Friday, November 28, 2014

SARAH GAI INTRODUCES HER NEW SERIES, THE CURVIES



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

**CURVE MY SONG is now free everywhere, so be sure and pick up your copy today!


The author will award a $25 Amazon or BN GC to one randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter.
Follow the amazing plus size trio, The Curvies, as they find love, drama, tears, laughs and a song to match every situation. Bree Carson loves her life, friends and little town, but something is missing. Taylor Cole returns home after ten years and old flames reignite. Can he break through Bree’s walls?
This book is the first in a three novella set following the lives of three curvy best friends: Bree, Elise and Skyla. The first book follows Bree and her life as she fumbles her way through letting down walls and letting love in. This novella has a lot of laughs and a little drama and introduces the readers to the rest of the characters leading into the second book, which builds up suspense for the third and final installment.
These novellas will appeal to plus size or curvy women everywhere, especially those who enjoy books in the BBW (big, beautiful women), chicklit and women’s fiction genres. It’s just one of those reads that busy women of today can enjoy while they relate to the curvy ladies who aren’t super models but representative of your average everyday beauty.


Enjoy an excerpt from CURVE MY SONG:

Forty-five minutes later, I rush through the front door of the shop. Tables and sofa seats are filled with customers, and people are lining up at the counter to place or pay for their orders.

I see Skyla running around, trying her best to keep pace, and looking flustered. Throwing my things under the counter top, I make my way to the cash register and begin working.

When Skyla sees that I have finally arrived, a look of anger and frustration floods her face. After staring me down for what felt like hours (okay, like ten seconds), the ‘I’m-so-mad-at-you’ face is suddenly transformed into a look of relief as she drops her shoulders and breathes a sigh.


About the Author:

Sarah Gai, Author
Sarah Gai is the author of The Curvies series. Living in Victoria Australia. As a devoted wife and mother of three, when Sarah is not writing she will be found reading in a quiet corner somewhere or out for coffee with her own real life Curvies. Being a busy mum she was always trying to find a quick and fun read to squeeze in and that is when the idea for the three novella set sparked into her mind. Wanting to write for all the women out there who want a good short read about strong friendships, romance and body positive, love the skin you're in kind of fiction.



Website- http://www.sarahgai.com

Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/sarahgaiauthor

Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/sarahgaicurvy

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/Sarahgai



Get the book at Amazon, Smashwords, iTunes, or Barnes and Noble.



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Wednesday, November 26, 2014

MK McCLINTOCK SHARES CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS AND STORIES

Christmas Traditions

By MK McClintock, Guest Author


"Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas." - Peg Bracken

I spent a lot of time reading through Christmas practices during the mid-late nineteenth-century. How did the soldiers and their families in the forts spend the holidays? What did miners and travelers eat while on the road or at a hotel on the open plains or a cabin in the mountains? When it came time to decorate the tree, did they use nuts, strings of popcorn or beads, oranges, lemons, and candies, or did they go for a grander ornamentation like the fancier trees seen in ladies’ magazines? Did they import their ornaments from Germany or decorate with home-made trinkets? The traditions and customs varied from home to home and region to region, but when it came down the traditions of my characters in the old west, I knew I wanted to keep the holiday simple and focused around family.

In Christmas Mountain, each year the mother made a small angel for her daughter to place on the tree. In Teton Christmas, the town had a tradition of decorating every building with festive garlands and ribbons, but they were open to including a new custom by holding a dance at the hotel. In Lily’s Christmas Wish, it’s the first season when a new family has a chance to create their own traditions.

My own family’s holiday traditions have changed over the years, but a few things remain the same. We decorate the house the weekend after Thanksgiving, and the tree remains up until the New Year. On Christmas morning, we always sit by the fire with hot chocolate and homemade cinnamon rolls. Since I’m not one who enjoys the commercialism of Christmas, there’s not a lot of focus these days on gifts, but rather on spending the day as a family. Most years I’m in the kitchen by five o’clock in the morning, baking, prepping, and cooking. I take a break for the cinnamon roll breakfast and then head back to the kitchen, taking time here and there for a board game or to watch part of a movie. Creating that extravagant evening meal is one of my own personal favorite traditions.

No matter your own traditions for this season, or whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or perhaps it’s just another day, I wish you all a beautiful season filled with hope.

"Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect." - Oren Arnold


 Home for Christmas
Short Story Collection
By MK McClintock

A collection of three historical western short stories to inspire love and warm the heart.

