Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Romance Weekly: First Kiss


Do you like to read romance novels? Wouldn't you like to know more about your favorite authors? Well you came to the right place! Join the writers of Romance Weekly as we go behind the scenes of our books and tell all..... About our writing of course! Every week we'll answer questions and after you've enjoyed the blog on this site we'll direct you to another. So come back often for a thrilling ride! Tell your friends and feel free to ask us questions in the comment box.

If you found me by way of Carolyn Spear http://www.carolynspearromance.com/blog, welcome! This week, we're talking about a staple of the romance genre: the first kiss. What was your first kiss like? Was it tender innocence, barely a whisper upon the lips? Awkward and embarrassing? Or filled with the passion between two lovers?

Did it look something like this YouTube video? 20 total strangers were asked to kiss for the first time, and do it on film. Can you imagine? Kinda of a cool, and bizarre, idea all at the same time.


Do you even remember your first kiss?!

If you don't remember this momentous event in your life, don't worry. I don't remember mine either, which is why today I'm giving you the first kiss scene of my romantic suspense, Redemption For Liars. Enjoy!

Jonah waited until Maya was busy in the backyard before beginning his last project of the day. He heaved the new front door out of the truck, careful not to shatter the glass. The mahogany door featured a stained glass image of a mother and child, enveloped by a bevy of butterflies, flowers, and music notes. It had cost him a week’s salary, but the look on Maya’s face when she saw it would be worth every penny.

Prying the old door off its hinges was shamefully easy. It took some shimmying, but before long, the new door was in place and Jonah went into the backyard to track Maya and Lily down. “It’s time. But first you have to promise to cover your eyes and not peek, Lily.”

Jonah pulled a bandana out of his back pocket and headed toward Maya.

Maya backed away, arms up in surrender. “I promise to not peek.”

He pointed at Lily. “Her I trust. You, on the other hand, not so much.” He tied the scarf over her eyes. “You, darlin’, have got a helluva rebellious streak in you.”

Slowly he led the girls to the front of the house and positioned them into place.

“Wait.” He turned Maya to face him. Lifting her chin, he leaned close and studied the anticipation written all over her face. Jonah wanted Maya as badly as he hoped she wanted him.

He studied the silky smooth skin of her neck, blowing softly. He ran his thumb across the delicate skin, delighted to find goose bumps had risen. Just like he knew they would. It wasn’t her body he was worried about pleasing. It was her heart.

Don’t do it. Don’t get involved.

Hell, who was he trying to kid? He’d fallen head over heels in love with her the moment she first landed in his arms.

I’m going to hell for sure for this.

Lowering his head, his mouth hovered above hers. “I’m going to kiss you now.”

The slight nod of her head was all the encouragement he needed. A zing of excitement shot through his body. His lips brushed against hers and she sighed into his mouth, lips parting, breath sweet like chocolate.

It took every last bit of his willpower to keep the kiss gentle and chaste, though he desperately wanted more, wanted to sweep her into his arms and carry her off to bed. Could she feel the same electric current he did when they kissed?

Not being able to see the expression in her eyes was torture to him. Would he find surprise, or passionate longing staring back at him, matching his? He had to know. Reaching up, his hand tangled with her hair as he tried to undo the knot that held the blindfold. The bandana dropped to the ground and Maya leaned into the kiss, resting her hands on his bare chest, sending another shockwave of electricity coursing through his body.

The kiss ended and he rocked back, trying to put some space between them. A surge of longing washed over him. One kiss would never be enough. Not with her. Maya had gotten under his skin, touching his soul in a way no woman ever had before, destroying his carefully thought out plan, leading him to recklessly get involved with her, the only lead he had in his case.

He was going to hell for this for sure.

Maya’s eyes fluttered open and sought his, dark with desire. “You call that a kiss, Cowboy?”

A slow warmth spread throughout his body. He smiled. “I can do better. Wanna see?”

“I should hope so.” The mischievous glint in her eye was infectious.

Discretion be damned.

Jonah pulled her into his embrace then, lifting her to her toes so their bodies fit together perfectly. He cupped her head, fingers tangling in her hair, leaving no distance between them. Her breasts crushed against his chest, her delicate fingers sliding over his shoulders.

“How’s this?” He tilted his head to the side to gauge her reaction.

She pulled back, serious-like as she pretended to contemplate their body positions. “So far, so good, but you ain’t got to the kissing part yet.”

