* Author Spotlight/Excerpt * FAMILY UNDER FIRE by Jane Godman

Colton 911: Family Under Fire


An unexpected family

A once-in-a-lifetime reunion in danger…

After a bitter breakup, FBI agent Everett Colton never expected to see his ex-girlfriend, Alyssa Bartholomew, again. Suddenly, tragedy reunites them—and makes them guardians of an orphaned baby girl. Everett suspects that her parents’ deaths were anything but innocent. When his instinct for danger proves correct, it’s his job to protect the child he’s grown to love…and the woman he never forgot.

 

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Excerpt:

“I’ll get straight to the point.” He opened a drawer in his desk, withdrew a folder and placed it in front of him. “Since their marriage, I’ve been Sean Dodd and Delilah Kennedy Dodd’s lawyer. I am also executor of their will. Following their tragic deaths, it now falls to me to ensure that their estate is disposed of according to their wishes.” He withdrew a single sheet of paper from the folder. “The will is very straightforward. There is one beneficiary who will inherit all property and investments.”


“If that’s the case, why are the two of us here?” Even if she hadn’t known him as well as she knew herself, Everett’s body language would have been easy to interpret—arms folded across his muscular chest, jaw clenched, one foot tapping out a restless beat.

“My clients wrote this will just over four years ago, not long after their marriage.” Raymond scanned the sheet of paper as he spoke.

Four years. Alyssa looked at Everett, wondering if the significance of the time frame had registered with him.

Clearly it had. “That was around the time Georgia Dodd, Sean’s younger sister, left my brother, Casey, at the altar.” His voice was tight with remembered anger. “Sean masterminded the incident because he thought that a deputy sheriff wasn’t good enough for his kid sister. Or possibly he didn’t want a law-enforcement officer in the family taking a closer look at what he was getting up to. The reason doesn’t matter. It was the end of our friendship.”

He flicked a look Alyssa’s way to let her know he hadn’t forgotten the rest. Soon after that incident, but for unrelated reasons, they had broken up.

“I’m assuming that Georgia, whom I recently had the pleasure of arresting at gunpoint, is the beneficiary.” Alyssa jumped slightly atEverett’s words. It wasn’t just the fact that he’d been involved in apprehending Georgia. They were a stark reminder of the dangers he faced every day.

“Although Georgia was released on bail, she broke the terms of her bail by attempting to leave town. She’s now back behind bars but that won’t affect her inheritance. So can we cut to the part where you tell us what our role is? Did Sean name us as trustees four years ago and forget to change it?”

“Georgia Dodd is not named in her brother’s will. The circumstances are…unusual. There is a section in the document that involves the two of you. Twelve months ago, Sean and Delilah came to see me to check it was still legal.” Raymond dabbed at his upper lip with his handkerchief. “This will be easier to explain if I invite my other guests to join us.” He pressed a button on his desktop phone.

“Other guests?” Alyssa looked around as the door opened and a middle-aged woman entered the room. She leaned to one side under the weight of a large bag shaped like a pink elephant; in her other arm, she carried a sleeping baby.

“This is Patty Griffiths of the Arizona Department of Child Safety.” Raymond indicated the child. “Kennedy is Sean and  Delilah’s six-month-old daughter, and she has been left in your joint custody.”

              

JANE GODMAN is a 2019 Romantic Novelists’ Award winner and 2018 Daphne du Maurier Award finalist. She writes thrillers for Harlequin Romantic Suspense/Mills and Boon Heroes and paranormal romance for Harlequin Nocturne/Mills and Boon Supernatural and St. Martin’s Press Romance. She also self publishes her historical and gothic stories.

Jane was born in Scotland and has lived in Germany, Wales, Malta, South Africa, and England. She still gets the urge to travel, although these days she tends to head for a Spanish beach, or a European city that is steeped in history.

When she isn’t reading or writing romance, Jane enjoys cooking, spending time with her family, and enjoying the antics of her dogs, Gravy and Vera.

Connect with Jane Godman on the web:

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* Release Blast/Author Spotlight/Giveaway * THE EMPTY NESTERS by Carolyn Brown

 

Title: The Empty Nesters
Author: Carolyn Brown
Release Date: August 20, 2019
Publisher: Montlake Romance

Summary

Dear friends and army wives Diana, Carmen, and Joanie have been through war, rumors of war, marital problems, motherhood, fears, joy, and heartache. But none of the women are prepared when their daughters decide to enlist in the army together. Facing an empty nest won’t be easy. Especially for Carmen. With emotions already high, she suffers an even greater blow: divorce papers. Diana understands the fury and tears. She’s been there.

With nothing to lose and no one at home, the girlfriends impulsively accept an unexpected offer from their elderly neighbor. The recently widowed Tootsie has an RV, a handsome nephew at the wheel, and an aim for tiny Scrap, Texas, to embrace memories of her late husband. Still grieving, she can use the company as a balm for her broken heart. So can the empty nesters.

Embarking on a journey of hope, romance, and healing, Diana, Carmen, and Joanie are at a turning point in their lives. And with the open road ahead of them, it’s just the beginning.

