#WisdomWednesday – This is my happy place!

I don’t know about you, but the beach is my happy place! It’s where I go to relax and be inspired. Whether it’s just sitting under my beach umbrella reading a book or taking a long walk in the ocean’s wash or searching for a new shell for my collection, it’s the place where I’m happiest. Maybe it’s because I’m a Pisces, but regardless, I can’t imagine not being near the beach. How about you? What’s your happy place?

Original Beach Image by Pexels from Pixabay

#ManCandyMonday – Do Blondes Really Have More Fun?

Don’t tell Fabio, but I read somewhere that women don’t like blonde cover models. Of course, I couldn’t find the article with that info! I didn’t pay any mind to that when I made Jonathan, the hero in WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER, a blonde. What do you think? Do you like blonde surfer dude kinds of heroes or are you drawn to the dark and dangerous type?
Jonathan Pierce WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER

You can purchase WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER at the following retailers:

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2y6hi4h
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2y92UIQ
B&N: http://bit.ly/2BJNcov
B&N Paperback: http://bit.ly/2sHmY3l
Google: http://bit.ly/2hKg3BW
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2HlVlly
iBooks: http://apple.co/2hKgP1J
Kobo: bit.ly/koboWHS
Audible: https://amzn.to/2M2ZWfY

#WisdomWednesday – When the going gets tough, head to the beach!

I head to the beach. There’s just something about being near the water that helps me get balanced and back on track. I need that right now since it’s been an up and down year. Lots of fabulous amazing things, like the Jane the Virgin book and the fabulous reviews for ONE SUMMER NIGHT. Lots of frustrating things in the world of publishing which are beyond my control, but have really made being a writer quite difficult.

When the latter start to really weigh me down, it’s time to get away to the shore and think about all that is good, including being by the shore. What’s your place to get balanced again?

And if you do like getting away to the shore, but can’t do it physically, how about checking out ONE SUMMER NIGHT which is available for only 99 cents or read the first three chapters for free at Radish!

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2krMwfE
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2kYLWZV
B&N: http://bit.ly/2kNuo0p
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2ik8EfG
iBooks: http://apple.co/2qsqdwx
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2fuEphL
Radish: Read three chapters for free – http://bit.ly/2AERQFk

Thursday 13 – Summer Wishes

Those who know me know I am like the Energizer bunny after a double-dose of a triple venti Starbucks coffee. I’m always on the go. So this summer I plan on doing something different: relaxing. Well, at least relaxing as much as I can because I really can’t just get away from it all for a variety of reasons. Still, I am going to do my darn best to plan my spontaneity. LOL!

So this morning’s Thursday 13 is a list of my summer wishes! Feel free to add your summer wish as a comment!

1. Relax. I want to dip my toes in the water and just take it easy.
2. Read more. My TBR pile is looking too much like the Washington Monument.
3. Relax.
4. Sell a proposal to Harlequin Desire. I just love these books and so wish I could get back into writing contemporary romances.
5. Relax.
6. Hope the new books sell well.
7. Get to the beach more.
8. Take long naps on the beach.
9. Enjoy early morning and evening strolls along the boardwalk.
10. Lose more weight and be healthier (unfortunately that flies in the face of #11).
11. Eat a short shot ice cream at Day’s every weekend night.
12. Relax.
13. Try my hand at self-publishing some of my earlier releases and a new story.

Hope you’re having a good spring so far and looking forward to the summer! Feel free to share what you would like to do over the next few months.

You can visit more Thursday 13 participants by clicking here.

Summer Splash Winner!

The winner of the Summer Splash Blog Hop prize is Laura H. Please contact me with your postal address so I can send your prize.

Kiss Me, Kill Me – It’s All About Location!

When working with a location in your novel, it’s important to keep in mind a number of things:

1. The tone of the book: Where you set your novel can have an obvious impact on the overall atmosphere of the work. A centuries-old inn on a rocky and foggy New England coast may be better for establishing a gothic feel than the glittering streets of Miami. On the other hand, setting a novel in an unexpected locale, like Miami for a vampire story, may be provide novel ways for you to expand a mythology or create an alternate world.

