make the transition from Lecturer of Italian at the University of Texas to cozy mystery romance writer?

Toward the end of my teaching career at UT, I was actually working on my PhD. When I finished my degree in 2009, I was really ready for a change. Unfortunately, the only thing I knew how to do besides teach was write nerdy, yawn-inducing academic articles. So, I started writing informational articles for magazines, but that just made me feel like I was still in school. That’s when I decided that I wanted to try my hand at fiction. I immediately enrolled in an online Chick Lit course, and Limoncello Yellow was born.

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

Right now I’m reading the third book in Gemma Halliday’s High Heels Mysteries series, Undercover in High Heels. Not only is Gemma my publisher, she is also the “mistress” of romantic cozy mystery. So, as a reader, I can’t resist her books, and as a writer, I can’t afford not to study her technique.

You know how us readers get greedy with our series. When will the next installment be released? Anything you can tell us about it?

Ha! As a reader myself, I completely understand the greedy thing. That’s why I’m trying to finish the next installment, Prosecco Pink, by the end of June. With any luck, it will be released in September. But the book blurb is already available on my website.

Is there anything you’d like us to know about yourself or Limoncello Yellow?

Yes! I have an Italian language and literature blog called italicissima. Strangely enough, it was actually my blog that convinced me I wanted to write my own mystery. Every time I would read an Italian mystery novel for my blog, I would start thinking about where I would set a mystery in the United States. And every time I would come up with New Orleans (I mean, I can’t think of a more intriguing U.S. city than The Big Easy!). So, when I enrolled in the online Chick Lit class, I already had a setting with some obvious possibilities for a plot, like voodoo…

I’m sold! Thanks so much to Traci for being here today, and we wish her all the success with this series and beyond!

Limoncello Yellow is now available on Amazon 

Traci is the author of the Franki Amato mystery series. In her previous life, she was an award-winning literary translator and a Lecturer of Italian at the University of Texas at Austin, where she earned a PhD in Applied Linguistics. But then she got wise and ditched that academic stuff for a life of crime–writing, that is.

If she’s not hard at work on her next novel, Traci is probably watching her favorite Italian soap opera, eating Tex Mex or sampling fruity cocktails, and maybe all at the same time. She lives in Austin with her husband, young son (who desperately wants to be in one of her books) and three treat-addicted dogs.

Visit Traci’s website at www.traciandrighetti.com

Follow Traci on Good Reads, Facebook or Twitter

JANUARY *shudder*

Posted on by Melissa Chambers
As the year draws to a close, Christmas is over, and we face the cold darkness of January, many of us turn to resolutions for inspiration. I got on my own nerves years ago with the whole lose weight resolution, and swore moving forward that I would only have resolutions that wouldn’t make me want to slit my wrists.
Many people believe in goals, having one or five or ten year goals. Goals are scary, especially if you plan on adhering to them. When you commit to a goal, you open yourself up to failure of achievement of that goal, and possible consequences of that failure. Let’s say your goal is to be the VP of your division in five years. What happens if that time comes and the current VP isn’t budging? Do you adjust your goal, or do you try to find that VP job at another company? You are forced to face some big decisions, which is always scary.
I’ve never been a goal person. I say that, but I set goals for myself all the time. I’m writing a novel right now, and my goal has been to write 10,000 words a week. But that’s doable for me. I know better than to put some sort of stressful goal on myself like Hit #1 on the New York Times Bestsellers list in 2014, or Surpass popularity of Nora Roberts, or Become as beloved as Kristan Higgins. But looking back on this year, if I do say so myself, I’ve come a long way, baby. I started 2012 with high hopes for publication, as my full manuscript was in the hands of a publishing house and being reviewed by an editor (gasp!). But I was cut off at the knees mid-January when I got a polite but firm rejection, but with some feedback that was invaluable. After a few days in pity party mode, I picked my butt up and decided that it was time to get better. 
So this year has been a year of learning for me. I wrote three full-length (90K+) novels in 2012, but I didn’t even complete one in 2013. Am I devastated? Absolutely not. I have been taking writing classes, attending conferences, judging contest entries, editing and critiquing for other writers and using the gained knowledge to edit the crap out of those three novels. Looking back on what they once were, and what they have become, I am SO glad I didn’t have any of them published in their original state. 
I’ve still got a ways to go before I write a love scene to the quality of Maya Banks, or a hapless caper to the level of Janet Evanovich, but I’ll get there one day because of two things; I won’t give up, and I love it. It’s that simple. 
So rather than set a specific goal for the year, I’m going strive to keep learning, keep getting better, and keep at it. 
Please be safe on New Year’s Eve this year. And have a healthy and successful 2014! 

IT’S AHH…TIME

Posted on by Melissa Chambers

One positive thing about working in the music business is that the whole damn industry shuts down the week between Christmas and New Years. I’m talking record labels, distributors, warehouses, CD manufacturers, printers…you name it. Some companies give the time off and others don’t. But even those who don’t (like mine) typically don’t mind you taking your vacation during that time, because if you were to show up, you’d be the only one in the whole damn industry working (with a few exceptions, of course, but you get the gist).

