Monday, November 30, 2015

Release Day - ACT LIKE IT by Lucy Parker

Act Like It RDL Ban 

It’s release day for Act Like It by Lucy Parker! I am so excited to share this new contemporary romance with you! Lucy is sharing an excerpt and a giveaway with us today, so be sure to check it all out!

ActLikeItWeb (1)

About Act Like It:
This just in: romance takes center stage as West End theatre's Richard Troy steps out with none other than castmate Elaine Graham.  

Richard Troy used to be the hottest actor in London, but the only thing firing up lately is his temper. We all love to love a bad boy, but Richard's antics have made him Enemy Number One, breaking the hearts of fans across the city. 

Have the tides turned? Has English rose Lainie Graham made him into a new man? 

Sources say the mismatched pair has been spotted at multiple events, arm in arm and hip to hip. From fits of jealousy to longing looks and heated whispers, onlookers are stunned by this blooming romance. 

Could the rumors be right? Could this unlikely romance be the real thing? Or are these gifted stage actors playing us all? 

Buy Links: Amazon | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes   



It would have helped if she’d got further than the couch part of the couch-to-5k training plan she’d printed off the internet. Lainie crossed the finishing line and immediately dropped her head toward the ground, leaning her hands against her thighs and fiercely rejecting the urge to vomit. She was embarrassingly unfit, but if the chain-smoking, foulmouthed comedian two steps ahead of her could finish with a smile on his face and no visible signs of nausea, then so could she. She straightened with an effort, cringing as her back made an audible cracking sound. Performing in a play was a physical job, for God’s sake. It required stamina. She didn’t even have the excuse of sitting behind a computer all day. 

Camera lights flashed as more participants made it over the line. They included several soap actors, a controversial political commentator, a popular abstract artist, and a DJ from Radio 1. The fund-raising committee had managed to put together a respectable hit list of names for the Shining Lights UK 5k, considering that Fun Runs were among the least popular of charitable events. She couldn’t even say the term without an ironic inflection on the first word. What kind of half-witted masochist actually enjoyed running on a drizzly October morning in London? On a weekday, no less, when there were plenty of people about with laptops and coffee cups, observing the mania with perplexity. 

Lainie had tried to suggest an alternative—a bake-off, a rock concert—but the director of the foundation was a jogging enthusiast who refused to believe that other people might not share his predilection for spandex. She saw him now, standing by the refreshment table, doing some kind of yoga stretch and looking cool and unfazed. He didn’t even have sweat stains in his armpits. Unnatural.

“Well done!” he called to her. “How was that?” 

About thirty-five minutes of pure, wheezing hell, thank you for asking. 

“Great,” she said, desperately sucking air into her abused lungs. “Brilliant way to start the day.” If you enjoy unrelenting pain. “I beat my personal best time.” 

Which was true, in the sense that she had never run a 5k before and hopefully never would again. 

Oh, well. It was all money for worthy coffers. 

“Couldn’t agree with you more,” he enthused. “Nothing more invigorating than an early morning run.” 

The poor man had obviously never had early morning sex. Or a caramel latte. 

He nodded toward the throng of spectators, shivering under their support banners. “Good to see the SOs out in force, as well.” 

 “The SOs?” she asked blankly, trying to follow the direction of his gaze. Had she failed to swot up on necessary athletic jargon as well? Safety Officers? Sports Officials? Sulky Octopi? She had no idea. 

“Significant others. Always helps to have a cheerleader on the sidelines, doesn’t it?” He chuckled. “Yours looks a bit worn around the edges. Dragged him out of bed early, did you?” 

Completely at sea, Lainie didn’t respond. Then she finally saw what—or rather whom—he was looking at. Richard was leaning against a pop-up art installation. The enormous statue of a polar bear wore an identical frown and a similar amount of facial hair. The bear was evidently very worried about the status of global warming; a stroppy and still unshaven Richard appeared more concerned with his own warmth, or lack thereof. His hands were thrust in his pockets and he was doing the standing jig-dance of the cold and crabby, bobbing from one foot to the other. 

Absently excusing herself from the grinning director, Lainie hurried over to him, blowing on her own ungloved hands. Now that she had stopped running, the chill was creeping in. 

“What are you doing here?” she asked, amazed and irritable. This had not, as far as she knew, been on their agreed list of activities, and she couldn’t imagine he was pining for her company. She felt justifiably annoyed with him for turning up when she was a red-faced, snot-nosed mess. Not that she had ever exactly bowled him over when she was a painstakingly curled, professionally made-up siren, either. 

Although he hadn’t seemed repelled during that one rain-saturated moment earlier in the week. Which she was never going to think about again. She’d been telling herself so all week. 

He hadn’t wanted to kiss her. 

Had he?  

Author Photo - SmallerAbout Lucy Parker:
Lucy Parker lives in the gorgeous Central Otago region of New Zealand, where she feels lucky every day to look out at mountains, lakes, and vineyards. She has a degree in Art History, loves museums and art galleries, and doodles unrecognizable flowers when she has writer’s block. 

