#TeaserTuesday A Second Chance at Love and an Upcoming Book Signing

Good morning! The summer seems to be flying by and so are the days until my upcoming signing at the Edison Barnes & Noble! Please join me on August 4 to sign some of my latest releases! Here’s the info for it:

    Romance at Menlo Park
    Author Event, Special Event, Author Signing
    Saturday August 04, 2018 12:00 PM
    Join us from 12PM-4PM and meet your local romance authors!

    Menlo Park Mall
    55 Parsonage Road
    Edison, NJ 08837
    732-548-4179

And now for today’s Teaser and a Thank You! Thank you all for your support of the At the Shore series! You have really made it special for me! Today’s teaser is from Chapter 1 in WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER In this scene Connie and Jonatha are about to see Jonathan for the first time in many years. They are both still the same in some ways and very different in others. They are both still wondering about the “What if?” I hope you enjoy this teaser!

Excerpt

Chapter 1

Jonathan Pierce stared hard at the mirror, wondering what Connie Reyes might see tonight when she and her friends came over for the dinner his brother Owen had arranged. What Connie might think after so much time had passed.

The teen she had known seven years earlier was gone as was the man she’d run into shortly after Hurricane Sandy. That man had been replaced by one who had known his share of hardship and success. Barely perceptible laugh lines that hadn’t been there that last summer bracketed his mouth and eyes. There was a thin scar above one brow thanks to a crash while testing a new vehicle prototype on the Bonneville Salt Flats. Another jagged white line on his jaw was courtesy of shrapnel when a hydrogen fuel cell had unexpectedly exploded in their lab.

He looked away and leaned heavily on the edge of the vanity, noting the other assorted nicks and scars on his hands. They were the hands of a man who had lived life to the fullest and made himself what he wanted to be and not what others expected. He knew he’d sometimes hurt people with his choices, especially his older brother Owen, who’d had to shoulder the burden of the family business as well as their father’s ire whenever one of Jonathan’s escapades caught the attention of the media.

He’d gotten used to the interest the press had in him. After all, he was the renegade son of a wealthy family. A self-taught inventor who had sold his first small invention for millions. He was now revolutionizing the motor vehicle and battery industries with his innovative designs, unconventional methods, and fearless experiments.

He had brought idea after idea to life with detailed research and hard work. There had been failures along the way, but that had only made the successes that much more enjoyable. He had celebrated those successes with his team, his brother, and a bevy of actresses and models who were only too keen to be seen on the arm of a rebellious multi-millionaire who might soon be a billionaire if his company’s stock prices continued to climb.

Only… none of those women could hold a candle to Connie.

Connie, who he would see in just a few hours thanks to his brother. Owen had finally decided to fight for Maggie Sinclair, and he was happy that his brother was following his heart. But while Jonathan would do almost anything for Owen, he wasn’t happy about having to spend time with Connie.

Smart and beautiful Connie, he thought with a sigh and a shake of his head.

He’d managed to avoid her for the last several years. Sure, he’d seen her after Sandy and occasionally from afar when Maggie and her friends had come down to Sea Kiss. Or every now and then when he’d gone to some business event in the city.

He’d tried to tell himself he didn’t like the sleek professional woman she’d become. That she wasn’t prettier than ever. He tried not to imagine peeling off those elegant business suits to reveal the real woman beneath. But he was lying to himself.

He had never really gotten over the Connie Reyes that had emerged that summer they had shared. The woman who had learned to live for the moment and have fun. Who had been carefree and willing to explore their love. He doubted he would ever forget that women and wondered if she was still there, trapped inside her very prim and proper suits.

Maybe he’d find out tonight, he thought, and prepared himself for what might be a very difficult dinner.

***
Connie Reyes splayed her hand across the nervous butterflies in her stomach that were beating their wings so violently, she felt like throwing up. She was tempted to beg off from dinner with the Pierce boys, only Maggie needed her moral support and Connie never disappointed a friend. Especially Maggie, who was like a sister. She’d do anything for Maggie, even suffering through a meal with Jonathan Pierce.

“You feeling okay? You’re looking a little . . .” said Emma Grant, her other BFF. Emma eyed her intently, her green-eyed gaze inquisitive.

“I’m just fine,” she lied, but it was clear from Emma’s meaningful stare that her friend suspected something was up as they followed

Maggie onto the patio and to the long row of tall privet hedges that separated the two Jersey Shore mansions.