So as of this past Friday, I am dunzo until January 2nd.

Aaaahhhhh…

It’s time to relax from a tough year. I want to lay up on my ass and watch Christmas movies, marathons of Roseanne episodes I’ve already seen 25 times each, and DVD’s of the first season of Treme that I just picked up from the library.

I want to take the kid to the bowling alley, the skating rink, and to see Frozen.

I want my husband and I to drink Blue Moons out of pilsner glasses with orange slices into the wee hours of the night while we flip back and forth between the alternative and rock channels, talking about music past and present all evening long.

I want to read a book or three.

I want to see friends whom I haven’t seen in too long.

I want to write.

I want to make sugar cookies with the kid and decorate them hideously.

I want to watch my favorite New Year’s movie, 200 Cigarettes, and fall asleep before midnight.

I want to truly enjoy this precious twelve days in a row that are mine. 

I hope you will do the same with any time off you have this holiday season.

Namaste, my friends.

FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR

Posted on by Melissa Chambers

According to my Good Reads account, I have 60 books under my belt for 2013. In the spirit of full disclosure, I only actually read six of those. I listened to all the rest. Have I mentioned lately how much I love audiobooks?

This is a list of my ten favorites because I tried five and that just wasn’t enough. Now, to be clear, these are not necessarily books that were published within 2013, but they are books that I read or listened to in 2013. For space, I won’t list the descriptions, but I’ll link you to the Good Reads pages for further detail of each. If you are looking for where to purchase your books from, online retailers like alkeyTAB are really convenient.

Oh, this was hard, and I had to leave so many good ones out because I had to draw the line somewhere. But here goes, and in no particular order:

Will Grayson, Will Grayson – John Green & David Levithan
This is a story of the intersecting lives of two boys named Will Grayson, each author having taken on a Will Grayson. I completely fell in love with the story of W.G.2 (written by David Levithan). The so unfamiliar and compelling story of this boy who was miserable in life outside of one secret relationship made me smile like an idiot through the sweet moments, and ripped my heart out of my chest during the tumultuous one. David Levithan has the uncanny ability to make you fall in love with a character who you should otherwise dislike profusely. I’m in awe. I’m jealous. I’m going to read many more books by him. Thank you, John Green, for introducing me to another awesome author!

Metro Girl – Janet Evanovich
Laugh out loud funny does not begin to cover the hilarity of this book. We all love the Stephanie Plum series, but this book surpasses even those. I listened to the audiobook on this one, and C.J. Critt was a phenomenal narrator. At one point, I seriously thought I was going to have to pull the car over and get the laughter out so I wouldn’t have a wreck. Oh my goodness. Read it. Or better, listen to it next time you need a good hard laugh.

The Boys Next Door – Jennifer Echols
I downloaded this one to my Kindle from a recommendation I saw on Facebook from a fellow contemporary romance writer. The main character, Lori, is hilariously self-deprecating and somehow full of confidence all at the same time. I loved the combination, and I loved her…as well as her relationship with the two hunks next door. Cute book. I look forward to reading the sequel Endless Summer, which was the book I thought I was reading. Turned out I’d purchased a two book set for my Kindle, so the sequel awaits me as soon as I have time to continue on with the story. Bonus!

Safe Haven – Nicholas Sparks
Now, don’t throw tomatoes at your screen, but I was not a fan of The Notebook movie. I don’t tend to have that girly gene that is required to love such things, but I still watched Dear John because, well, Channing Tatum. I liked it a little better. Then I saw the preview for Safe Haven, and the cozy coastal town sucked me in…and, well, Josh Duhamel. So I watched the movie, and liked it…kinda a lot. I liked it so much that I downloaded the audiobook. Though I knew what was going to happen, I really enjoyed hearing it through a second time around because we all know that books are always better than movies…and of course, this one was no exception. It was really interesting being in the mind of a deranged lunatic much of the book, feeling his push and pull, his love and hate for his wife. It was fascinating to me. It is clear to see why Mr. Sparks is hailed as a master of his craft.

Archetype – M.D. Waters
While the rest of the world awaits the Feb. 6th release of M.D. Waters’ science fiction masterpiece, I was loaned an advanced reader copy of the book and asked to give an honest review. I refuse to give away one delectable detail, so I will just shut up but not before ordering you to right this minute preorder this book. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED. I take that back. You will be greatly disappointed when you reach the end and realization sets in that you have to wait until July 24th for the sequel Prototype to be released.

The Devil’s Backbone – Rae Ann Parker
This book was extra special to me because my son and I read it together. It was his first chapter book, and it inspired him to start reading chapter books all on his own. He now is neck deep in the Wimpy Kid series and I bought him his first James Patterson book at the book fair this year-I Funny. Backbone was not only a special experience for my son and I to share, but also a great and highly educational book written by a really sweet and kind person.