When she’s not writing, working or sleeping, she happily tackles the towering pile of to-be-read books that never gets any smaller. Thankfully, there’s always another story waiting. 

Her interest in romantic fiction began with a pre-teen viewing of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (Firth-style), which prompted her to read the book as well. A family friend introduced her to Georgette Heyer, and the rest was history.

Links: Twitter | Website   

Enter Lucy’s Giveaway! 
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Release Day - FINDING FOCUS by Jiffy Kate

Title: Finding Focus
Author: Jiffy Kate
Release Date: Nov 30, 2015
Find on Goodreads
Sheridan “Dani” Reed is a recently unemployed photojournalist living in New York City. Her boyfriend is vacationing without her, and her best friend has abandoned her for a job in the south.
Is a quarter-life crisis a thing?
After accepting a freelance job in Louisiana for Southern Style magazine, she feels the bleakness of her life back in New York fading in the rearview mirror. Getting back to her southern roots seems to be just what she needs to lift her spirits and spark her creativity. During her stay, she meets playboy Micah Landry and his colorful family. She knows she should avoid him and keep things professional, but his southern charms are hard to resist.
Through the lens of her camera, she finds the beauty and soul of the Landry Plantation, but it’s her beauty and soul that capture Micah’s attention.
When an unexpected phone call takes her back to New York, she’s forced to face the life she was trying to escape head on.
Will her trip and the Landrys only become fond memories, or will Dani find her way back to them and her beloved south?
In their debut novel, Jiffy Kate bring you a story of love, adventure, and finding a place to call home.
When a picture of the pond pops up on the screen, my breath hitches in my chest. With the moon beaming down and reflecting off the glass-like water, it’s more than beautiful. It’s tranquil, peaceful, but most of all, it reminds me of her. I can almost see us there, our feet hanging off the side, our shoulders grazing every once in a while. She looked so gorgeous in the moonlight. I wish I had a picture of that, but this is a close second.
“That looks like something straight out of a magazine,” I whisper before I realize what I’m saying.
“Hopefully, it will be.” She laughs.
“How much for a print of that?” I ask.
“Really? You’d want—”
“Yes,” I cut her off, “I’d love to have one of your pictures.”
“Well, it’s yours. I’ll order the prints once I’m back in New York and have them sent directly to you.”
“Let me pay.”
“No, it’s my pleasure. Really.”
“Give me your phone,” I instruct, and she willingly hands it over. I put my phone number in as a new contact and shoot myself a text before handing it back. “I have your number now, so I’ll text you my address.”
“Okay,” she says, smiling.
“Okay.” For the hundredth time today, I find myself staring at her lips for longer than necessary, wanting to bend down and kiss the shit out of her. She swallows hard and I abruptly break my gaze. Turning around, I leave in search of something to do before I get myself in trouble.
First things first, we're the realest.
Oh, wait. Iggy already used that one.
Well, let's see...
What some people don't know is there are two of us and we're both Jennifers. How lucky are we? The most common name from the 70's! Our parents were so original.
We found each other through Twilight and tornadoes. Sounds like a crazy combination, but it's true. We were roaming around in the same groups of people on social media, but we hadn't really became friends. But that all changed on a stormy Oklahoma night when we noticed that we were both experiencing the same tornado warnings.
We met a week later for lunch and the rest is history. We already knew we had the whole Twilight thing in common, but what we learned that day is that we both loved music and traveling. Together, we've been everywhere. Well, not everywhere, but a lot of places...Seattle, Forks, LA, New York, Chicago, Philly, Nashville, and New Orleans, where our hearts reside.
About six months after we met, we also realized we both had a passion for writing. When we started outlining our first story, we thought that would be it. One story and done. So, we dumped everything we loved into those 100,000 words. If you're familiar with the term "crack fic", that was kind of what it was for us. We had fun with it and let ourselves live on those pages.
But it was like Lays potato chips.
We couldn't write just one.
So, twenty stories later, here we are--publishing our first novel. And how crazy is it that we went back to the beginning.
Finding Focus was originally a Twilight Fan Fic titled Southern Comfort.

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Release Day Launch - BUTTERFLY DREAMS by A. Meredith Walters

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In a powerful romance hailed as “heartbreaking, real, and breathtakingly beautiful” by Stacey Lynn, New York Times bestselling author A. Meredith Walters tells the story of a troubled young woman and the unforgettable guy who teaches her to live—and love—to the fullest. 

She’s waiting to die. . . . Corin Thompson is paralyzed by her obsession with mortality. Having lost both of her parents, she is terrified by the idea that she too will die young, and she loses control at any sign of illness. But when Corin connects with someone who has survived a very real brush with death, she begins to see the world in a whole new way. 