 

 

 

Author Biography

Carolyn Brown is a New York TimesUSA TodayPublisher’s Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and a RITA finalist with more than ninety published books. Her genres include romance, history, cowboys and country music, and contemporary mass-market paperbacks. She and her husband live in the small town of Davis, Oklahoma, where everyone knows everyone else, knows what they are doing and when . . . and reads the local newspaper every Wednesday to see who got caught. They have three grown children and enough grandchildren to keep them young. Visit Carolyn at www.carolynbrownbooks.com.

 

Social Media Links
 

Jump Into Author Carolyn Brown’s Empty Nest

Good morning, and thank you for inviting me to stop by to talk about my new book, 
The Empty Nesters. I’ll be giving all y’all a few of my favorite scenes and a little commentary during the time we get to spend together.

As Ma used to say on Golden Girls, imagine this—Carmen, Joanie and Diana have just dropped their daughters off at the recruiter’s office. They’ve managed to keep the tears at bay and put up a brave front, but now it’s time to let the tears loose.

“For the first time ever, Natalie and I won’t decorate the house for Halloween together. Nine months of carrying them, then we basically raised them on our own while our husbands were deployed or got sent someplace to train other officers. And now they’re gone, and we won’t see them for Halloween or Thanksgiving. And who even knows about Christmas? It’s not fair.”

It’s always amazing what comes to mind during a sad time, isn’t it? Things pop into our heads that seem trivial in the face of the event, and yet, at the time, the good memories are what keep us sane.

Tootsie, their elderly neighbor, has just lost her husband, after they’d bought the huge RV and planned a trip to northeast Texas. She’s trying to convince the women that they need to get away from their empty nest for a while.

“You need to get away for a little while and get some perspective,” Tootsie said.

“Let’s pool our money and blow it all on a trip to Paris. We can shop and have lattes in little bistros,” Diana suggested.

Joanie sighed. “That’s a pipe dream. We probably don’t have enough money to even get to Paris, Texas, between the three of us.”

The three of them have known the support of each other through the past thirteen years, and just because they’re now alone in their homes, they have no doubt that the love is still there between them—and that it’s even stronger than blood sisters.

“We’re only half a block and a phone call away. If any of us feel the world dropping out from under our feet, we can get back together in less than five minutes.”

I was amazed at how supportive all of them, including Tootsie, were of each other. They might disagree, but Lord help the person that tried to come between them, or who had the nerve to say an ugly word about one of them.

Everything happens for a reason and in the time that it should happen. I believe that with my whole heart. Diana had gotten her divorce years before the book opens, but she remembers the pain and anger of it all. Then she focused all her energy and time on raising her daughter. But now it’s her time to find a new love, and a new life—maybe with a younger man.

“That many trips into town on those roads would shake the hell out of their Caddy. And believe me, Aunt Tootsie treats that car like family.” Luke chuckled. “Age, on a truck or on a person, makes no difference. It’s how well they’re maintained that matters.”

Why, oh, why, couldn’t he have smooth pickup lines like other men? Luke asked himself. What he’d just said could be taken as an insult. She might think that he thought she looked like an old pickup truck at her age, when in reality she was downright gorgeous. He wouldn’t be a bit surprised if she still got carded at bars when she ordered a drink.

Thank you again, for inviting me into your world, and letting me talk about the amazing ladies (and Luke of course), from The Empty Nesters. Happy reading to each and every one of you!

 

 

 

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* Author Spotlight * COLTON’S SECRET BODYGUARD by Jane Godman

Colton’s Secret Bodyguard
(The Coltons of Roaring Spring)

 

His mission: keep her safe, no matter what…

A Coltons of Roaring Springs thriller

Just as Bree Colton is about to take the local art world by storm, someone is determined to sabotage her success…unless Rylan Bennet can keep her safe. Bree doesn’t want anyone to protect her—not even gorgeous Rylan, whose secrets threaten them both. But can the former soldier win the battle for Bree’s heart and the war against a sinister foe?

 

BUY LINKS:

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 Harlequin   |   B&N    |   Kobo   |   Book Depository   |   iBooks

 

 

JANE GODMAN is a 2019 Romantic Novelists’ Award winner and 2018 Daphne du Maurier Award finalist. She writes thrillers for Harlequin Romantic Suspense/Mills and Boon Heroes and paranormal romance for Harlequin Nocturne/Mills and Boon Supernatural and St. Martin’s Press Romance. She also self publishes her historical and gothic stories.

Jane was born in Scotland and has lived in Germany, Wales, Malta, South Africa, and England. She still gets the urge to travel, although these days she tends to head for a Spanish beach, or a European city that is steeped in history. 

When she isn’t reading or writing romance, Jane enjoys cooking, spending time with her family, and enjoying the antics of her dogs, Gravy and Vera.  

 

 Connect with Jane Godman on the web:

Website   |   Facebook   |    Twitter   |   Goodreads

Do you have a process for how you come up with ideas for new books?

I don’t have a particular process, but I collect ideas as they come along. They either pop randomly into my head, or will be triggered by a news story, a picture, even an old building. I keep an “Ideas” file on my laptop. Nothing ever gets deleted, but I look at it now and then and know some of them will never see the light of day!

How does writing a book in a continual series like The Coltons of Roaring Springs differ from a single title or one of your own series?

Running over a twelve-month period, the Coltons books are serialized with a different author picking up the story each month. Think of a soap opera, with all the associated family drama, then add in murder, intrigue, and a steamy romance (of course)! The difference between this, and writing a book for which I have sole responsibility, is the need to liaise closely with the other authors and the editors. For the sake of continuity, it’s important to make sure we all get the details right.