Sharp Objects – Gillian Flynn
After being torn apart by Gone Girl, I finally got up the nerve to read Dark Places, which I liked even better, so I wanted to read Ms. Flynn’s only other available book. (Please hurry up with your next, Ms. Flynn!) I started a book club in my neighborhood this past Spring, and I offered the girls about ten or twelve selections to choose from to get us started. They collectively picked Sharp Objects as our first read and I pumped a fist in the air and began reading. Ms. Flynn took me to a dark, frightening place, and I loved every single page of it, reading 100 pages consecutively one night, into the wee hours of the morning until it was finished.

Warning: Ms. Flynn’s books are not for the faint at heart or for ones who care not to have their minds deeply disturbed.

To Have And To Hold – Jane Green
Ms. Green is one of my favorite authors, and this year alone I listened to eight of her books. While I loved each in their own unique way, this one most definitely was my favorite, and I’ve been itching to listen again. This book splits the difference between metropolitan London and suburban Connecticut, and with Ms. Green’s spectacular descriptive scene setting abilities, you always know exactly where you are. And she is the only author I’ve ever seen successfully pull off third person, omniscient, present tense. She’s exceptional, and I seem to have run out of novels of hers to drink in. May we please have another, Ms. Green?

Anna and the French Kiss – Stephanie Perkins
I happened upon this novel while searching young adult contemporary authors for study. I gave it a shot, and fell so in love with this simple but engaging story of a high school girl spending the year at a Paris boarding school. The hero of the story is probably one of the most captivating characters I’ve seen in a young adult novel, which may or may not have had to do with the narrator’s excellent job with her English accent for him. I picked up a second of Ms. Perkins’ novels after this one, Lola and the Boy Next Door, and thoroughly enjoyed it as well.

Never Love a Highlander – Maya Banks
I first was introduced to the incredible Maya Banks at the end of 2012 when I downloaded my first ever historical book, which was the first in this series. I immediately downloaded the other two and flew through both of them. This third one in the series features Rionna, a woman who prefers to wear men’s clothing and fight alongside the male warriors. Ms. Banks does an incredible job making her strong and forceful, yet gentle and loving…and not at all obnoxious like so many characters similar to this one can become. This series hooked me, and I have downloaded many other books by this author, and will continue to do so.

What will 2014 bring?

Brown-Eyed Girl by Lisa Kleypas — This is the fourth in the Travis series which inspired me to write a series of my own. I adored the other three books in this series, and can’t wait for this one! Looks like I’ll have to wait until September, but it will be so worth it!

Gone by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge — This is the sixth installment in the Michael Bennett series. It released this year in September, but somehow I missed it, so it’s on the list for 2014.

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding — I’m baffled how I let 2013 pass without reading this book. For sure on my list for next year.

The One and Only by Emily Giffin — Not a lot of info yet about this one, but I list Ms. Giffin in my top five favorite authors, so it doesn’t matter what it is…I’ll be reading come May 2014.

Yet to be titled release from my writing partner Greg Howard — My friend Greg and I have been on this writing journey together for several years now, holding each other accountable every single day with word counts, craft tips and emotional support. He typed “The End” on his manuscript two weeks ago, and there is no doubt that it will be published, and it will be incredible. While I read the first draft, and LOVED it, he has completely revised it, and I can’t WAIT to get it in my grimy little hands.

Happy New Year! And happy 2014 reading!

CHRISTMAS BOOKS!

Posted on by Melissa Chambers

Who doesn’t love a great Christmas book?

Today, I’m featuring some fun, romantic and sexy Christmas books! And the authors have been kind enough to answer a Christmas question for us. Hope you enjoy as much as I do!

Where There’s Smoke by Donna Kauffman

When flames from a recipe gone disastrously wrong send hunky fire-fighter Will Mason to pretty Clara Parker’s rescue, the sparks really begin to fly! And once Will gets a taste of Clara, he aches for more than just a little sugar from the famously single food columnist…

The Gingerbread Man by Kate Angell

Folks have always told fun-loving Abby Denton that her anatomically correct Gingerbread cookies are…impressive. But those erotic cookies have nothing on the sexy stranger Abby saves from a snowy country road. Could Lander Reynolds be the Christmas treat she’s truly been longing for?

Sugar And Spice by Kimberly Kincaid

When caterer Lily Callahan goes up against hotshot pastry chef Pete Mancuso in the bake-off of the season, the stakes are high – and scandalously passionate. Will the gorgeous gourmand steal Lily’s heart – and the top prize in the Christmas cookie competition?

The title of this one sucked me in! Three unique stories that flow together and cover some of our favorite subjects—Christmas, romance and sweets!

I asked Kimberly Kincaid what her favorite sweet treat to make around the holidays was, and here’s what she said:

My favorite sweet treat to make around Christmastime…this is hard because I bake a lot! But my daughters (12, 9 and 6) and husband and I always make traditional sugar cookie cutouts. My girls decorate them in the gaudiest, most fabulous ways imaginable, with sprinkles and icing and the works, and then we eat them while we watch The Grinch together. It’s a complete tradition in our house. I love it!

The Sugar Cookie Sweetheart Swap is available on Amazon

Oh, Santa baby!