He’s learning to live. . . . As Corin struggles under the weight of her neuroses, Beckett Kingsley is attempting to rebuild a life that feels all too temporary. With the ever-present threat of heart failure never far from his mind, he just wants to make the most of whatever time he has left. And that means pursuing the girl he never expected to find. 

Together, Corin and Beckett finally learn to let go of their fears and take solace in everyday pleasures. Who knows what the future holds? After all, nothing lasts forever—the only promise they have is right now

Advance praise for Butterfly Dreams 

All the feels: poignant, funny, sad, beautiful, and inspiring! Your own belly butterflies will take flight.”New York Times bestselling author Katy Evans  
“A. Meredith Walters is the author I turn to when I want to get sucked into a beautiful story that packs an emotional punch.”New York Times bestselling author Sawyer Bennett 

Butterfly Dreams is one of the most poignant books I’ve read all year. It’s heartbreaking, real, and breathtakingly beautiful. A. Meredith Walters weaves a story that draws you in from the very first page and refuses to let you go even once it’s finished.”—Stacey Lynn, author of the Nordic Lords series 

“The ending nearly killed me, but I survived. I read this book in one sitting, and what a roller coaster of a story. The author did an amazing job. . . . I found myself unable to put the book down.”—The Book Hookup 


Butterfly Dreams graphic #1 

EXCERPT

My doorbell rang. 

What? 

I looked at the clock and realized it was already 7:30. 

So that meant it was Beckett on the other side of the door. 

Shit. 

I looked down at my half-naked body. 

Shit! 

And then I started freaking out. 

“I’ll be right there!” I yelled. 

Should I let him in? 

But I was practically naked! 

I couldn’t let him see me like this! 

Maybe I should own it. Shake my hips and let him get a look at the goods. 

Like that would ever happen. 

Crap, what was I going to wear? 

I grabbed a pair of jeans from my floor and wiggled them on, not really paying attention to which ones they were. 

I reached into my closet and pulled the closest shirt off the rack. I tied my hair into a ponytail and slipped on a comfortable pair of ballet flats. 

I hoped Beckett hadn’t planned on five-star dining because I was dressed more for a McDonalds milkshake before hanging with the bowling league. 

“Sorry,” I said, out of breath, opening the door and letting Beckett inside. 

“I was starting to think I needed to break in and make sure you hadn’t gotten stuck in the toilet or something.” Beckett looked damn near perfect in a dark pair of jeans and button-up blue shirt the same color as his eyes. 

He had even gotten a haircut. Way to make me feel like a total underachiever in the getting ready department, buddy. 

“Looks like you cut yourself,” I said, indicating the piece of toilet paper stuck to his chin. 

“Fuck. I forgot about that,” he muttered, pulling it off, looking embarrassed. 

“You should have left it there. It’s cute,” I teased, putting on my black wool coat. 

“You ready?” he asked. 

“As I’ll ever be.” I gave him a wide smile and he laughed. 

“I’m not taking you to your death by firing squad. You could act a bit more excited.” 

I jumped up and down, clapping my hands together. “OMG, Beck! I can’t wait!” I gasped. 

“Is that better?” I asked, closing my apartment door behind me and locking it. 

“Much.” Beckett leaned down and I swear he was checking out my ass. 

“Excuse me, but what in the hell are you doing?” I demanded. 

“Are you aware that the Cheshire cat is on your right butt cheek?” 

I craned my body to get a look at what he was talking about. And sure enough, there was a bright purple patch with the damn Cheshire cat on my derriere. 

“I must have picked up the wrong jeans,” I groaned. These were my hanging-out-doing-laundry jeans. Not meant to be seen by anyone but myself and the cat. 

“I was in a rush. I couldn’t figure out what to wear. It was stressful,” I tried to explain, pulling my coat down over my feline-covered bum. 

“The last thing I want is to stress you out, Cor-Cor.” 

I smacked his arm. “I thought I warned you about using that damn nickname,” I threatened. 

“I show up with toilet paper stuck to my face and you have a cat on your butt. I think we make a pretty awesome pair,” Beckett snickered, unlocking his car.  
      Butterfly Dreams graphic #2      
   

The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Contemporary and Paranormal romance including The Find You in the Dark and Bad Rep series as well as the upcoming stand alone romance, Reclaiming the Sand, and a dark new adult series for Gallery Books.

A. Meredith spent ten years as a counselor for at risk teens and children. First working at a Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault program and then later a program for children with severe emotional and mental health issues. Her former clients and their stories continue to influence every aspect of her writing.

When not writing (or being tortured with all manner of beauty products at the hand of her very imaginative and extremely girly daughter), she is eating chocolate, watching reality television that could rot your brain and reading a smutty novel or two.

A. Meredith is represented by Michelle Johnson with the Inklings Literary Agency.

Monday, November 23, 2015

All I Want For Christmas - GIVE & TAKE by Daisy Prescott from the RED HOT HOLIDAYS ANTHOLOGY

Available 11/24/2015

Forget shopping. Forget wrapping. Spend the holidays with these 17 gorgeous alpha males. They have something they’d like to put in your stockings, because they’re definitely on Santa’s naughty list in these 17 all-new stories. 