Impish delight settled in his belly. Two could play that game.

Her arms slid around his neck and she stared at his lips. “Go on. Get to it.”

God, she smelled good, like chocolate chip cookies baked with pure sugar and summertime sunlight. To hell with playing games. He went in for the kill, tilting his head and zeroing in on his prize. Her mouth, soft and supple, locked with his, granting him full access. The kiss deepened as he plundered shamelessly. For a minute, he lost all sense of time. Nothing mattered but her. Every beat of her heart, each breath she took, was seamlessly synced with his.

Breaking the kiss, he captured one lip, his teeth lightly raked across the satiny skin, claiming her as his and his alone. Reluctantly he pulled away before he couldn’t stop himself and really did carry her off someplace secluded to have his way with her.

The searing heat of their kiss had done nothing to sate his craving for her, only left him panting, begging for more. And that scared the hell out of him. It was unlike anything he’d ever experienced before.

“You can open your eyes now.” He gazed upon her ethereal face, her eyes still closed, mouth poised for more. The freckles on her nose called to him, begging to be counted.

She touched her fingertips to her lips. “I don’t want to.”

“Turn around,” he insisted, dropping his voice to a whisper. “Your daughter is watching.”

Lily stared at her mom, abhorred by their kiss. “Gross.”

“Never you mind, now go in the house. Mama needs to talk to Mr. Jonah.”

It was then that Maya finally noticed the new door.

She gasped. “Oh, Jonah . . . it’s beautiful.” Taking the porch steps two at a time, she inspected the door, tracing the intricate design of the stained glass window.

Jonah trailed behind. “Thought you might need a door that actually locked. Go on, try it,” he urged as he dropped a silver key into the palm of her hand.

She didn’t move.

Jonah leaned over and nibbled on her ear before softly whispering, “If you wait much longer, darlin’, I might be tempted to carry you through that door.” He kissed the side of her neck before continuing. “But then, what would I do for an encore?”
Want to read more? Redemption For Liars is available on Amazon.com for $2.99. Click here to purchase: http://amzn.com/B00GMXP43M


Next up on the tour of first kisses is Nina Mason http://ninamasonromance.blogspot.com

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Thursday Talent: Souls Entwined by Anne B. Cole


Today's Thursday Talent is a little different. Instead of revealing a new book cover, or celebrating a new release, I'll be interviewing a fellow writer. This week, my friend Anne B. Cole is joining me again to chat about her experience breaking into the publishing world. 

Meet Anne. That's her below. She's a fellow Soulmate Publishing author, a preschool teacher, and she's pretty darn awesome! 


EJ:  Hi Anne, I'm so glad you could be here with me today. The last time we chatted, you're book, Souls Entwined, was just hitting Amazon. Here's what I want to know today. What was it like when you finally received an offer on your book? Who did you tell first?

AC:  It was July 29, 2013, and I was in the family room opening up my email on my laptop. I noted an email from Soul Mate Publishing and expected a rejection letter. When I realized it was an offer, I simply said, "Oh, my God!"

Two of my kids were in the same room. Like typical teens, they ignored me. On my second or third, "Oh, my God!" they asked me what was wrong. I didn't respond because I was trying to read more. After "No freaking way!", "Holy Crap!", and a few other responses, my husband came downstairs from his office (he works at home) and my third teenager took the laptop from me to see what was going on. My husband wanted to know who died. 

My oldest daughter explained to him that my book was going to be published and that she was going to star in the future movie. (She is jumping to conclusions here.) It took over a week for it to sink in that I had an offer, and to this day, my daughter claims she is going to be "Gretta". She just cannot decide who she wants "Sam" to be.


EJ:  I love that your oldest daughter wants to be in the future movie adaptation. Sounds like your family is very supportive. 


Ready for question number two? Every author I've met is an avid reader. Which authors do you enjoy reading?

AC: Ooo...that is easy, but could take up an entire page because I love to read and there are so many great authors out there! Here's my condensed list:

John Grisham
Rick Riordan
Dana Stabenow
Colleen Hoover
Kristin Hannah
Dan Brown

I also enjoy reading from these new authors:

Deborah Kreiser
Peter Darley
Anna Bloom


EJ: I've read Dan Brown and John Grisham, but I don't think I've read any of the other authors. Guess I better go check them out! 

Thanks Anne for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with me today. 