Praise for A Home for Christmas
"The cold nips at your face and delicious Christmas cake leaves you wanting more."
- M. Ann Roher, Author of "Mattie"

“If you like the 1800's, like I do, you will love these stories!”
-Diane Holm, The Reader’s Cove, Amazon Vine Reviewer

“I really enjoyed these charming historical fictions CHRISTMAS MOUNTAIN, TETON CHRISTMAS and LILY'S CHRISTMAS WISH! . . . Ms. McClintock is a very descriptive writer, I could feel the surroundings!”
-Nicole Laverdure


CHRISTMAS MOUNTAIN
In search of family she barely knows and adventure she's always wanted, Katherine Donahue is saved from freezing on a winter night in the mountains of Montana by August Hollister. Neither of them expected that what one woman had in mind was a new beginning for them both.

TETON CHRISTMAS
Heartache and a thirst for adventure lead McKensie Stewart and her sister to Wyoming after the death of their parents. With the help of a widowed aunt and a charming horse breeder, McKensie discovers that hope is a cherished promise, and there is no greater gift than love.

LILY'S CHRISTMAS WISH

Lily Malone has never had a real family or a real Christmas. This holiday season, she might get both. From an orphanage in New York City to the rugged mountains of Colorado, Lily sends out only one wish. But when the time comes, can she give it up so someone else's wish can come true?

Settings: Montana, Colorado, Wyoming
Christmas Short Stories/Western




Book Links

Excerpts from A Home for Christmas


Copper Point, Montana Territory—December 1879

"Alone now, surrounded by a peace she rarely experienced, Katherine pet Crockett in front of the hearth. The fire flickered, causing the flames’ shadows to dance over the log walls. The scent of yeast drifted from the rising loaves of bread waiting on the kitchen counter. Quiet surrounded Katherine and Crockett as they enjoyed a few moments alone before the others woke."

-from CHRISTMAS MOUNTAIN

_____________________________________________


Wickliffe, Wyoming Territory—December 22, 1892

"The sun shone from the brilliant blue sky, kissing her skin and brightening the freckles scattered across her nose. McKensie Stewart closed her eyes, breathed in the frosty air, and spread her arms wide. She stood on the side of the snow-covered road where the stage coach had dropped them off and relished in the wonderment. They had finally arrived in Wyoming." 

-from TETON CHRISTMAS 

Look for the Wycliffe Hotel's Famous Coffee Cake recipe at the end of the book.

_______________________________________________


Cotter’s Gulch, Colorado—December 1868

Dear God. Please help me find a family. Love, Lily.
The forged wheels whirred and ground against the iron rails as the small window of the train car opened up to the vast landscape of the American West. Miss Abbott told her the same stories over and over again, promising that a new life waited. She wasn’t sorry to see the dingy city disappear four days ago, and she hoped to never see it again. Those memories she wanted to leave far behind."

-from LILY'S CHRISTMAS WISH 

MK McClintock, Author


MK McClintock spins tales of romance and adventure inspired by the heather-covered hills of Scotland and the majestic mountains of home. With her heart deeply rooted in the past and her mind always on adventure, she lives and writes in Montana.

-2014 RONE Award-Nominee for Alaina Claiborne
-Crowned Heart for Excellence from InD'Tale Magazine for Blackwood Crossing and The Montana Gallagher Collection

Learn more about MK by visiting her website at http://www.mkmcclintock.com or blog at http://www.booksandbenches.com.

Genres: historical romantic westerns, historical romantic mysteries, western short stories

Contact & Connect
            

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, November 24, 2014

BLAST OF NELLIE BY CYNTHIA WOOLF







Nellie (The Brides of San Francisco I)

by Cynthia Woolf




Quick Facts                                        
Release Date:  November, 2014                
Genre: Historical Romance. Western                                              
Formats to buy: Paperbacks and all ebook formats



Book Synopsis
 
Nellie Wallace is a young widow with two children. In post civil-war New York, the men are scarce and none want the burden of a wife with children. Her dead husband's family is wealthy, and cruel. Desperate to escape their influence, and eager for a home, a husband, and a stable life for her children, Nellie decides to make a new life in San Francisco as a mail order bride.

Saloon owner Blake Malone is a bachelor and likes it that way. He worked hard for everything he has, but the San Francisco City Council won’t approve his plans to build a family emporium unless he is a family man himself. The solution? A mail order bride from New York who will bring him a ready-made family, stability, and the council's approval.

