Behind the Scenes of NOW AND ALWAYS

My latest release, NOW AND ALWAYS, is set in Miami. As a kid, we always went to Miami in August to visit family and friends. It used to be a fun road trip as we made our way from New York, down the East Coast and eventually to Miami. We used to stay in South Beach back then, not because it was trendy, but because it was inexpensive. At one point we stopped staying there as the area had gotten too bad.

It’s nice to see South Beach revived to its Art Deco splendor. I was lucky enough to revisit South Beach a few years back and here are some of the photos from Ocean Drive and the South Beach area. In NOW AND ALWAYS, Connie gets an apartment in this area while she goes undercover and fights her attraction to sexy physician Victor.

This is a view of the beach from Lummus Park. The brightly colored lifeguard stands are a staple of the Miami Beaches.

South Beach Lummus Park

There are quite a number of glamorous hotels in South Beach. This is the pool area at the Loew’s Hotel. Lovely place right near Lincoln Drive. For those who read KISSED BY A VAMPIRE, lots of action in that book happens along Lincoln Drive, a pedestrian mall lined by restaurants, clubs, and stores.

Loew's Hotel

The smaller and older hotels are famous for their Art Deco style and neon. The neon throws its color into the tropical night, making it come alive.

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Hope you liked this behind the scenes glimpse into the inspiration for NOW AND ALWAYS.

#ManCandyMonday Aaron Rodgers & HEA Today & Parajunkee

It’s a busy Monday today! First up, some guest blogs at Parajunkee and at the USA TODAY Happily-Ever-After Blog. Please visit with me as I discuss the destruction along the Jersey Shore and my latest romantic suspense release, THE PRINCE’S GAMBLE.

Also, if you get a chance, please vote for KISSED BY A VAMPIRE over at the Paranormal Romance Guild! I’m nominated for Best Paranormal Romance! Thank you so much!

Today’s Man Candy Monday is a shout out to all my Wisconsin friends! Meet Aaron Rodgers, quarterback of the Green Bay Packers. He is such a cutie! Here he is talking about his ‘stache and having some fun. If you can’t see the video below, you can click here.

The Holiday Season is here!

So much going on today that we’re going to have to skip Man Candy Monday and get started with the holiday season!

What, you say, NO NO NO! You want your Man Candy? LOL! How about we timeshift Man Candy to Tuesday for this week since there is so much happening today?

In the spirit of giving, visit with me at Fresh Fiction as I blog about the inspiration for THE PRINCE’S GAMBLE.

In the spirit of hope, drop by the Harlequin Paranormal Romance blog as I chat about KISSED BY A VAMPIRE and why it’s never too late to find true love!

In the sharing and fun, look for our upcoming Holiday Blog Tour where you can find stories, art work and other interesting pieces of art! Here is the schedule for the tour!

Holiday Blog Tour Stops

Dec. 7 Jasmine Clemente, Jasmine Clemente
Dec. 8 Gwendolyn Jerris, Silence & Honeysuckle
Dec. 9 Natasha Oliver, 2 cents
Dec. 10 Regina Tingle, Unsolicited Certainties 
Dec. 11 Caridad Pineiro, Paranormal Romance Author Caridad Pineiro
Dec. 12 Teresa Carbajal Ravet, Sententia Vera
Dec. 13 Nathasha Alvarez, AudaciousLady
Dec. 14 Stephanie Dorman, How Many Frogs
Dec. 15 Karen La Beau, My Life on Canvas
Dec. 16 Annette Santos, The Monga Confesses
Dec. 17 Zoraida Cordova, Zoraida Writes
Dec. 18 Kristy Harding, Kristy Harding
Dec. 19 Nikki Kallio, Purple Houses
Dec. 20 Sujeiry Gonzalez, Love Sujeiry
Dec. 21 Samantha Kolber, Sam Poet
Dec. 22 Thelma T. Reyna, The Literary Self
Dec. 23 Julia Amante, Julia Amante
Dec. 24 Icess Fernandez Rojas

#ManCandyMonday William Levy & Visit with Viviana

I know you may find this hard to believe, but Man Candy Monday is one of the hardest days of the week for me. So many men, so little time! LOL! But I’d love to hear from you guys who you think are some of the sexiest men around so I can showcase them for you.