NYT, USA Today, and top-selling authors have banded together to bring you 17 all-new, sweet to sexy books about love, romance, and the holidays. Take a break and rip open this boxed set to cuddle up with these romantic comedy, paranormal romance, and contemporary romance books. These authors have pulled out all the stops, bringing back some of your favorite characters from their bestselling series for one more bite at the fruitcake or penning stories about new characters and new love! 

For a limited time, you can pick up all 17 of these naughty men for a really great price! Over 1000 pages of love, laughter, and romance! From billionaires and filthy rich rock stars to undercover police and bear shifters, we've gathered all 17 passionate stories in one big box with a bow on top. This heart-pounding collection is filled with confident, sexy, and romantic men you'll want to spend the holidays with. 

Click now to get this special box set of best-selling books before it’s gone forever! 

Perfectly Kissed by Lacey Silks: Mistletoes, sneaky best friend and an old lady, coerce best friends and former lovers, Millie and Dave, to reunite for Christmas Holidays. 

Montreux by Blair Babylon: Wulf von Hannover and Rae Stone are about to marry in Montreux, but Wulf’s aristocratic father makes one last attempt to derail the wedding. 

Home Bound by Olivia Rigal and Shannon Macallan: Trapped together by a storm, a voluptuous architect and a sexy TV news reporter melt the ice by a roaring fire. 

A Band of Heather by Sarah M. Cradit: Colleen and Noah belong to two very different worlds, but a band of heather changes their lives forever. 

Christmas on the Run by Daizie Draper: Wannabe rock star Tristan runs from a dangerous bookie and falls for the girl he’s only using as his perfect escape. 

Noel: A Blue Collar Christmas by J.C. Valentine: Nurse Noel Walker doesn’t date patients, but Officer Hunter Davis won’t give up until he slaps the cuffs on. 

Black Christmas by JC Andrijeski: Quintin Black vanishes, leaving Miri alone after a harrowing ordeal in Thailand. Will she forgive him in time for Christmas? 

Winter Tryst by Mira Bailee: One destroyed marriage. Two broken hearts. When Sean visits Lyla to say goodbye, winter’s magic forces the lovers to face the painful truth. 

Give and Take by Daisy Prescott: You never know who will show up at the Sip ’n Stroll in Langley. Someone’s pregnant. Someone’s engaged. And someone’s getting a puppy. 

Slow and Steady by V.J. Chambers: When danger interrupts Christmas shopping, Leigh and her husband Griffin sizzle. 

Take Me Home by Alison Foster: All my Christmas wishes were snatched away by an evil brute. What can you do when the man you hate most makes your mouth water? 

Bearfield Snowed In by Jacqueline Sweet: A hunter tracking her prey finds herself snowed in with a sexy shifter. Is he her mortal enemy or her fated mate? 

My Cowboy Soldier by Gillian Cherry: Holidays draw lovers and families together, except when war tears them apart. 

A Cub for Christmas by Ella Dominguez: This May-December romance burns up the pages when Aricelli realizes that unwrapping her Christmas package is only half the fun. 

Rosy Cheeks by Amity Wilde: Good things sometimes come in unlikely packages. When an online flirt stumbles into Karen’s very real life, he might be just what she needs. 

A Beary Merry Christmas by Jazzmyn Wolfe: After a season of frustration and pain, will curvy Kassandra and Brendan finally have a beary merry Christmas? 

Alec's First Christmas by Felicia Tatum: Daphne and Zander welcomed their baby Alec, and his first Christmas.



Give & Take is a fantastic addition to the Modern Love Story series by Daisy Prescott. This amazing series if full of grown up love stories. I read a lot of romance that feels like it could never happen to me, and that's okay, because I know it's fiction. Daisy writes stories that I want to be a part of. They are realistic enough to be possible and happy enough to make me wish I was experiencing them along with the characters.

In Give & Take, we get to revisit each of the couples from the Modern Love Story series, including the ones that didn't get their own book. It was great catching up to each couple and seeing what life has brought their way. I loved having them all back in one location and seeing how they all interact now that they each have significant others. It was amazing to see how love has grown and changed each person.

This is a short little story, but filled to the brim with the love and joy of Christmas. Like the rest of the series, the author's humor and heart shine through and surround the reader from the first word to the last. It definitely put my heart in the holiday mood.


Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas

Friday, November 20, 2015

Cover Reveal - LISTEN TO ME by Kristen Proby

We are so excited to bring you the Cover Reveal for Kristen Proby’s LISTEN TO ME. Releasing April 12, 2016, LISTEN TO ME is the first novel in Kristen’s Fusion Series, published by William Morrow. Be sure you preorder this one today!


  Image Map  

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo

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About LISTEN TO ME: 

In New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kristen Proby’s brand new series, five best friends open a hot new restaurant, but one of them gets much more than she bargained for when a sexy former rock star walks through the doors—and into her heart. 