Do you have a favorite snack or beverage that you have by your side as you write?

I’m English, so it’s the stereotypical cup of tea! 

EXCERPT

Chapter 1

Bree Colton had stopped trying to reprogram herself. Some people were larks, others were owls. Larks were cheery rise-and-shine morning people, the sort who started yawning once darkness fell. Owls were the alarm-clock-smashing, dance-till-dawn types.

Bree was a night person, at her best between midnight and 4:00 a.m.

Which meant that right now, at eight thirty in the morning, she was having trouble remembering her own name. Over the years, she had developed strategies for dealing with her daybreak intolerance. The first stage was caffeine. Rocket fuel strength, without a trace of cream or sugar. Bree had trained her assistant to keep the coffee coming until she was ready to face the world. Most mornings, it took a long time.

Her other tactic solved two problems. One of her most precious possessions was her digital recorder, which, as well as helping overcome the morning brain fog, was also an aid to coping with her dyslexia.

Every evening, before she left the gallery, she would record the following day’s to-do list. Her first task each morning was to link the recorder up to her laptop, so she could upload her list into her voice-activated diary. Then, of course, she had to get her newly caffeine-fueled body moving and do the things she had planned.

After taking a long slug of coffee, she pulled open the top left drawer of her desk and reached inside without looking. It was where she always placed her recorder and when her fingers didn’t automatically close around it, she frowned. A quick search through the contents of the drawer confirmed her worst fears. The recorder wasn’t there.

She bit back an exclamation. The forthcoming art show was taking up all her time, and she’d worked late the previous night. It had been almost nine o’clock when she’d finally left the office. Scrunching her forehead, she made an effort to remember. She could recall dictating her list. Then what?

I’m sure I put the recorder in the drawer.

If that was the case, where was it now? Bree had locked the gallery doors last night and opened them again this morning. No one else could have gotten into her office. No one had any reason to. Even if they had, why would they remove her device and not take anything else?

The answer was simple. It hadn’t happened. Her memory was just playing tricks on her, fooling her into thinking that, because she always followed a certain routine, she had done it again last night. Clearly, she had put the recorder somewhere else. The question was…where?

Huffing out a breath, she drank the rest of her coffee while emptying her purse onto the desktop in the hope that she might have picked up the recorder with her cell phone. Even as she did, she remembered that she’d been talking on her cell as she left the gallery.

Reassuring my mom that there haven’t been any more threatening emails.

Briefly, she rested her chin on her hand and gazed at the screensaver on her laptop. It was a view across the valley from the beautiful farmhouse where she had grown up. Evening sunlight glinted on the snow-covered fields of the CC Farm, while Pine Peak dominated the scene. The towering mountain provided the skiing and natural springs that made the resort such a popular tourist destination.

Normally, the tranquil scene soothed her. However, today, it made her feel restless. It was a reminder of her Colton heritage, and that was what the menacing emails had been about. Even though the anonymous sender had called her hateful names because of the color of her skin, the underlying message had gone deeper. You Coltons are only good for using and taking advantage of those who are less fortunate.

Furthermore, the sender had said that if she had any sense, she would pack her bags and head back to her life of privilege on her parents’ farm. If she didn’t? The most recent emails had included some sickening images of what would happen to her if she ignored the warnings.

Small wonder she had lost concentration and mislaid her recorder. It was a minor lapse, unimportant and only slightly inconvenient. She could remember what she needed to do today. It was just…

What did I do with it?

Pushing her chair back from the desk, she went through to her assistant’s office. The two rooms were separated by a short corridor that included a private bathroom and a small kitchen. Inside Kasey Spencer’s office, the floor on three sides was piled high with programs for the forthcoming show.

“Have you seen my digital recorder?”

Kasey looked up from the pile of papers she was collating. “No, but I can leave this and help you look for it.”

Bree shook her head. “It’s okay. I probably took it up to the loft without thinking.” Her apartment was above the gallery. “I’ll check when I grab some lunch later.”

She turned toward the door that led to the main gallery, only to be halted by Kasey’s voice. “Since you’re here…”

“Yes?”

“Rylan Bennet asked if you could spare him a few minutes,” her assistant said. “He’s in the promotions office.”

“That man spends more time here than all the other artists’ managers put together.” Bree was aware that her smile was slightly self-conscious. “He sure is dedicated.”

“Dedicated?” Kasey raised an eyebrow. “That’s a new name for it.”

Bree was tempted to ask the other woman what she meant, but it was fairly obvious, particularly since Kasey gave her a teasing look before returning to her task. So much for Bree’s speculation about whether the attraction between her and Rylan was real or just a pleasant daydream. Kasey’s words implied that her assistant had noticed it, which meant it existed outside of Bree’s imagination. The thought sent a pleasurable shiver down her spine.

***

The promotions office of the Wise Gal Gallery was a long, narrow room at the rear of the reception desk. Rylan Bennet didn’t know much about the art world, but he had soon learned that it was a luxury for visiting artists and their managers to be provided with an area of their own in which to work. He figured it was because this gallery was located in a former warehouse, where space wasn’t an issue.

Rylan seemed to be the only person involved in the prospective show who was interested in taking advantage of the hospitality provided by Bree Colton, the gallery owner. Most of the time, he had the office to himself. The situation suited him just fine, although he was aware of the curious glances directed his way by the gallery staff. They were obviously wondering what he found to do there all day, every day.