Turtle Island’s Yummy Santa contest is underway, and master of ceremonies Roni Templeman is ready to rock around the Christmas tree. After years of hiding the pain of loss behind her carefree lifestyle, she’s shocked to find one broad-shouldered contestant is much more than just a hot body. But is she ready to finally let someone unwrap her guarded heart?

Single dad (and gorgeous nerd) Lucas Alexander would do anything to help the charity that’s done so much to help him—even if that means stripping down and suiting up as a sexy Santa. His battle to keep his daughter healthy has been a long, lonely one, but in Roni he’s met the easy, breezy beach girl that he wants by his side. Now he has twelve days to prove to her that their love is worth the risk, and this Santa is determined to claim his Mrs. Claus.

This book takes the prize for best Christmas book cover ever!

I asked Kim Law if she could go anywhere this holiday season, where would it be and why?

I would go to Boston. Lexington, MA, actually. Sounds fun, right? But my brother and his family live there. He hasn’t gotten to come down for Christmas in years, and though we Skype with them while we’re all together here, that’s never the same. I miss them. I also feel bad that they don’t get to be with the rest of the family too. So yeah, I’d go to see them.

Hot Buttered Yum is available on Amazon

Naughty Little Christmas, Secrets to Hide Book Two

Harley Fisher’s life changed forever when her twin sister gave birth to a baby one month before she died. This Christmas, Harley wants her adopted daughter to have the very best gift possible: her real father. Determined to discover if Damien Adams is worthy of being a part of the baby’s life, Harley forces her way into a job as the manager-in-training for his new nightclub, Thrice. Damien is blunt, challenging, and sexy as all get-out. Desiring him is wrong, but when he touches her, it’s oh so right.

Damien needs a manager for Thrice so he can return to overseeing all three of his clubs. Harley’s too young, too hip, too damn tempting–and perfect for the job. Wanting her violates every rule he’s laid out for his life, but even the strongest convictions can falter under the mistletoe.

Harley’s keeping one hell of a secret. When Damien finds out, will Harley and his daughter be the best Christmas gift he’s ever received, or will her secrets leave them with nothing more lasting than a naughty little Christmas this year?

I asked Ella Sheridan: How are you with Christmas secrets? Are you a gift shaker? When you know where the presents are hidden do you search them out and take a peek?

I have this weird “sixth sense” — maybe a holdover from my twin superpowers, I don’t know; I’m just weird. I can figure out what a gift is without touching it. If I touch it, even without feeling it up really well, it’s often very easy to figure out the contents. I don’t know why. What’s worse, I LOVE surprises! Which means I’m constantly guessing gifts when I don’t want to know ahead of time what’s in it! My husband has taken to boxing my gifts and adding weird things like weights and coins for noise and things like that. So I definitely don’t go looking for my gifts, and once they’re under the tree, I try not to even look at them…but I still occasionally figure them out anyway.

Naughty Little Christmas will be available for purchase starting Christmas Eve.

Owner of La Bella Vita, a five-star day spa nestled in the affluent suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee, Beth Sergeant knows her elite clientele firsthand. She attended their private schools. She was even engaged, although briefly, to one of their most recognized bachelors. But she never fit in to their social-elite world.

After losing his parents to a car accident at a young age, Nick Chester was raised by his grandfather, the wealthiest man in Nashville. When he chooses to socialize, he has a never-ending list of exclusive events and beautiful women vying for his attention. Yet he never lets himself forget that everyone has an agenda.

Beth can’t resist Nick’s charm and accepts an invitation to dinner, despite her deep-seated insecurities. She proves she’s nothing like other women Nick’s dated and learns to trust him in return. But just as the last of their resistance crumbles and true love is within reach, challenges from Nick’s past threaten to destroy everything and force Beth to reveal her most guarded secret.

I asked Cynthia Gail—What is the ultimate Christmas-stress-relieving treatment at Beth’s spa? 

I’m not sure a girl can choose just one ultimate treatment. But if I had to narrow it down, I’d say a facial because it brings out the radiance in your skin and includes a massage for the neck, arms, and feet. This would have to be followed by a makeover and up-do for a night out with Nick. If Beth truly had to pick just one, I believe she’d skip everything and go straight for the night out with Nick.

Winter’s Magic is on sale today for $.99 on Amazon

When newly-single Rachel Tanner finds out that pro pitcher Kevin Ganlin has come home to recover from an injury, her heart skips a beat. She’s loved him from afar since her preteen years, never bold enough to let him know.

Kevin is less than thrilled when Rachel shows up at his doorstep. She’s his best friend’s little sister and officially off limits. Besides, he’s staring early retirement in the face, a one-man pity-party with no interest in anything more serious than quick flings on the road. Until an icy mishap lands Rachel cozied up on his sofa, irresistible in his practice sweats.

A little game of Truth or Truth reveals much more than Rachel had ever dared to hope and leads to a midnight make-out session that leaves them both panting. But can she trust that he’s truly changed his ways? This Christmas, Kevin will do whatever it takes to make Rachel understand she’s the only one for him.

