I can’t believe it’s been nearly five years since I visited London! It was awesome to walk around and see the sights that I wanted to include in a number of books I was writing. Two have been published, but the other one, which had a story revolving around the Knights of Templar, might never see the light of day. Sigh. Too many books to write and too little time.
This is a photo of me, my daughter, and my husband in front of Big Ben. We love to walk around and explore the city and we really had a wonderful time doing just that. I can’t even imagine how many miles we clocked since we spent most of the day walking. One of our most fun adventures on this trip was a Jack the Ripper Tour. Very informative and interesting to walk the same streets as where the crimes had occurred. Now that’s one thing I will definitely fit in a book in the future. Maybe Diana and Ryder will have to take a trip there to help out Scotland Yard with a copycat killer or maybe even a vamped out Jack the Ripper!
I’m in the midst of writing ONE NIGHT OF PLEASURE which features sexy retired Navy Captain Mark Smith and veteran Army Staff Sergeant Bridget Sullivan. If the Sullivan name is familiar, it’s because you met Bridget’s younger sister Maggie in ONE LAST NIGHT. It’s also familiar because you meet both Mark and Bridget in STAY THE NIGHT, Rafe and Elena’s story.
One thing I always think about while writing one of these novellas is how I can give you a quick intro to some of the characters you might see in a future book. In ONE NIGHT OF PLEASURE you’ll get to meet Lieutenant Commander Samantha Whittaker who is now in the Coast Guard and veteran Seabee Zack Rodriguez.
Why the Coast Guard (and I promise you’ll see more about the Seabees in another Write Wednesday post)? Well, I happened to be rescued by a very charming Coast Guard vet when I was stranded on a hotel balcony during an RT Convention in Orlando. To this day we both smile whenever we see each other and recall that very interesting (and embarassing) incident. You see, my friends and I had gone out there to have a glass of wine on a beautiful day. As we powershut a very recalcitrant sliding glass door, the security bar came loose and came down perfectly, trapping us on the balcony.
Luckily our hero walked by and seeing our dilemma, called for hotel security to come free us. He then graciously offered to get us some more wine as well. LOL!
So in his honor and to honor the service of our Coast Guard veterans, I thought it was time to highlight that branch of the military in one of the upcoming TAKE A CHANCE series novellas.
So here’s a little bit more about the Coast Guard, my Write Wednesday inspiration for EMBRACE THE NIGHT (late spring 2015), my story with Samantha and Zack.
Did you know the Coast Guard just celebrated the 100th Anniversary of the act to create the Coast Guard? You can click here to read more about the Coast Guard Act. However, the Coast Guard has been around since 1790. The 1915 Act was really more of a change of name of the service.
During times of peace, the Coast Guard is part of the Department of Homeland Security (as of 2003). During times of war, the Coast Guard is part of the Navy. Coast Guard heroes like Douglas Munro, a Medal of Honor winner, have saved countless lives during both peace time and war.
The Coast Guard is one of five military branches. Its motto is “Semper Paratus” in Latin which means “Always Ready.”
I wanted to take today to congratulate one of my writing colleagues, Marie Ferrarella, on the publication of her 250th book for Harlequin. Marie and I have participated in a number of continuity series for Silhouette Romantic Suspense and I’m so so happy for her.
Today’s Teaser Tuesday is a glimpse into #250, Carrying His Secret. Here’s a little blurb for it:
FAMILY SECRETS… For years, Elizabeth Shelton kept her attraction to Whit Adair hidden. But when one explosive night with the gorgeous tycoon leaves her pregnant, it’s not just her heart that’s at risk. Because the Adair family have been targeted by a killer… and Elizabeth is next on their list. When Whit learns of the danger Elizabeth is in, he immediately whisks her away to his ranch, the only place where he can keep this beautiful, vulnerable woman safe. And, once he learns that Elizabeth is carrying his child, Whit knows that he’ll defend their future… whatever it takes.