If he was going to be convincing in his role as a manager and promoter for a group of local artists, he clearly needed to work harder on his disguise. His initial goal had been to get through the door and establish contact with Bree. After all, she was the only reason he was here. But now that he had gotten to know her, he needed to maintain her trust.

Deceiving her didn’t feel comfortable to Rylan, but his old army buddy Blaine Colton had been resolute. He’d told Rylan that his kid cousin was in danger, and he needed someone he could count on to watch over her. While Blaine was in DC, getting his discharge finalized, his Uncle Calvin and Aunt Audrey, Bree’s parents, had contacted him.

A week ago, a gallery show at Wise Gal had been interrupted by someone throwing a brick through the full-length front window. Kendall, who was married to Decker Colton, another of Bree’s cousins, was hit in the face and seriously injured. Shaken by the incident, Bree admitted to her parents, and her brother, Trey, who was Bradford County’s sheriff, that she had been getting threatening emails. Instead of taking action, she had apparently been ignoring the problem, hoping it would go away.

Calvin and Audrey were going crazy with worry about their daughter, but according to Blaine, Bree had refused their requests to return home and stay holed up at their farm. In desperation, they had asked her cousin to find a bodyguard, someone he trusted to keep her safe. The only problem? Rylan, the person Blaine had selected to be her protector, was sworn to secrecy about his role. If Bree found out, she would point-blank refuse to let the situation continue.

Reluctantly, Rylan had agreed. Although he’d recently sold the private security consultancy he’d been running since he left the army, he had the skills and experience to watch over Bree. He also lived close to Roaring Springs. Add in the fact that he owed Blaine a few favors from their time together in Afghanistan…

The only minor difficulty had been his cover story. Fortunately, Bree’s mom had helped him out with that. Audrey Douglas Colton was an attractive African-American woman, whose love for her daughter and fighting spirit shone through in equal measures. The day after Rylan had expressed his doubts about his ability to blend into an artistic setting, Audrey had called him with a solution.

“Bree’s next show is called Spirit. It’s a celebration of African-American art. A friend of mine is a professor at the University of North Colorado School of Art and Design. She has a group of graduates who are looking for someone to promote their work.”

When Audrey outlined her plan for him to pose as the manager of the artists in question, Rylan had expressed his reservations. “I don’t want these people to get their hopes built up. I have nothing long term to offer them.”

“No one loses from this arrangement,” Audrey had assured him. “These young African-American artists will have their work displayed in a prestigious gallery. Wise Gal is becoming very well known.” There had been a note of pride in her voice. “All I ask of you is that you do your best to promote their art to a wider audience.”

Since he was planning on being in the gallery anyway, that seemed like a reasonable request. He would have time on his hands, so he may as well use it productively. Then Rylan met Bree…and reasonable became a distant memory.

Because, for the first time in his thirty-four years, a woman had taken his breath away. He’d seen her formal picture on the gallery’s website when he had done some research. In it, she appeared cool and quirky, with a distant expression and a bohemian dress sense. In reality, she was a ray of sunshine, with a huge smile that, despite a slight shyness in her manner, quickly became a throaty laugh.

One look at Bree’s flawless golden-brown skin and amber eyes had Rylan questioning everything he thought he knew about himself. And he tumbled deeper into enchantment each time he saw her. That block of concrete in which he’d encased his heart? It might not be as impenetrable as he’d always believed.

The problem? Even if Bree felt the same way—and he thought she might—he was lying to her about who he was.

“That’s quite a frown.” Rylan looked up from his laptop screen to find Bree leaning one shoulder against the door frame as she watched him. A slight smile curved her full lips. “Anything I can help you with?”

Since he’d been studying a floor plan of the gallery, checking the entrances and exits for weak points, he snapped the lid closed and got to his feet. In an attempt to be objective, he had speculated about the possibility of getting Bree to confide in him about the emails her parents had mentioned. If she did that, he reasoned, then he could legitimately offer her his protection.

Maybe that way he could get past the feeling he was a cheating, lying jerk.

He got straight to the point, not easy when all he wanted to do was gaze into the honeyed depths of her eyes. “Your mom mentioned the incident when a brick was thrown through the window.”

Bree already knew that he’d met her mother. One of Audrey’s many charitable causes was the cover for the inclusion of Rylan’s group of young artists in the show. The fact that Bree had accepted the situation without comment confirmed that her mom regularly involved her in similar activities.

Even so, he caught the shift in her expression, maybe because he was watching her so closely. Gone almost as soon as it had appeared, it was a flare that could have been annoyance or impatience.

“I should have guessed she wouldn’t be able to resist sharing that information.” She hunched a shoulder. “Actually, that’s unfair. It was a nasty incident.”

“Have the police arrested anyone?”

“No. My brother, Trey, is the sheriff. He’s been investigating, but so far he doesn’t have any leads.” Her face was troubled. “Our family has been having some problems lately.”

Blaine had alluded to this but hadn’t gone into detail. The focus of their conversation had been on what was happening with Bree. Rylan knew, of course, that Blaine’s older brother, Wyatt, had recently been investigated when the body of a young woman was found on his ranch. Things had gotten nasty when the press put a spin on the story, leading the townsfolk to believe that Wyatt was guilty and getting preferential treatment because he was a Colton and his cousin was the sheriff.