I asked Shari Mikels what Christmas curveball she was looking to avoid this season, and here’s what she said:

My seven-year-old son losing the magic of the season. My son is hyperlexic which falls on the autism spectrum. Hyperlexia means he has a thing for words and languages. He began reading very early and he picks up on accents and voices and foreign languages very easily. He’s also hyper-allergic to many common allergens which makes it virtually impossible for him to attend almost any public or private school. So I homeschool him, which means I spend a lot of time with him. A lot. We spend time reading together, working on maps together, learning together, struggling together, and getting a ton of errands done together. That also means I get to hear his excitement for the Christmas season day in and day out. I get to hear him describe to me—in detail—the different Lego and Angry Birds sets he’s asking Santa Claus for this year. There is something incredibly wonderful about seeing Christmas—not only the spiritual side (baking a birthday cake for Jesus)—but the magical side through the eyes of a child. To relive the time in our lives when we believed anything was possible, and as parents we work hard to make that happen. So this Christmas, the Curveball I’m definitely hoping to avoid is someone taking away the magic of the season from my son and spoiling it for him.

Christmas Curveball is available on Amazon

DID YOU FORGET TO MOVE SOMETHING?

Posted on by Melissa Chambers

It’s Christmastime! That special time of the year when children’s eyes sparkle at the magic of Christmas—Santa, his workshop, flying reindeer, and their own little personal elf who flies thousands of miles every night to the North Pole and back, landing in a different unique spot each time…or as we call it in this house: Oh, shit, did you move the elf? time.

If you’re anything like the Chambers, each morning between now and Christmas day you will wake up in a panic at 4:00 in the morning, in that foggy state, your mind racing to remember if you’ve moved the elf. If you’re like me you fall asleep on the couch around 8:00 most nights before the kid even goes to sleep and you have to depend on your husband to move the g@# d#$%&! elf. So you drag your ass out of bed in the middle of the night (yes, 4:00 is still the middle of the night) and clump around your house, praying you don’t wake up the kid before you locate the little bastard, who blends in with all the Christmas decorations.

But for me, every sleepless night that I dream that we forgot to move the elf and the magic of Christmas and the belief in everything we’ve lied to our child about for years is over is worth it. See, this year may be the last year that our little one still believes. He’s getting to that age where other little ones are learning that it’s all a ruse, and love spreading the joy of the truth through the classroom, effectively ruining Christmas for 22 families. So while my sweet angel is greeting his elf, Christmas (yes, his name is Christmas—I said my kid was sweet. I never said he was uber-creative) every time we come or go from the house, and writing him precious little letters to give to Santa, I will gladly toss and turn and wake up panicked for the next month. Also, I’m a creative liar.

REASONS YOU CAN GIVE YOUR KID FOR WHY THE ELF DIDN’T LAND IN A DIFFERENT SPOT:

1. He drank too much boiled custard and got a tummy ache, so he stayed here last night.

2. He must really love hanging off the ceiling fan, so much that he wanted to do it again today!

3. He moved. I actually saw him out of the corner of my eye. Then he saw that I saw him, got paranoid and crawled back to that same spot. I swear.

4. The dog touched him so he lost some of his magic and couldn’t fly. But don’t worry. I read on the internet that if we leave him some **insert whatever remedy you like here** he will be well enough tomorrow night to head back. But you can only do this once a season, so this is not license to touch him now. Well, maybe twice a season. Three times possibly. Just don’t touch him.

5. Santa told him to land back in that same spot. I don’t know why, Santa just said to. Do you want to argue with Santa?
 
                                              
                                             Howdy, y’all! Luv, Christmas, The Elf

HARD AS IT GETS – LAURA KAYE

Posted on by Melissa Chambers

                                                        

Bonus blog post this week as we celebrate the release of the first book in Laura Kaye’s Hard Ink series. Lots of fun stuff here including an interview with Laura, the book trailer, and you can click through to read the first chapter!

Click here for the book trailer.

Q&A WITH LAURA KAYE

HARD AS IT GETS is one steamy read! How did you first get into writing?

 

Thanks so much! And thanks for having me here! I’ve been a writer all my life. I’m a historian by training, so writing non-fiction was a part of my job for the fifteen years I worked as a college professor. But I started writing fiction in 2008 in kind of an unusual way. I hit my head on July 4, 2008. I didn’t think much of it that day, but soon after I realized I’d really hurt myself, and it turned out I had a minor traumatic brain injury. As I recovered, I was filled with an amazing urge to be creative, so I started taking guitar lessons (still not very good at that!) and wrote my first novel in 12 weeks (fortunately, I’m better at that LOL!). The experience of writing that first book was truly transformative. It was what I was supposed to be doing, so I revised that book until it sold and kept writing new ones. And I haven’t looked back since!

 

Why did you choose to write romance?

 

I had been an avid reader of paranormal romance for years at that point, so I wrote what I loved. But I also picked romance—unconsciously, I think—because to me it’s an incredibly hopeful genre. Romance stories are inherently stories about people who can’t find love or think they don’t deserve it who overcome the odds and find it in the end. In the years leading up to starting writing, I experienced a number of very hard personal losses, so writing in this genre was one way I worked through those issues.