I’d noticed Idris Elba off and on in various programs and movies, but he really snagged my interest in the BBC One series LUTHER where he plays a detective with very deep and scary secrets. It’s a fabulous dark psychological crime drama and we binge watched it on Netflix. I highly recommend it if you love police dramas and if you love London. It was awesome seeing them running around in places we had been lucky enough to visit.
By DFID – UK Department for International Development (https://www.flickr.com/photos/dfid/15418120205/) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Happy Friday! I think most of us are glad that it’s Friday and we’ve got a weekend to decompress. I know I love Fridays and being able to take some extra time to write, spend time with family and friends, and read.
Last week I brought you some free contemporary romance reads. This week I’ve got some paranormal freebies for you. If you read one of these and like it, please take a moment to leave a review. Reviews are really really helpful to authors!
So now, in no particular order, are some free paranormal reads. Please note these were free at the time of posting this blog. Please make sure of the price before ordering.
I truly believe that one God closes one door, he opens another. In my case, it wasn’t really a fully closed door, but God kind of nudging me to do something different. That happened many years ago after the birth of my daughter which led me to becoming a writer.
In 2012 it was going to a fabulous retreat in South Carolina where I was introduced to a number of ladies who were taking a different path in their writing careers, namely indie publishing. I’d been thinking about doing that for some time, especially since I had books to which the rights had reverted. I also had ideas for some novellas that I knew would be hard to sell in the traditional world.
I started by getting back the rights to several of my early contemporary novels. From there I worked on getting them ready for release and also, writing some new stories. The next big step was getting together with some friends to try out the new box set craze and the result of that was the very successful Lucky 7 Bad Boys Box Set.
Thank you all for embracing that set and making it a NY Times and USA Today bestseller! We could not have done that without your support and it is truly appreciated.
Here is a picture of some of my Lucky 7 writing buddies. This picture was taken when we were all together for the Romantic Times Convention in New Orleans. It was so awesome to get to spend time with them since most of our communications were via phone or electronic.
From left to right, that’s me, Virna DePaul, Susan Hatler and Sophia Knightly. I’ve actually known Sophia for nearly 15 years since we used to write for the same line at one time. It is awesome to be able to work with her again as well as all the other fabulous Lucky 7 Ladies.
Well, the Lucky 7 Ladies have a new release – Lucky 7 Brazen Bachelors. The box set includes seven contemporary romance novellas that range from sexy to sweet and have all kinds of interesting bachelor heroes! The set is specially priced at 99 cents and is now available for pre-order. You can get it here:
It’s been a crazy couple of months with the holidays and work and writing obligations. Since Saturday was a rainy and dreary day, my hubby and I decided we were going to go to the movies, especially since there was one movie we both really wanted to see: American Sniper. We had actually wanted to go on Friday night, but it was sold out. We weren’t the only ones interested in going. The movie added another 64.4 million in box office sales to last week’s 107 million dollar take. Since release, it’s made nearly 200 million dollars.
Why the interest? Well, for me it was to maybe learn more about Chris Kyle, America’s deadliest sniper and a man who by all accounts was multi-faceted and a hero. He died trying to help a fellow veteran and earned both Silver Stars and Bronze Stars during his military service. If you want to find out more about Chris Kyle, click here for a well-rounded article. Why do I say “wel-rounded”?
There are those who will decry both Kyle and the movie. All I can say is that I thought the movie was thought-provoking and sad. You all know I support our military and that I’m as patriotic as can be. I went into the movie with those sentiments and I left the movie with those sentiments. War is hell and the movie shows that. God bless those who brave that hell for us.
I have to say that Bradley Cooper has surprised me yet again. He’s far beefier in the movie than in Silver Linings Playbook or his other movies. He looks a lot like Chris Kyle with the addition of a neatly trimmed beard. The transformation is amazing as was Bradley’s acting. For that, I’ve chosen him as today’s Man Candy!
By Chad J. McNeeley, U.S. Navy [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