ANNE B. COLE


Souls Entwined is Anne B. Cole’s debut release, combining sweet romantic suspense, time travel, and paranormal elements in a New Adult novel attractive to a wide range of readers.

In addition to writing, Anne teaches preschool and is raising three very active teenagers with her husband of twenty-two years. Her love for making fresh baked goodies, running, hiking, historical fiction, and her three pet cats continue to be her inspiration while she pens the sequel to Souls Entwined.

(See? I told you she was awesome!)

Book Blurb
When a cursed family heirloom sends Gretta Dobbs back in time, a hunky construction worker, Sam Daggett, suddenly finds himself love struck and joins her adventure. Their souls entwine within the bodies of young lovers on a Greek island in 1829, where they begin to unravel the mysteries behind Gretta’s ring all while avoiding a bloodthirsty pirate who is determined to seek revenge. Gretta and Sam must find the secrets needed to save her and her relatives from an afterlife in purgatory and return to their own lives---or risk becoming prisoners of the past, continuing the evil cycle of the ring’s curse.


To Connect With Anne
To follow Anne’s publishing journey and connect with her, check out her blog site and find her on Twitter and Facebook.

Blog      *       Twitter       *      Facebook

To purchase Souls Entwined, click here: http://amzn.com/B00K0W80JQ 

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Romance Weekly: #LoveWriteChat


I hope everyone had fun last week during our giveaway! If you found me by way of Jo Richardson http://jrrichardsonfics.wordpress.com/blog/, WELCOME! Enjoy your stay.

This week we're deviating a little from our normal format. Instead of our standard 3 questions, we're sharing our favorite 15 minute meal. I have to confess. I can't cook to save my life. Growing up, my family was always running from one place to another. Between roller skating lessons, piano lessons, Girl Scouts, church, and school activities, we weren't home much to say the least. Mom tried to teach me how to cook, unfortunately I was a terrible student, not very interested in learning at all. Life isn't any easier now that I'm married with two kids, work full time, and write in my spare time.

Despite all that, several years ago, I helped create a Family Cookbook, where we compiled all of our relatives' favorite recipes. It's chock-full of advice for the next generation of non-cookers, memories we want to share, and photographs to reminisce over. It was a year-long labor of love, but worth every moment I spent poring over recipes with my mom. It's time I can't get back, now that she's gone. Here's the front cover, inside front cover, and first page of our cookbook.





Ok. So now for the part you've all been waiting for. THE RECIPE! I couldn't decide which recipe to share with you, so I'm sharing two. One from my husband, and one from me. Both recipes take minimal work and use ingredients we always have on hand.

Salsa, Chicken & Rice
Ingredients:
Chicken breasts or tenderloins
Salsa (we prefer Pace)
Rice (we use microwavable rice cups)

Directions:
Place chicken in a skillet and cover with a generous amount of salsa. Cover. Cook until chicken is no longer pink. While chicken is simmering, prepare white or brown rice per directions. Top rice with chicken and salsa. Voila!

Easy and quick but it smells delicious while cooking. Tastes even better, especially when I didn't have to prepare it!


Chicken Enchilada Soup
Ingredients:
1 small can black beans - drained and rinsed
1 can diced green chiles
1 can stewed or diced tomatoes
1/2 package frozen or canned corn (with or without juice, if canned)
Frozen chicken breasts or tenderloins
1 small can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 small can green enchilada sauce
1 1/2 cup milk

Toppings:
Crushed tortilla chips
shredded cheese
sour cream
olives

Directions:
Get out your crockpot and put in a crockpot liner, if you have one. Dump the first 4 ingredients into the bottom of the crockpot. Lay frozen chicken breasts on top of the mix. In a small bowl, whisk together the cream of chicken soup and the enchilada sauce. Slowly whisk in milk. Pour over the chicken. Cover and cook 6-8 hours. In the last half hour, shred the chicken and stir the soup. Return to cooking. When done, top with toppings of your choice.

This recipe is super simple, even for a non-cooker like me. And I pretty much always have these ingredients on hand. Gotta love a recipe where you basically open a can and dump it in a pot to cook. Total prep time on my part is about 15 minutes combined. The crockpot does all the hard work. I recently served this meal to house guests of ours, and despite not being a big fan of chicken, they both loved it.

If you try either of these recipes, please drop in and let me know what you think!

Next up . . . Carolyn Spear http://www.carolynspearromance.com/blog. Head on over and see what she's cooking up!