She tamed the flutters much as she did when arguing a case before a judge and trudged along behind Maggie as they eased through the hedges and approached the entrance to the Pierce mansion. They had barely reached the front porch when Owen threw open the door, a big friendly smile on his handsome face.

He welcomed them warmly, but Connie couldn’t resist mumbling to Emma, “Said the spider to the fly.” As much as she wanted things to work out with Owen, she still worried about how Maggie would be hurt if they didn’t.

Emma jabbed her in the ribs and luckily, it seemed as if Owen either hadn’t heard her comment or if he had, was choosing to ignore it. She gave him props if it was the latter, since it indicated he was truly trying to be nice for Maggie’s sake.

They quickly walked through the foyer and living room and back to the dining area. Jonathan was in the kitchen, an apron over his jeans and T-shirt. The T-shirt hugged his broad, muscled chest and laid bare the powerful muscles of his arms. His light brown hair still had the kiss of the summer sun and was tied back from his face, revealing the sharp lines of his features.

He looked older, but still so handsome.

She had thought she could handle this dinner for her friend’s sake. That she could face Jonathan and not get caught up in the emotions from years past. But it was impossible to forget the way he’d held her in his arms, a dimpled smile on his lips, his sea-blue eyes bright with humor and love. With that memory, the flutters in her stomach were replaced by an ache in the region of her heart.

Please also take a moment to explore WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER at these 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: http://bit.ly/koboWHS
Audible: https://amzn.to/2M2ZWfY

Don’t forget you can download ONE SUMMER NIGHT for #99cents at these retailers:

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2krMwfE
B&N: http://bit.ly/2kNuo0p
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2ik8EfG
iBooks: http://apple.co/2qsqdwx
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2fuEphL

Rockin’ Day at RWA!

Starting to feel a little pooped with all the running around!

Breakfast with friends and the goody room. Ran into tons of people in the halls and chatted with them about all kinds of writing things and how they were doing. Hit the Harlequin book signing to get some books for research and my buddies at work.

Lunch was wonderful! My buddy Eloisa James did a marvelous talk at the luncheon. Go Eloisa!

Then after the signing, I started to prep for my first ever Grand Central Publishing signing. It was so exciting to get there and see the galleys of SINS OF THE FLESH (Nov 2009)!! Here’s a photo of me at the signing.

After the excitement of the signing, I dropped some excerpts off at the Goody room and went back to my room where I did some plotting with my friend and fellow author Rayna Vause.

Helped her with a story idea and she helped me refine the concepts for books 3 and 4 in the SINS series! Really excited about writing a proposal for them (once I finish book 2 in the series!)

Then it was time to relax. Had a great dinner with some friends before headed off to the Harlequin party. Harlequin really does it up! Great DJ (the same one as last year) and everyone had a blast. Started up the fun with an intro and then everyone hit the dance floor for “We are Family” and it really is. All those women and the Harlequin people really make you feel like a part of a huge sisterhood at these parties.

Here’s some shots from the party. Harlequin did a fun thing with covers from the past and also, drinks and food that were for particular decades so I thought I’d give you a retro look to match that theme.

RWA First Day!

The caravan from NJ started at 7:30 when my buddy Lois Winston came to my house. Headed down to South Jersey and changed cars to go with Rayna Vause and Melinda Cooke, two other writing buddies from Liberty States.

Made it to DC without any problems at lunch hour and started working. Had to get changed in the bathroom because the room wasn’t ready, but what the heck!

Went to a great booksellers/librarians event where I met some old friends and made new ones. It was also great to see some of my author buddies there, like Kimberly Raye Terry (check her out in this month’s Cosmo), Sue Krinard, Berta Platas, Anna Destefano, Amanda McIntyre and so many others!

Then a quick break before heading off to the Literacy Signing. It was sooo amazing to see that many authors in one spot. You could feel the energy. I was sitting by my pals Berta Platas, Barbara Pierce and Andrea Pickens. Always nice to see them as well as Allie Pleiter. We’ve been sitting together for years now at the signings.

Then it was off to the first ever RWA gathering of the Liberty States Fiction Writers. It was so nice to have both local and long distance members sit down and share meal, be able to chat about all kinds of things.

Finally, sleep. So tired after all the running around.

If you want to check out photos from the first day, please click on this link!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2027966&id=1130005412&l=6c6b222032

More for you tomorrow!