But first, visit with me today at Viviana’s Enchantress Blog as I share some secrets and dish about KISSED BY A VAMPIRE. Speaking of KISSED, thanks to Amelia and Cataromance for their review. Here’s a little bit from it:

“The Calling series is one of the most creative paranormal series ever written, and I want many more books in the future. KISSED BY A VAMPIRE is emotionally sensual with surprising feelings of lusty desire.”

Also, many thanks to those of you who have been writing and commenting on the blogs to say how much you’ve loved Stacia’s story. I really appreciate you taking the time to do that!

Now for today’s Man Candy: William Levy. I know he captured hearts in Dancing with the Stars adn I could understand why. This sexy Cubanito is sooo hot! Here’s one of the dance numbers from the show. Check out those fabulous arms and that boyish grin. And the chest. Sigh.

If you can’t see the video below, you can click here.

#ManCandyMonday Tim Tebow & Blog Tour & #Giveaway

Today’s Man Candy is the awesome Tim Tebow. I guess he is on my mind today as the Jets prepare for their Monday night game and I’m left wondering when Coach Ryan is ever going to use him in some meaningful way. So far Tim has been wasted on the sidelines.

There are so many critics of his football abilities and I always ask myself why? Here is a young man who is a leader to his teammates, led both his high school and college teams to championships and was the only underclassmen ever to win the Heismann Trophy. Let’s not also forget how he lead the Broncos to an AFC West title and first playoff game since 2005.

Hmm. Gotta wonder about the detractors. Maybe his style isn’t pretty, but Tim has got heart. Lots of it.

That heart doesn’t stop on the football field. When he’s not playing, Tim does all different kinds of volunteer work and is known for his generosity of his personal time and money with those in need. He has founded the Tebow Foundation to help others and participates in several other charitable organizations.

Heart. Do you hear that Coach Ryan? It reminds me of my Alma Mater, Villanova, playing the much more dominant Georgetown team in 1985. Villanova was an immense underdog, but it had heart. It never gave up and went from the lowest-seeded team in the tournament to a national championship.

Speaking of heart, it’s exciting for me to have the upcoming release of KISSED BY A VAMPIRE.  It’s not just the new release, but rather the very intriguing heroine of the book, Stacia.  Stacia is a 2000 year old vampire who doesn’t believe she is capable of loving anymore, but she couldn’t be more wrong and I loved proving that to her. This story is sexy, emotional and touching. Plus it has the glitter and glamour of a South Beach backdrop.

Please take a moment to visit these various blogs for guest posts, interviews and an assortment of giveaways! As always, thank you for your support of me and my books.

10/08/12 – All Things Books

10/07/12 – Book Monster & Literal Addiction

10/08/12 – Books-n-Kisses

10/09/12 – United by Books

10/10/12 – Close Encounters with the Night Kind

10/11/12 – The Hispanic Reader

10/12/12 – Sizzling Hot Books

10/13/12 – Grave Tells

10/14/12 – The Jeep Diva

10/15/12 – The Reading Cafe

10/16/12 – Book Lovin’ Mamas

10/17/12 – Riverina Romantics

10/18/12 – Romancing The Book

10/19/12 – All The Fun Starts After Dark

10/20/12 – Ramblings from this Chick

 

Photo Credit: Craig O’Neal http://www.flickr.com/photos/36703550@N00/2133330966

4.5 Stars for KISSED BY A VAMPIRE! Time to celebrate!

Kissed by a Vampire in South Beach Nocturne CravingWOW! I got home to find my copy of the November RT BOOK REVIEWS sitting on the kitchen table and opened it up to read their review for KISSED BY A VAMPIRE. I’m sharing a little snippet of it with you today.

KISSED BY A VAMPIRE (4 1/2 stars) by Caridad Pineiro:

“It’s quite interesting how Pineiro manages to separate Stacia’s vampire nature from her kinder human instincts in this compelling read with sexy characters and an exciting storyline.”

Woo hoo! I am so glad that they loved Alex and Stacia’s story because Stacia is one of my all time favorite characters.

So I guess it’s time for a little celebration and a lot of Friday Fun! I’m going to get you in the mood for some of that South Beach sizzle from KISSED BY A VAMPIRE with an oldie, but goodie.

Crank up the volume and get on your feet (another great song by the way!) for Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine!

If you can’t see the video below, you can click here.