 

What does “Hard Ink” refer to? What importance do tattoos play in your story?

 

Hard Ink is the name of the Rixey brothers’ tattoo shop in the Hard Ink series. Nick and Jeremy Rixey are co-owners, though Nick (the hero of book one, Hard As It Gets) prefers to be more of a silent partner, despite Jeremy’s efforts to put Nick’s artistic talents to work. In this series, tattoos are a way people remember, pay penance, or highlight what’s important to them. The act of creating permanent marks on skin has deep meaning to them. And the shop creates a gritty setting where diverse kinds of people meet and interact in the series. I really love it!

 

Describe Becca—what do you love most about her? And Nick?

 

I’d love to! Because I really loved writing these characters!

 

Becca Merritt is smart and strong and honest and protective. I really loved the way she was willing to stand up for those she loves, even against people and forces who might be stronger and even a little scary. There’s a scene in particular when she dresses down Nick’s Special Forces teammates after a fist fight where I was particularly cheering for her! LOL

 

Nick Rixey is, omg, so freaking hot, you guys! He’s brooding and tortured and honorable and when he falls he falls  so hard. I especially loved Nick’s mix of hard, alpha edges with his artistic side. When Nick shows Becca what her idea for a tattoo might look like on her skin, it’s just scorching!

 

What significance does the military play in the book?

Military themes are central to the whole Hard Ink series. The military isn’t just sexy window dressing nor is it just there to provide an intriguing backstory. The prior SF guys are this series are entirely defined by their military experience good and bad. It informs their identity, their sense of honor and duty, their view of the world, and of course gives them the skill set required to fight the battles they face in the series. The overall series mystery the characters are working to solve revolves around a military conspiracy in Afghanistan, so even though they’re out of the Army, the military themes are central.

 

If you could describe your book in a 140 character tweet, what would it be?


In #HardAsItGets, an ex-soldier joins forces w/his dead commander’s daughter to regain his tarnished honor & save her brother from a gang

 

 

Is there a particular author or book that has influenced your writing?

 

There are a number of authors that have influenced me, but if I had to pick one it would be J.R. Ward. A lot of what I know about how to write sexy, authentic male point of view comes from reading her books. And I definitely learned the importance of a good bromance to a romance novel from her Black Dagger Brotherhood series, too. Given my ginormous fangirling, you can only imagine how flipping excited I was when this happened:

 

“Edgy, sexy, and full of suspense! A great read from a great new author!”

~J.R. Ward on Hard As It Gets

 

You guys, I bawled like a baby in the middle of a huge workshop put on by my publisher. For real. LOL

 

What advice would you give aspiring writers looking to get into the publishing industry?

 

Here’s my advice:

1) Write, write, write. You can’t revise what you haven’t written and you can’t sell what you haven’t written. And the psychological and emotional boost you’ll get from writing “The End” for the first time cannot be overestimated.

2) Revise, revise, revise. That first time you type “The End”? Yeah, you’re nowhere near done. Your book will need to be edited, by you, several times before you ever put it in front of an agent or editor. You get one shot with them, so don’t waste it by not showing them your very best and most polished work.

3) Find critique partners. And your mom, siblings, and best friend do not count (unless you’re really lucky, like me, and your best friend happens t also be a professional author). You need other aspiring writers in your genre who will give you honest but constructive feedback about how to improve your manuscript. Let them catch all the embarrassing goofs and plot holes you thought you caught before it gets to an agent or editor.

4) Want to be a professional, then act it. And by that I mean join the professional organization(s) of the genre in which you write. Through them you will find classes to help hone your craft, critique partner match-ups, networking opportunities, calls for submission, and other opportunities invaluable to breaking into publishing.

5) Don’t give up. You will hear way more no’s than yeses, particularly early in your writing career. Stick with it. Believe in yourself. Give yourself one day to wallow in the rejection and eat a bunch of chocolate and then get right back on the horse. If your first book doesn’t sell, chalk that up to learning and write a second.

 

What can fans of HARD AS IT GETS look forward to next?

 

I’m currently writing four series: two contemporary (Hard Ink, Heroes) and two paranormal (Hearts of the Anemoi, Vampire Warrior Kings). I’ll have books from all four of those releasing in 2014. My next release is Hard As You Can (Hard Ink #2) coming 2/25/14!

About Hard As It Gets:

Five dishonored soldiers.

Former Special Forces.

One last mission.

These are the men of Hard Ink.

 

Tall, dark, and lethal…

 

Trouble just walked into Nicholas Rixey’s tattoo parlor. Becca Merritt is warm, sexy, wholesome–pure temptation to a very jaded Nick. He’s left his military life behind to become co-owner of Hard Ink Tattoo, but Becca is his ex-commander’s daughter. Loyalty won’t let him turn her away. Lust has plenty to do with it too.

 

With her brother presumed kidnapped, Becca needs Nick. She just wasn’t expecting to want him so much. As their investigation turns into all-out war with an organized crime ring, only Nick can protect her. And only Becca can heal the scars no one else sees.