Seduction is quickly becoming the hottest new restaurant in Portland, and Addison Wade is proud to claim 1/5 of the credit. She’s determined to make it a success and can’t think of a better way to bring in new customers than live music. But when former rock star Jake Keller swaggers through the doors to apply for the weekend gig, she knows she’s in trouble. Addie instantly recognizes him—his posters were plastered all over her bedroom walls in high school—he’s all bad boy...exactly her type and exactly what she doesn’t need. 

Jake Keller walked away from the limelight five years ago and yearns to return to what’s always driven him: the music. If he gets to work for a smart-mouthed, funny-as-hell bombshell, all the better. But talking Addie into giving him the job is far easier than persuading her that he wants more than a romp in her bed. Just when she begins to drop her walls, Jake’s past finally catches up with him. 

Will Addie be torn apart once again or will Jake be able to convince her to drown out her doubts and listen to her heart? 

   Image Map
Author Pic - Kristen ProbyAbout Kristen Proby: 
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Kristen Proby is the author of the popular With Me in Seattle series. She has a passion for a good love story and strong characters who love humor and have a strong sense of loyalty and family. Her men are the alpha type—fiercely protective and a bit bossy—and her ladies are fun, strong, and not afraid to stand up for themselves. Kristen spends her days with her muse in the Pacific Northwest. She enjoys coffee, chocolate, and sunshine. And naps. Visit her at KristenProby.com.         

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Tuesday, November 17, 2015

On My Way - Lori's Review of FINDING FOCUS by Jiffy Kate



Cover design by Jada D'Lee Designs - www.jadadleedesigns.com


Sheridan “Dani” Reed is a recently unemployed photojournalist living in New York City. Her boyfriend is vacationing without her, and her best friend has abandoned her for a job in the south.

Is a quarter-life crisis a thing?

After accepting a freelance job in Louisiana for Southern Style magazine, she feels the bleakness of her life back in New York fading in the rearview mirror. Getting back to her southern roots seems to be just what she needs to lift her spirits and spark her creativity. During her stay, she meets playboy Micah Landry and his colorful family. She knows she should avoid him and keep things professional, but his southern charms are hard to resist.

Through the lens of her camera, she finds the beauty and soul of the Landry Plantation, but it’s her beauty and soul that capture Micah’s attention.

When an unexpected phone call takes her back to New York, she’s forced to face the life she was trying to escape head on.

Will her trip and the Landrys only become fond memories, or will Dani find her way back to them and her beloved south?

In their debut novel, Jiffy Kate bring you a story of love, adventure, and finding a place to call home.


Jiffy Kate is the joint pen name for Jiff Simpson and Jenny Kate Altman. 

You can call us Jiff and Jenny Kate, but we'll answer to just about anything. 

Jiff is a Louisiana girl living in Texas. She's currently a substitute teacher, working her way back into the classroom. Her most important job is raising two teenagers. She accepts daily prayers on her behalf. 

Jenny Kate is Sooner born and Sooner bred. She works in an accounting department but has a degree in elementary education. She's a mom to a preteen boy in an old man's body. Her evenings are spent sitting at the football field watching practice and her Saturdays in the stands. 

When Jiff and Jenny Kate get the chance to escape real life, you can find them in GDocs writing, immersed in a romance novel, or on a jet plane heading to their next adventure.




This writing duo was new to me, and this was actually a wonderful read. I know that makes it sounds like I was surprised, but I guess I was. I've come to expect a certain formula in romance books, especially ones that are re-written fanfiction stories. This story completely bucked the system and followed it's own rules.

Sheridan 'Dani' Reed is feeling adrift. After months of feeling less then thrilled with her long term boyfriend, Dani loses her job, sending her to Louisiana to do some freelance work with for her best friend. While visiting the Landry plantation, Dani reconnects with the values from her past while getting to know the incredible Micah Landry and his family.

When we first meet Micah, I was really sure that I was going to hate him. Dani and Micah's first run-in did not paint him in a very good light. I have to give the authors props for completely changing my mind about him. He is incredibly sweet and funny. Once he sets his eyes on Dani, he makes it his mission to have her. But what is he going to do about that pesky boyfriend back in New York City?

Dani has no family left, a fact that comes into glaring focus after spending time with the Landry's. They laugh, tease, torture, and look out for each other and Dani finds herself being included. The lost feeling that had been hounding her in New York City disappears amidst the acceptance and love she finds down in French Settlement, Louisiana.


Dani and Micah slide into a relationship that develops so organically. I love how natural it feels. There is nothing rushed about it, even though it does happen in a relatively short amount of time. 


I am grateful for the opportunity to read this story and to tell others about it.