Rylan had heard that the case had been closed with all charges against Wyatt dropped. However, from the way Bree was talking, it sounded like they had problems that were about more than one family member.

“You think those issues could be linked to the attack on your gallery?” he asked.

She hesitated, and Rylan hoped she might be about to confide in him. Then she smiled. It was a little too bright, as though she could be trying hard to convince him, or maybe herself, that everything was okay. “I’m sure they’re not. And please don’t worry about the safety of the artists you represent. I’ve had the front window replaced with toughened glass, and the alarm system has been upgraded.”

The moment was lost, and Rylan bit back his frustration. Instead, he tried another approach. “I hear you’ve been working late every night.”

“You hear?” This time Bree’s smile was genuine. “Now, whoever could have told you that? Surely, Kasey, my super-discreet assistant, hasn’t been telling tales about me?”

He grinned. “Actually, I overheard her talking to the security guy. He was asking if the reason you were staying so late is because of the big event coming up. I guess that’s because he needs to know so he can ensure the place is safe during the show?”

“David?” Bree asked. “Yes, he’s very conscientious, but he doesn’t work just for me. He’s employed to provide security for several of the businesses in the Diamond. He also does maintenance work for us. He’s a busy guy.”

Rylan was a native Coloradan, but he was new to Roaring Springs. Nestled within the valley, the town, with its bustling downtown area, was surrounded by the mountains, forests and a large lake.

First settled in the late 1800s because of gold mining, it grew to be a tourist destination, then blossomed further a decade ago when the Roaring Springs Film Festival was created. Although it always had celebrity visitors, the town had become a must-see trip for A-listers and wealthy executives.

Rylan had learned that the former warehouse units on the edge of Second Street were just on the cusp of the trendy part of town. Like this gallery, the new companies were young and vibrant.

Restaurants, bars, nightclubs and technology firms formed the bulk of the businesses. The area was named after the central diamond-shaped space within, where tables and chairs spilled out from the bars, coffee shops, restaurants and the Yogurt Hut.

“I hope you’re taking care of yourself.” Rylan kept his voice light and teasing, trying to avoid showing that he actually did care. “Getting plenty of sleep. Eating proper meals.”

“I’m dyslexic.” Bree said it casually, but the sidelong look she gave him told Rylan his reaction was important. “By the time I’ve read a recipe, the ingredients have gone stale.”

“You need someone to cook for you.” He tried to remember the last time he’d felt this nervous. He seriously didn’t think he ever had.

Bree’s smile held a trace of shyness. “Well, if you’re offering…”

* Spotlight * A RING TO TAKE HIS REVENGE by Pippa Roscoe

          

A Ring to Take His Revenge (The Winners’ Circle)

 

He’ll do anything to settle the score…

…even fake an engagement!

To secure his revenge against his cruel father, billionaire Antonio Arcuri needs a fake fiancée—fast! He demands his shy PA, Emma Guilham, wear his diamond. In return, he’ll help fulfill her dreams—starting with a jet-set trip to Buenos Aires! It’s a simple charade, until the burning tension between them erupts into irresistible desire. Now Antonio must decide between vengeance and Emma…

A powerfully intense revenge romance!.

Buy on:

Amazon Kindle   |   Amazon Paperback   |   Amazon UK   |   Amazon Aust
Book Depository   |   iBooks   |  Nook    |   Kobo    |   Harlequin US

 

What are your favorite sources of inspiration when you are wanting to settle in and write a new book?

It’s funny, ideas and inspiration can come from anything from a film, advert, newspaper article or an overheard conversation in a coffee shop. It could be just a little snippet that when combined with ‘what if’ becomes a whole other narrative. But it will always start as a question in my journal. And one question leads to another and another until I’m happy with the outline of my next book. I’ve discovered that I’m much better at handwriting the planning stages than diving straight onto my laptop. There’s something about the time it takes for my hand to write the words that allows my brain to think things though a bit more than when I type. I have thousands of journals at home lining my shelves.

Do you travel to the places that you center a story around or is your research mostly done from books/internet, etc.?
I’d LOVE to travel to all of the places I center a story around, and for the most part I do try to explore some aspect of the location or culture personally. I’ve spent a fair bit of time in Europe and more recently America and Canada, but one day I’d love to see the Sahara Desert – and I will get to Hong Kong eventually, I promise my self every year. 

Do you have any upcoming projects that you can tell us about to look forward to?
Ohhh, no spoilers! But I can say, that I really loved Dimitri’s story, which is the next in the Winners’ Circle Trilogy. Both Dimitri and Anna, have had their share of heartache and betrayal, so they’ve got a lot stacked against them, but one very good reason forcing them together!

Mills & Boon author Pippa Roscoe lives in Norfolk near her family and makes daily promises that this will be the day she will leave the computer and take a long walk in the countryside. She can’t remember a time when she wasn’t dreaming of gorgeous alpha males and misunderstood heroines. Totally her mother’s fault of course—she gave Pippa her first romance to read at the age of seven! She is inconceivably happy that she gets to share those daydreams with her readers.

Pippa Roscoe on the web:

Website   |   Facebook   |   Twitter

* New Release * HIS TO PROTECT by Carly Phillips

“Carly Phillips is synonymous with red-hot romance and passionate love.”