 

Desire is the easy part. Love is as hard as it gets. Good thing Nick is always up for a challenge…

 

 

Read Chapter 1

Amazon | B&N | iTunes

 

 

About Laura Kaye:

 

Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen books in contemporary and paranormal romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

 

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW – GRETCHEN STULL

Posted on by Melissa Chambers

Today I welcome author, Gretchen Stull to the blog. Gretchen’s story The Pied Piper of the Dead, published within the zombie romance anthology Still Hungry For Your Love, takes the prize for the quirkiest and most fun novel I’ve had on the blog to date!

Love and zombies never die. Everyone knows that!

Editor Lori Perkins published the very first zombie romance anthology, Hungry for Your Love, in 2008, to rave reviews. But there’s so much more zombie love out there that she had to bring you a second volume.

In this new collection of never-before published zombie romance stories you’ll find:

• Undying Love by Scott Smith, a tale about lovers who never let go
• How the Zombie Apocalypse Turned Me into My Grandmother by Livia Ellis, an amusing story with an interesting older woman/younger man twist
• Dead Girls Don’t Love by Sarah Hans, featuring zombie love in the Caribbean
• Debbie Doesn’t Do Dallas Anymore by Tom Towles, featuring zombies and meth
• The Pied Piper of the Dead by Gretchen Stull, which speaks for itself
And many more

Welcome, Gretchen!

Thank you so much for having me! I’m excited to be here.

Rumor has it that you are a zombie expert. (How cool is that?) And I’m not talking about a watcher of The Walking Dead. Like a real zombie aficionado. Tell us about your zombie education.

I am. I finished up my Masters of Communication at Auburn University (War Eagle!) and my thesis was on zombies. So, technically, I’m a certified zombologist, although I haven’t had to use it in a practical application sense…yet.

Basically, I used my favorite movie, Shaun of the Dead, as a jumping off point for an exploration of the ways in which the zombie mythos has been used in our culture, and what the reoccurring focus on zombies says about us and our biggest, most ingrained fears. It was fascinating research (how many other academic projects mandate marathon viewing sessions of the George Romero catalog?) and I learned a lot. Culturally, we’ve used zombies as metaphorical scapegoats depicting everything from racial tensions to the fear of consumerism gone mad to nervousness about class warfare. Heavy stuff to lay on the shoulders of the shambling undead.

Yes, certainly! For those of us who aren’t familiar with zombies (okay, maybe it’s just me), please give us your expert definition of what exactly a zombie is.

This is a difficult question to answer, because the definition has changed so much over time, and each new storyteller tends to place their own spin on the mythos.

Zombie lore can be traced back to stories emerging from the West African and Haitian religious practices of Vodou or Vodun (what we tend to call voodoo). I’m going to tread lightly here, because I’m not an expert in any branch of this religion and don’t want to inadvertently provide false information or offend followers of the faith. Generally, these zombies were believed to be reanimated corpses that had been raised from the dead through magical means by a powerful bokor (sorcerer). These zombies were not the brain-hungry monsters of popular culture. They were benign, with no will of their own, controlled by the bokor. It has been argued these zombies were not actually dead, but under the influence of a powerful combination of neurotoxins and dissociative drugs that induced a death-like state. The validity of these claims is widely contested within the scientific community.

In popular culture, zombies have worn many faces. There are even arguments about what traits “real” zombies have: Are they fast (28 Days Later) or slow (Dawn of the Dead)? Caused by viruses (World War Z), radiation (Night of the Living Dead), parasites (Slither), or supernatural events (Boy Eats Girl)? Can they be cured (Warm Bodies)? Can they be tricked (Zombieland)? Do you have to be bitten by a zombie to be infected (Shaun of the Dead) or will you turn after dying regardless (The Walking Dead)? Do they have the ability to think and communicate? Can they control their impulses? Will they attack animals? Will they attack each other? Are they dead or alive?

There is a lot of variety, and I can get onboard with just about any of it if the story is well told. That said, I prefer my zombies classic Romero style. They are reanimated corpses, brought back from the dead by a natural event. These zombies are slow and lumbering, lack all but basic motor function, do not have the ability to communicate, can be “killed” only by severing the head or destroying the brain, and have an unquenchable thirst for brains. That’s my type of zombie!

Wow. Just…wow. Okay, tell us a little about this anthology and your story within it, The Pied Piper of the Dead.

Pied Piper of the Dead is a very loose reimagining of the Pied Piper of Hamelin tale. In my version, the pests infesting the city are of the zombie-persuasion, and the Piper is searching for her lost husband among corrupt officials and swarms of the undead. There are steampunk elements and the story is set in a cave system that actually exists under my hometown.

The anthology, Still Hungry for your Love, brings together 15 short stories from a variety of authors all dealing with the central theme of romance in a zombie-filled world. No rules were set as to the nature of the couples (human-human, zombie-zombie, human-zombie) or the type of zombie. Each author was bound only by their imagination and the word count, so there’s a wide variety of zombie love for the taking.