5 out of 5 stars



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Monday, November 16, 2015

Cover Reveal - INFLICT & New Cover of INSPIRE by Cora Carmack

We are absolutely thrilled to bring you the dual cover reveal for Cora Carmack’s Muse Series! INSPIRE and INFLICT are New Adult Paranormal Romance novels and are book 1 and 2 in the Muse Series. INFLICT is due to be released in January 2016! These beautiful covers were designed by Regina Wamba of Mae I Design. Be sure to grab your copy of INSPIRE today!


  Inspire - cover

Amazon eBook ** Amazon Paperback

INSPIRE (Book 1):

Kalliope lives with one purpose.

To inspire. 

As an immortal muse, she doesn’t have any other choice. It’s part of how she was made. Musicians, artists, actors—they use her to advance their art, and she uses them to survive. She moves from one artist to the next, never staying long enough to get attached. But all she wants is a different life— a normal one. She’s spent thousands of years living lie after lie, and now she’s ready for something real. 

Sweet, sexy, and steady, Wilder Bell feels more real than anything else in her long existence. And most importantly… he’s not an artist. He doesn’t want her for her ability. But she can’t turn off the way she influences people, not even to save a man she might love. Because in small doses, she can help make something beautiful, but her ability has just as much capacity to destroy as it does to create. The longer she stays, the more obsessed Wilder will become. It’s happened before, and it never turns out well for the mortal. 

Her presence may inspire genius. 

But it breeds madness, too. 
  

Inspire - full cover wrap


And check out the gorgeous cover for INFLICT, coming January 2016!

Inflict -cover  

About INFLICT (Book 2):

Wilder Bell made a dangerous bargain... 

For a chance at love, he gave up his life. 

History knew Kalliope as an ancient Greek muse, but to Wilder, she was simply the woman he wanted to fall asleep with every night and wake up next to every morning. He made a deal with Hades, but the only thing the Lord of the Underworld deals in is death. 

Now Wilder is wasting away in a cold and wretched afterlife, waiting for Kalli to come for him. She will come. He has to believe that. Because the alternative is worse than death. Kalliope lived her entire existence knowing that she was both a blessing and a curse to anyone she encountered. Wilder was no different. She loved him, and she got him killed. Now to get him back, she’ll have to face a scheming god, a perilous task, and death itself. But before it’s done, the Underworld will take more from her than she ever thought possible. 

To be made whole, all must first be lost.   

  Inflict - full cover wrap    
Cora Carmack - author picAbout Cora Carmack: Cora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She’s done a multitude of things in her life– boring jobs (like working retail), fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). Raised in a small Texas town, she now lives in New York City and spends her time writing, traveling, and marathoning various television shows on Netflix. In her books, you can expect to find humor, heart, and a whole lot of awkward. Because let’s face it . . . awkward people need love, too. Her first book, LOSING IT, was a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.

Website ** Twitter ** Facebook **Newsletter **Author Goodreads**

INSPIRE Goodreads ** INFLICT Goodreads


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Thursday, November 12, 2015

OUTSIDE THE LINES by Lisa Derochers EXCERPT REVEAL

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OUTSIDE THE LINES final coverFrom the author of the USA Today bestselling A Little Too Far series, the first in an edgy new contemporary romance series that follows a family on the run... 

As the oldest son of a Chicago crime lord, Robert Delgado always knew how dangerous life could be. With his mother dead and his father in prison, he’s taking charge of his family’s safety—putting himself and his siblings in witness protection to hide out in a backwater Florida town. 

Fourth grade teacher Adri Wilson is worried about the new boy in her class. Sherm is quiet and evasive, especially when he’s around his even cagier older brother. Adri can’t help her attraction to Rob, or the urge to help them both in whatever way she can. 

But the Delgados have enemies on two sides of the mob—their father’s former crew and the rival family he helped take down. It’s only a matter of time before someone finds them. And if Rob isn’t careful, Adri could end up in the crossfire... 


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Chapter 2 

Adri “Is this straight?” Dad asks, peering in the mirror across from the front door and messing with the badge on the breast pocket of his blue shirt. 

There is almost no crime on our little island because Dad is legendary for taking down drug rings and poachers, but when it comes to the little things, like pinning his badge on straight, he still needs help. 

That’s why I’m here. 

When Mom died last spring, I came back from Jacksonville so I could live at home and help Dad. He and Mom were high school sweethearts and married not long after graduation. He’s always been taken care of. I don’t want him to be alone. 

I move to where he is and turn him, unpinning the badge and straightening it. I smooth his salt and pepper hair off his forehead and stretch up on my toes to kiss the smooth patch of cheek above the line of his beard. “I seriously doubt they’re going to send the Chief of Police home for a dress code infraction.” 

“We’ll see,” he chuckles, giving my blond ponytail a gentle tug. “You ready for your first day influencing the youth of Port St. Mary?” 

I was over the moon when I got the call three days ago that Mrs. Martin had had surgery and they needed a long-term sub for her class. Not that I’m happy they hacked out her gallbladder or anything, but her loss is my gain, so to speak. 