Lauren Blakely, New York Times Bestselling Author

His to Protect, an all new novella in The Lexi Blake Crossover Collection by Carly Phillips is LIVE!

Talia Shaw has spent her adult life working as a scientist for a big pharmaceutical company. She’s focused on saving lives, not living life. When her lab is broken into and it’s clear someone is after the top secret formula she’s working on, she turns to the one man she can trust. The same irresistible man she turned away years earlier because she was too young and naive to believe a sexy guy like Shane Landon could want her.

Shane Landon’s bodyguard work for McKay-Taggart is the one thing that brings him satisfaction in his life. Relationships come in second to the job. Always. Then little brainiac Talia Shaw shows up in his backyard, frightened and on the run, and his world is turned upside down. And not just because she’s found him naked in his outdoor shower, either.

With Talia’s life in danger, Shane has to get her out of town and to her eccentric, hermit mentor who has the final piece of the formula she’s been working on, while keeping her safe from the men who are after her. Guarding Talia’s body certainly isn’t any hardship, but he never expects to fall hard and fast for his best friend’s little sister and the only woman who’s ever really gotten under his skin.

His to Protect teaser 1.jpeg

Read His to Protect Today!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2HkdrX0

Amazon Universal: http://mybook.to/HistoProtect

Paperback: https://amzn.to/2IEjAwt

iBooks: https://apple.co/2GHgWWd

Nook: https://bit.ly/2CsEJ9x

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2HrcNXp

Google Play: https://bit.ly/2IB2GyK

HIS TO PROTECT AN.jpg

The Lexi Blake Crossover Collection features a new novel by Lexi Blake and five books by some of her favorite writers:

Lexi Blake – Close Cover

Larissa Ione – Her Guardian Angel

J. Kenner – Justify Me

Corinne Michaels – Say You Won’t Let Go

Carly Phillips – His to Protect

Susan Stoker – Rescuing Sadie

Read the Entire Collection

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2uYd69Q

1001 Dark Nights: http://www.1001darknights.com/books/crossover-collection/

Lexi Blake Crossover Collection Available Now

* SPOTLIGHT * PRETTY AS A PEACH by Juliette Poe

 

Pretty as a Peach (Sex & Sweet Tea, Book #4)
Juliette Poe
Release Date: March 15, 2018

 

Synopsis:

Mainer Farms is steeped in family history, but it’s also deep in debt from the effects of the ever-changing farming industry. Not about to let his family’s legacy go under, Colt Mancinkus is willing to do anything he can to save the farm.

Darby Culhane is the new farmer in Whynot, North Carolina, and she’s proving to be quite the forbidden temptation for Colt. Darby isn’t looking for anything but a fresh start, and she’s got it all figured out. Get settled in? Check. Apply for the rural county grant? Check. Confrontation with the steaming mad, smoking hot local farmer? Well, that wasn’t on the agenda.

As pretty as she is sweet, Colt can’t help but be drawn to Darby’s…peaches. No really, she’s a peach farmer. Get that mind out of the gutter, and get on down to the farm to see what happens when circumstances force Colt and Darby to team up. They may just find that the peach trees aren’t the only things in bloom.

 

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35172958-pretty-as-a-peach

 

Purchase Pretty as a Peach (Sex & Sweet Tea, Book #4):

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2D4qU22
B&N: http://bit.ly/2rhtEmI
iBooks: http://apple.co/2q2qzuu
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2q2xZ0J
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2qT6dRy
Paperback: http://amzn.to/2oVIQHc

 

** All books in the Sex & Sweet Tea series can be read as standalones, but if you’d like to start at the beginning, Ain’t He Precious? (Sex & Sweet Tea, Book #1) is #FREE for a limited time! **

 

Download Ain’t He Precious? (Sex & Sweet Tea, Book #1) FREE:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2gDvGKJ
B&N: http://bit.ly/2lRoBt2
iBooks: http://apple.co/2lUmKlt
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2mblnl2
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2ln51S3

 

 

About the Author:

Juliette Poe is the sweet and swoony alter ego of New York Times Best Selling author, Sawyer Bennett.

A fun-loving southern girl, Juliette knows the allure of sweet tea, small towns, and long summer nights, that some of the best dates end sitting on the front porch swing, and that family is top priority. She brings love in the south to life in her debut series, Sex & Sweet Tea.

When Juliette isn’t delivering the sweetest kind of romance, she’s teaching her southern belle daughter the fine art of fishing, the importance of wearing Chucks, and the endless possibilities of a vivid imagination.

 

Connect with Juliette:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bennettbooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BennettBooks
Tsu: http://www.tsu.co/bennettbooks
Instagram: https://instagram.com/sawyerbennett123/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Sawyer_BennettFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJuliettePoe/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/juliette_poe
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorjuliettepoe/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16495848.Juliette_Poe

 

Sign up for Juliette’s newsletter:

https://juliettepoe.com/signup/

 

* Author Spotlight * JASMINE SEA by Phillipa Nefri Clark

Jasmine Sea: A River’s End Love Story. Book Two

Sometimes facing the past is the only way forward.

Starting over never felt better. Christie Ryan adores the little cottage she’s renovating, the seaside town that embraced her, and Martin Blake, the man she longs to marry. Ex-fiancé Derek Hobbs is finally out of the picture, and there are no more secrets in her life or mysteries to solve.