Love it! What is it about zombies that interest you enough to write about them?

I could talk for hours on this topic, but I’ll try to be brief I’m fascinated by what they represent (and I’m talking about my personal definition of zombie here). Other monsters, like vampires and werewolves, can be sexualized, to the point where there are many books, shows and even films on websites such as https://www.fulltube.xxx/ that sexualize them. But zombies are grotesque, rotting corpses. They aren’t beautiful. They aren’t charming. There’s nothing alluring about them. Their role in stories is to hold up a mirror to civilization and show how completely it can be corrupted. Every protagonist in a zombie story is one bite – one misstep, one mistake, one emotional moment – away from becoming a zombie themselves. That’s what’s terrifying about them. There’s no “us-against-them mentality” when dealing with zombies, because they are us. And eventually, if they story goes on long enough, we will all become them.

Zombies aren’t evil by nature. They don’t make the choice to kill; they don’t make any choices at all. They are humans stripped of humanity, driven only by the impulse to consume. They may be relentless, but they aren’t the real villains in most zombie stories. They are the foil against which we judge the human characters and their ability to maintain their humanity. From a cultural standpoint, that’s just fascinating.

What’s your current work in progress?

Currently, I’m working on a superhero novel. There’s not a zombie in sight (shocking, I know), but there is an invincible heroine, a smart-mouthed super-assassin hero, and reference to alpacas. Because who doesn’t love alpacas, right? The high concept is Deadpool meets Veronica Mars, and I’m having a great time with these characters.

I totally love alpacas! What books/authors do you like to read, and what’s currently on your nightstand? Books that is…of course.

Oh, so many, and I know if I start listing I’ll leave someone out. So, instead of all the authors I love, I’ll list what I consider must reads for zombie enthusiasts

1. World War Z by Max Brooks. Ignore the movie. Forget it exists. Burn it with fire if need be. This book is not just a phenomenal zombie book; it is one of the best books I’ve ever read about human nature. Just buy it. Borrow it. Do what you have to. This is a must read.

2. Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry. This is book one of a four book YA series, and it’s just a fantastic read. Also, I learned yesterday that Jonathan will be bringing all new stories from the Rot & Ruin world to life as a comic book series through IDW starting in 2014. Those will be on my auto-buy list.

3. Married with Zombies by Jesse Petersen. The first book in the 4 book Living with the Dead series, this is laugh out loud funny. It’s my go-to suggestion for romance readers who aren’t sure how they feel about the idea of zombies. Give it a try.

4. Enclave by Ann Aguirre. So well written. The zombies aren’t the focus of the story, but establish the atmosphere. This is one of those books that you read and then wish you had that kind of talent.

5. My Zombie Valentine anthology. This is a set of 4 zombie romance stories, and I loved each of them. Another hearty recommendation for romance lovers who aren’t sure they’re ready to take the plunge into zombie fiction.

Alright, now that I’ve had the benefit of expert education on the topic of zombies, I’m hooked. I’m going to read a few of these Zombie stories — starting with The Pied Piper of the Dead. Seems like the perfect fit for the warm and fuzzy holiday season!   Thanks so much for being here, Gretchen!

Thank you for having me on the blog, today!

Gretchen wrote her Master’s thesis on zombies, making her, technically, a professional zombologist. Remarkably, there isn’t much work out there for a zombologist (yet!), so in the meantime, she writes. And writes. And writes. Sometimes, she even gets to write about zombies, so it all works out in the end. Gretchen lives in Nashville with her extremely patient husband, somewhat less patient dachshund, completely impatient son, and a cat who may be plotting her demise.

Find Still Hungry For My Love on Amazon
Mark it “to read” on Goodreads

Visit Gretchen’s website at www.gretchenstull.com
Follow Gretchen on Twitter 

WHAT’S WITH ALL THE HAIR?

Posted on by Melissa Chambers

So have you noticed some of the men around you getting noticeably hairier? What’s the story?

Has there been a massive razor recall due to a loan moldy pallet?
Are they preparing for a coming 100 year blizzard?
Do they all have secret man crushes on Tom Selleck?
 
Wait a minute, let’s check the calendar. That’s right…it’s Movember! Each year since 2003, men have tossed aside their razors and sported additional facial hair to raise awareness for prostate and testicular cancer and mental health challenges.
 
                                                     
Officially, the point is to grow a mustache, which, setting Tom Selleck on a pedestal on his own, have not been supercool since circa 1980. But what I see more often during Movember is a full beard and mustache, which, thanks to Zach Galifianakis, Brad Pitt and hipsters the world over, is quite a bit more socially acceptable. 
While I commend ANY man participating in Movember in any way, I want to give a special shout out to the men who are going all in with the loan stache, my hubby included. You rock it like a hurricane, my love!
 
I don’t know about you all, but I kind of like all this scruff. While I’ll enjoy my hubby’s baby soft upper lip come December 1st, I will miss the rugged manliness that all this scruff represents. 
In the meantime, I’ll enjoy the view. And guys, keep sporting those muttonchops, goatees, sideburns, handlebars and chinstraps. We love ’em!