I come from a long line of educators. Mom was my first grade teacher. Both of her sisters, her father, and her grandfather taught as well. You could say it’s in my DNA. I resisted it for a while, thought I wanted to go into finance, but by my junior year at Clemson I had to finally admit to myself teaching was what I really wanted to do. I changed my major to Education and finished my credential just before Mom died. 

Since her death, it’s felt even more urgent to me to teach—like maybe following in her footsteps will somehow keep her spirit alive. But Port St. Mary and the surrounding communities are small, and teaching jobs are pretty scarce. I was afraid I was going to have to try elsewhere come fall. This was a prayer answered…which makes me a little afraid I might have had something to do with poor Mrs. Martin’s gallbladder flaring up. And now it’s starting to feel like one of those “be careful what you wish for” scenarios. 

I rub my sweaty palms down my slacks. “What happens if they hate me?” 

Dad wraps me in his arms and squeezes me in a bear hug, crushing the air out of my lungs. “They’re going to love you, punkin. Your mom would be so proud of you right now,” he says, a catch in his voice. “I hope you know that.” 

I swallow back the lump in my throat and look up at him. I can’t even remember the last time he’s brought her up out of the blue like this. “I know, Dad, but thanks for saying so.” He lets me go and I shoulder my messenger bag. “Time to face the music.” 

We step out the back door to where my old electric blue Chevy Lumina is parked in the driveway, next to Dad’s only slightly less conspicuous cruiser. Dad watches as I slide in and turn the key. The engine chugs but doesn’t turn over. 

I blow out a breath and pop the hood. By the time I grab the monkey wrench on the floor of the passenger side and get out of the car, Dad already has the hood propped up and is looking over the engine compartment. 

“Don’t mess with Frank, Dad.” I point my finger in a circle at the guts of my poor Frankencar. Me and my best friend Chuck rebuilt most of the insides from junkyard parts when we took auto shop our senior year in high school. “It’s a delicate balance.” 

He grins and steps back, his hands in the air. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” 


I will always love Frank—he was my first—but I know I need a new car. Dad’s offered me Mom’s T-Bird, but I’m twenty-three. I’m supposed to be responsible for myself at this point. And besides, I’d rather he sold Mom’s car and put the money towards his retirement. Even though Port St. Mary is pretty sleepy most of the time, everyday he goes to work, I worry. 

I reach between the radiator and the engine and give the alternator a sharp rap with the wrench, then slip back into the driver’s seat. When I turn the key, Frank chugs twice, same as always, then rumbles to life. 

Dad ducks into the cruiser and gives me a little salute as I pull out. 

Port St. Mary Elementary is only about two miles from home. It takes a grand total of eight minutes to drive there. Technically, it’s a one-room schoolhouse. The tiny twelve-space parking lot butts up against an octagonal building, which, in fact, is just one big room inside. In the exact center of the building are the bathrooms and storage closets, and from there, folding accordion partitions section off each wedge of the octagon. Each wedge is a grade level, kinder through sixth, and a multipurpose room. To the right of the parking lot is a doublewide “portable” that houses the school offices and small staff room. Behind that, children are already gathering in the playground, which is really just a weed-infested lot with a slide and jungle gym that has been there since before I started kindergarten here. 

When I walk around the octagon to the door marked with a big yellow four and step inside, it’s like deja vu all over again. Mrs. Martin (she told me to call her Pam when we talked on the phone about the lesson plan yesterday, but I can’t bring myself to) has had the same posters on the walls since the dawn of time. The presidential chart ends with Reagan. She had already been teaching fourth grade in this same classroom for, like, twenty years when I had her. 

I move to her desk, to the right of the door, and set my bag on it. And that’s when I see the note from Principal Richmond. 

A new student. 

I brush my palms down my slacks again, a fresh jolt of nerves twisting my insides into knots. I was already going to be way over my head with a classroom full of nine-year-olds fresh off Christmas vacation and all sugared up on candy canes. 

I look over the instructions. Sherman William Davidson needs his reading comprehension assessment, writing and grammar evaluation, and his math skills worksheet completed by the end of the week. 

I blow a wisp of hair off my forehead and unpack my toothpaste and toothbrush, my journal, and a few of my favorite colored pens into Mrs. Martin’s desk, careful not to displace her things too much. I’m just pulling the assessments for the new kid from the file cabinet when the classroom door opens. I hear Principal Richmond’s gravel voice before I turn around. “…and his classroom is here. We just got word a few days ago that our regular fourth grade teacher is out on medical leave, but Sherman will be in good hands with Ms. Wilson. She’s a very capable substitute.” 

I take a deep breath as I turn and hope he’s not lying. 

I substituted five times during fall semester. For the most part, everything went great until I subbed for Mrs. Yetz’s eighth grade class the week before winter break. Somehow, what started out as a math lab on probability devolved into a liar’s dice tournament, complete with money changing hands. I wasn’t sure they’d call me back after that. 