Will the arrival of a mysterious woman who commissions a portrait from Martin under a cloud of secrecy break her after all? Unrest and suspicion remind Christie that happiness can be fleeting, and when the peaceful town is shattered by crime, her past is again thrust into the limelight.

With one chance and only minutes to save those she loves, Christie comes face to face with her greatest fear—and there is no way around it.

Jasmine Sea follows on from The Stationmaster’s Cottage, set shortly after its stunning conclusion.

Buy links:

Amazon Kindle
Paperback
Amazon UK
Amazon Aust
Nook
Kobo

Enter to win signed copies on Goodreads!

 

Is there a special memory that you have about when you decided you wanted to become an author?

I remember as a teenager typing madly on an old Underwood typewriter, a song through my giant headphones reminding me to ‘do what you want to do, be who you are’ (Hall & Oates), and just knowing that this was right. At the time, I was writing science fiction but oddly, it had a big romance in it!

Is there a particular author that you remember being the first that drew you into being a fan of the Romance genre?

Difficult one. I think there is romance everywhere, so I see it in books that aren’t necessarily written in the genre, but have the elements that appeal to me. I write love stories, which are not always romances. For true romance, probably Georgette Heyer. Always liked a mystery and a bit of love.

If you could visit one place in the world that you have never been, where would it be?

The Burren in Ireland. My beautiful sister lives there and says it is a magical place.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not writing?

Reading, listening to music, playing with our Labrador, dreaming about writing.

Is there a topic you’ve always wanted to write about that you haven’t had a chance to yet?

I’d like to write about my Dad. He disappeared from my life as a child and passed away before we could reunite, but he had a very colorful life that would make a wonderful book.

Any future books or projects that you want to share with us to look forward to?

In the next year or so, I have two main projects in mind. One is Paddy’s Lighthouse, another dual timeline story. The other is Obelisk, my speculative thriller, quite different from my first two novels.

Phillipa Nefri Clark grew up around lonely Australian beaches with wild seas and misty cliffs. From a young age she wrote stories and dreamed of being a writer. There were many detours along the way as she trod paths as diverse as a travelling sales rep to singing and acting. Fascinated by film, Phillipa wrote five feature length screenplays, one which was optioned. Now living in regional Victoria on a small acreage close to a mountain range, she markets the family business a few days a week and writes the rest of the time. With nonfiction credits for specialist canine publications, she finally returned to stories with the release of The Stationmaster’s Cottage, a dual timeline romance, in February 2017. Her great loves, apart from writing, are her family of two young adult sons and her husband, their Labrador, music, fine wine, and friends.

On the web:

Website     Facebook   Twitter     Author Page

* Launch Day Announcement * MAIN STREET ROMANCE

 
Main Street Romance
Love Stories for Everyone from
Authors You Trust
Addison Cole | Chris Keniston 
Nancy Naigle | RaeAnne Thayne
 
 
About Main Street Romance
 

Main Street Romance is made up of four friends and bestselling authors who adore romance, and are committed to filling your bookshelves with sweet and clean love stories you’ll be excited to share with your best friend, Mom, Grandma, and your teenage daughter, too. No profanity, graphic sex, or violence.

Not only are they dedicated to writing sweet romance and growing their audience with new readers, but they will be building an entire community around the Main Street Romance brand, including giving readers short stories that take place in their very own Main Street Romance world, where new characters along with characters from their prior releases, will appear in stories that take place on Main Street, in Romance, Virginia.

Join them on the front porch for a cool glass of sweet tea, curl up in a cozy chair, and get ready to fall in love with your next favorite read.

 

Meet the Main Street Authors
 

Addison Cole is the sweet alter ego of New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Melissa Foster. She writes fun, flirty, and sweet romance with a dash of heat.

 

Chris Keniston is a USA Today bestselling author of more than twenty novels known to delight audiences with stories of falling in love, family values, and all around entertaining shenanigans.

Nancy Naigle is a USA Today bestselling author. She whips up small-town love stories with a dash of suspense and a whole lot of heart.
RaeAnne Thayne is a New York TimesPublishers Weekly and USA Today bestselling author of more than fifty books.

 
Find Us Here

Launch Party:

Join them to celebrate the launch of MAIN STREET ROMANCE and help build your next favorite sweet romance world!

https://www.facebook.com/MainStreetRomance/

Coming soon! An entire Main Street world set in Romance, Virginia, where you may see your favorite characters from each of our series, and meet new characters on their paths to love! A map of our Main Street world will be ready for you soon! Don’t miss out. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter!

 
Giveaway
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

* Author Spotlight * THE MORAL COMPASS by K. A. Servian

 

The Moral Compass (Shaking the Tree Book 1)

Florence lives like a Princess attending dinner parties and balls away from the gritty reality, filth and poverty of Victorian London.

However, her world comes crashing around her when her father suffers a spectacular fall from grace. She must abandon her life of luxury, leave behind the man she loves and sail to the far side of the world where compromise and suffering beyond anything she can imagine await her.

When she is offered the opportunity to regain some of what she has lost, she takes it, but soon discovers that not everything is as it seems. The choice she has made has a high price attached and she must live with the heart-breaking consequences of her decision.

This novel is part one in the ‘Shaking the Tree’ series.

Buy on:

Amazon Kindle               Amazon Paperback

Amazon Aus                   Amazon UK 

 

 

Is there a special memory that you have about when you decided you wanted to become an author?