2. Roadways and the native lingo: My husband just finished a book and said to me that it was obvious the writer was not a New Yorker, although apparently the main character in the book was supposed to be a New Yorker. How did hubby know that? The writer made references to roadways in a manner in which natives would not. For example, a reference to 95 when coming off the George Washington Bridge (aka the “GW” to a native). While it may be 95 on the map, most natives would equate that road with heading to the Turnpike (aka the New Jersey Turnpike). Another one to watch out for if you’re writing about New York City (aka Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas is the official name for 6th Avenue, but it’s rare for a New Yorker to call it Avenue of the Americas.

3. Foods: Food can add a great deal of color to your novel. For example, a reference to “tomato pie” would be appropriate for certain settings in New Jersey. What’s “tomato pie” you wonder? It’s a type of pizza and common in many areas (but not in New York City where it’s not common to refer to “pizza” as “tomato pie”). The reference is more common along the Jersey Shore and in Trenton, which is famous for its “tomatoe pie”. In the shore and Trenton areas, “tomato pie” is usually a thin crust pizza where the cheese goes on first and then the sauce.

4. Media attention: It sounds sanguine, but deciding where to set your story may help with getting media attention for your work. A local author setting a novel in a hometown location: Perfect for getting the attention of the local newspaper, community groups, etc. and setting up signings.

5. Local Customs and Superstitions: When choosing a location (or creating your own), are there any local customs or superstitions that you can include? A haunted house or site of buried treasure? A tale about the town’s founding or history? For example, while researching the area of the Jersey Shore where I’ve set SINS OF THE FLESH and STRONGER THAN SIN, I discovered that Captain Kidd anchored off what is now known as Sylvan Lake in Bradley Beach and buried part of his treasure between two trees near what is now known as Brinley Avenue. You can bet that will make it’s way into a book someday!

I hope these things help you with choosing and working with the location in your novel.

Guilty Pleasures Monday – Sexy Surfers

As I was taking a walk along the shore this weekend, I passed by more than one sexy surfer dude which is the inspiration for not only this morning’s Guilty Pleasure, but the hero in the second book in the SINS series – STRONGER THAN SIN.

Although the hero — Jesse Bradford — was formerly a professional football player, he grew up along the Jersey Shore and returns to live there after his career is prematurely ended by a disease that destroys his bones. Growing up along the shore, Jesse has a love of the ocean and spent many a summer surfing on the Jersey waves. He is a sexy surfer dude and his laid back attitude is definitely part of the attraction for Dr. Liliana Carrera.

I hope you enjoy this morning’s sexy surfer inspiration. Also, I snapped some photos with my phone as I took my walk and I hope you’ll enjoy those as well.

View from Bradley Beach boardwalk

View of Avon-by-the-Sea Beach

View of Shark River from the bridge in Belmar

Surprise Saturday!

It’s a Surprise Saturday blog because I was so busy yesterday with an assortment of things that I didn’t get to do the Fun Friday blog. Had to take my daughter to her job at 2 a.m. because she was working on Black Friday. Then headed to the shore to start filming a Director’s Cut I am doing for you so that you can see some more Behind the Scenes of SINS OF THE FLESH.

Then back to the outlets to pick up my daughter, visit family and then return to the shore for some Black Friday shopping. My daughter and I got almost all of our Christmas shopping done which is great! Now I can focus on getting ready for the holidays and also some revisions I have to do on ARDOR CALLS, the next book in THE CALLING Vampire Series.

Hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving! Mine was wonderful. Good food and family times. I’ll have some photos for you next week.

Before I take off for the rest of the weekend, here’s some happenings for you!

Visit me today at the Borders True Romance blog for a chance to win one of 5 copiesof SINS OF THE FLESH. Just visit this link: http://bordersblog.com/trueromance/

Don’t forget to get 25 extra entries into the contest at Bitten by Books on December 1. You can get the extra entries by RSVPing for the event. Just use this link: http://bit.ly/4TCKcE

Only two days left in the SINFUL THINGS CONTEST. Just tweet the info below or post it to your Facebook profile for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate.

    Celebrate Release of Caridad Pineiro’s SINS OF THE FLESH! RT for a chance 2 win a $50 Gift Certificate. http://bit.ly/2AZWlC