But when I see Principal Richmond waddle his round frame through the door, I straighten the scarf I tied over my favorite teal sweater and try to look as confident in what he said as he does. 

“Ms. Wilson,” he says, waving me over. “This is your new student, Sherman.” 

Sherman is a wiry little thing with unruly brown hair and clothes that hang off him a little. He looks as if he’d vanish into himself if given the chance. 

“He goes by Sherm,” the man standing next to him says. 

I look up into some of the most amazing eyes I’ve ever seen. Heavy dark brows curve over irises the color of honey with burgundy flecks through them. Thick brown waves are loose around a strong face with angled cheekbones, and a square jaw covered in two-day stubble. Set in flawless olive skin are lips so firm and red they make me forget the frown that’s turning them down slightly at the corners. He’s just so…gorgeous, like something out of a magazine or a movie. And he’s tall—well over six feet of broad shoulders tapering to narrow hips under his blue button-down shirt. The tails are loose over pressed jeans that fit him just so. Everything about him is tailored and cultured and nothing like any of the year-rounders who live on this bumpkin island. But it’s not just the way he looks. A blend of confidence and something else I can’t identify but makes him feel a little intimidating wafts off him with the spicy cologne I keep catching hints of. He’s nothing like anyone I’ve ever met, even at Clemson. 

I feel my jaw dangling and snap it closed, pulling myself together long enough to extend an arm. “I’m Adri.” 

Principal Richmond clears his throat, and when I flick a glance his direction, I know my ogling didn’t go unnoticed. His brow is deeply furrowed and his frown curves so low it makes him look like one of those marionettes, where their chin is a whole different piece of wood than the rest of their face. 

My eyes bulge and I shift my outstretched hand to Sherm. “I mean, Miss Wilson. Welcome to Port St. Mary, Sherm.” 

The boy just looks at me with sad eyes the color of his…father’s? 

My gaze gravitates back to the guy towering over me. Could he be Sherm’s dad? He looks way too young to have a nine-year-old. He also looks all business. There’s nothing soft or nurturing in his cold, sharp gaze as it flicks around the classroom, silently assessing. 

“What’s on the other side of those partitions?” he asks Principal Richmond. 

“The third and fifth grade classrooms,” he answers. 

The guy’s eyes continue to scan the room. “He’ll spend all day in here?” 

The principal nods. “Except when he’s on the playground.” 

“Is there security on campus?” 

Principal Richmond looks momentarily perplexed, rubbing his round stomach as if he’s thinking with it. “Not as such. We have yard monitors during recess and lunch, and the teachers are responsible for the children when they’re here in class.” 

“What about lunch?” 

“He can bring his own lunch, or buy a bag lunch from Nutritional Services for three dollars. Either way, if it’s nice weather, the children eat outside at the picnic tables. On rainy days, we open the partitions and they eat inside as a group.” 

The guy reaches into his pocket, but Principal Richmond holds up his hand to stop him when he comes out with a thick wad of cash. “We don’t allow students to carry money on campus. When we’re done here, I’ll take you to the office and have you purchase a scan card for Nutritional Services.” 

The guy nods, then moves to the door and jiggles the knob. “The exterior doors are left unlocked?” 

“During school hours, yes.” Principal Richmond answers, moving to my desk and shuffling through the papers I pulled for Sherm. 

The guy’s full lips narrow into a tight line and he scowls at the door. He spins and starts toward the door in the back of the room, leaving no stone unturned. 

I wipe my hands down my slacks again and decide just to ask. “So, you’re Sherm’s father?” 

His feet stall on the chipped linoleum and he seems to finally notice I exist. “Brother,” he answers, and that one word seems to carry the weight of the world with it as it falls from his mouth. 

His eyes make a slow sweep of my face, and as they trail down my neck, the front of my sweater, over my hips and down my legs, I’m frozen in place, paralyzed by the intensity of his gaze. 

Principal Richmond shoves some papers in my face, breaking the spell. “You still have fifteen minutes until the bell. Maybe you can get Sherman started on these.” 

“Um…” I grab the papers out of his hand as Big Brother blinks, some of the thickest lashes I’ve ever seen hiding those incredible eyes. “Yeah. We’ll do that...” 

Principal Richmond guides Big Brother to the door. “Let’s get out of their way and let them get started. I’m sure Sherman will have a positive experience here. Children his age tend to adjust quickly,” he’s saying as the door swings closed behind them.    


lisaauthorLisa Desrochers is the USA Today bestselling author of A LITTLE TOO FAR, courtesy of HarperCollins. Look for the companions, A LITTLE TOO MUCH (11/12/13), and A LITTLE TOO HOT (1/21/14), and also her Personal Demons trilogy (Macmillan). 

Lisa lives in northern California with her husband, two very busy daughters, and Shini the tarantula. When she's not writing, she's reading, and she adores stories that take her to new places, and then take her by surprise. Find her online at www.lisadwrites.com, on Twitter at @LisaDez, and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LisaDesrochersAuthor .