Completing my first short story and realising (based on reader feedback) that it was actually pretty good.

 

Is there a particular author that you remember being the first that drew you into being a fan of the Romance genre?

Jane Austen. I love her heroines because they’re feisty and they follow their own paths, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t fall in love.

If you could visit one place in the world that you have never been, where would it be?

India – I love the vibrant culture

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not writing?

Sewing and pattern making (both doing and teaching) and getting out into nature with my camera and taking photos.

Is there a topic you’ve always wanted to write about that you haven’t had a chance to yet?

The suffrage movement. I’m inspired by the amazing women who risked everything to fight for their (and our) right to vote. I’ll be delving into this subject in my next novel, A pivotal Right.

Any future books or projects that you want to share with us to look forward to?

As I mentioned, the second book in the Shaking the Tree series, A Pivotal Right is my current WIP. I’m looking forward to continuing Jack and Florence’s story against the backdrop of social change in the late nineteenth century.

About the Author

An overwhelming urge to create led Kathy to pursue qualifications in both fashion design and applied design to fabric which were followed by a twenty year career in the fashion and applied arts industries and a crafting habit Martha Stewart would be proud of.

Kathy then discovered a love of teaching and began passing on the skills she’d accumulated over the years—design, pattern-making, sewing, Art Clay Silver, screen-printing and machine embroidery to name a few.

Creative writing started as a self-dare to see if she had the chops to write a manuscript. Kathy’s first novel, Peak Hill, which was developed from that manuscript, was a finalist in the Romance Writers of New Zealand Pacific Hearts Full Manuscript contest in 2016.

Her second novel, Throwing Light was published in February 2017 and her third novel, The Moral Compass is due out in late 2017.

Kathy now squeezes full time study for an advanced diploma in creative writing around writing the sequel to The Moral Compass, teaching sewing and being a wife and mother.

A. Servian on the web:

Website       Facebook     Twitter     Instagram    Author Page  

* AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT * Nicole Locke with THE KNIGHT’S SCARRED MAIDEN

 

The Knight’s Scarred Maiden (Lovers and Legends)

A maiden for the mercenary 

Mercenary knight Rhain is living on borrowed time. With a vengeful warlord pursuing him, he has accepted his fate—though first he must get his men to safety. 

When he rescues mysterious and deeply scarred Helissent from her attackers, Rhain soon wishes he wasn’t marked for death. He can never be the man she deserves—his scandalous lineage alone dictates that—but Rhain can’t resist the temptation to show this innocent maiden how beautiful she truly is… 

Lovers and Legends A clash of Celtic passions

 

BUY LINKS:

Amazon Kindle

Amazon Paperback  

Harlequin US

Amazon UK             

Book Depository

B&N

Kobo

iBooks

 

Enter to win signed copies on Goodreads!

 

 

  • Is there a special memory that you have about when you decided you wanted to become an author?

I was fortunate to be very close to my grandmother, who adored romances. She had shopping bags full of them in her closet. She was forever swapping stories with her sisters. I don’t think I have a childhood memory that didn’t include those books. I do believe the seed to becoming an author began then, it just took me a while to plant it!

That moment was on a trip to Wales when the characters from the Lovers and Legends series just appeared while I walked around a castle. They didn’t give me a choice; I had to write about them.   

 

  • Is there a particular author that you remember being the first that drew you into being a fan of the Romance genre?

I’ve been reading romances for as long as I can remember, but there was a time when I stopped (I blame my other job on this). However, by serendipity I came across Amanda Quick’s story Mistress, and was hooked forevermore. Now my kids don’t have childhood memories without romance books in their lives…

 

  • If you could visit one place in the world that you have never been, where would it be?

As a family we try to gallivant as much as possible, but there are places we haven’t gone to because we’re waiting for my daughter to be a bit older. The kids are currently clamouring for Australia (they watch a lot of nature shows on dangerous animals, which seem to all be there).

 

  • What do you enjoy doing when you’re not writing?

When I’m not writing, it’s all about my family. I enjoy my daughter playing her violin and singing off key, and my fidgety son taking apart my appliances and building something new. Okay, maybe I don’t exactly enjoy it when he takes apart my appliances, but I’m always amazed what he does with all the little broken bits afterward.

 

  • Is there a topic you’ve always wanted to write about that you haven’t had a chance to yet?

The only detriment to writing romances today is Time. Nothing is off the table now. There’s no end to the range and depth of emotions nor how to explore them. I’ve addressed grief from massacres, murders, and sickness. Happiness from gardening and new inventions. Excitement from espionage. And my favourite, Love, in all its many facets. I can’t write fast enough!

 

  • Any future books or projects that you want to share with us to look forward to?

In November, Her Christmas Knight releases. This is Hugh’s and Alice’s story. Hugh was from The Knight’s Broken Promise, the first book in the Lovers and Legends series. I knew his story would take the series in a whole new direction (because of that vow he gave at the end). And oh boy, now that it’s releasing, I’m exploring those new directions with more stories. Of course at this rate, the series may never end!

 

 

 

Nicole first discovered romance novels hidden in her grandmother’s closet. Convinced hidden books must be better, Nicole greedily read them. It was only natural she should start writing them (but now not so secretly). If she isn’t working on the next book in the Lovers and Legends historical series, she can be reached at:

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