Blake expects his future wife to care for his home and, other than helping him impress the city council, to stay out of his business. He expects life as usual. What he gets is an unexpected desire to win Nellie's heart, a dangerous threat to his new bride, and a rich benefactor determined to steal his new family out from under him.  Blake believed his battle for success a hard one. But he will discover that the battle to win Nellie's heart and keep his family safe is going to take everything he's got.







Excerpt:
PROLOGUE

April 28, 1865

RAP! RAP! RAP!
If only she could fix her problems with a needle and thread she’d be set. Nellie looked up from the socks she was darning toward the knocking on the front door.
Who could that be? She set aside the socks, straightened her dress, checked her reflection in the mirror on the wall in the hall, patted her blond hair back into place and then answered the door.
“Mrs. Robert Wallace?” asked the soldier in dress uniform who stood at attention on her front porch.
Oh, God. No. Please. No. “Yes,” she said, trying to keep the tremor from her voice. “I…I’m Mrs. Wallace.”
The young soldier handed her an envelope. “I regret to have to inform you that Lieutenant Robert Wallace was killed at the Battle of Appomattox on April 8, 1865. I’m sorry for your loss, Mrs. Wallace.”
Nellie didn’t know what to say over the lump in her throat. She always knew this could happen—from the first moment Robert joined, to his last farewell eight months before Violet was born.
“I, uh, thank you, Officer…”
“Black, ma’am. Sergeant Black.”
“Thank you for letting me know, Sergeant.” Her grip tightened on the door knob. “I…I have to sit down now.”
“Of course, ma’am. Do you need help?”
Nellie shook her head. “No. Thank you. I’ll be alright.”
The man saluted her, turned and walked down the sidewalk to the waiting carriage.
How many of these calls did he have to make today? Was I the only one? I doubt it. Not in a city the size of New York.
She closed the door and leaned against the wall next to it, her legs no longer able to support her, she slid to the floor. Tears left salty trails on her face, but for the life of her she couldn’t remember crying. Screaming, cursing God, yes, but crying, no. Even though our marriage wasn’t what I’d dreamed it could have been when I was a child, I shall miss him. He had his good side, he was funny and could make her laugh. He was gentle every where except…no I will not think about that now. I endured and have two beautiful children.
How am I to tell Henry his father is dead? Violet was just a baby and didn’t know her daddy but Henry… Her son missed his father something fierce. Robert had doted on Henry. They spent so much time together that Henry cried for days when his father left the last time. And now I have to tell him his father is never coming home. How do I do that?
She wiped her cheeks with the backs of her hands, took the hanky from her apron pocket and blew her nose.  No need to put it off. The task would be difficult enough, without waiting and making it harder. Perhaps she and Henry could grieve together. In any case, she needed to be strong for her son and daughter. She was all they had now.
Taking a deep breath, she mounted the stairs to the play room and her children.





Get to know the author:

Cynthia Woolf is the award winning and best-selling author of ten historical western romance books, one short story, and one novella in the anthology Lost in a Kiss, with more books on the way. She was born in Denver, Colorado and raised in the mountains west of Golden. She spent her early years running wild around the mountain side with her friends.

Their closest neighbor was one quarter of a mile away, so her little brother was her playmate and her best friend. That fierce friendship lasted until his death in 2006.

Cynthia was and is an avid reader. Her mother was a librarian and brought new
books home each week. This is where young Cynthia first got the storytelling
bug. She wrote her first story at the age of ten. A romance about a little boy
she liked at the time.

Cynthia loves writing and reading romance. Her first western romance Tame A
Wild Heart, was inspired by the story her mother told her of meeting Cynthia’s
father on a ranch in Creede, Colorado. Although Tame A Wild Heart takes place
in Creede that is the only similarity between the stories. Her father was a
cowboy not a bounty hunter and her mother was a nursemaid (called a nanny now) not the ranch owner.


Cynthia credits her wonderfully supportive husband Jim and the
great friends she's made at CRW for saving her sanity and allowing her to
explore her creativity.


WEBSITE – www.cynthiawoolf.com

NEWSLETTER - http://bit.ly/1qBWhFQ





Other Titles by Cynthia Woolf:











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Thursday, November 20, 2014

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU TO READERS!


This is the time of year people start mentioning those things for which they’re thankful—not that this is the only time of year we have those thoughts. I’m especially happy because this last release means I have twenty-five titles for download. Some are books, some novellas, and some boxed sets that duplicate some of the first two. This might not sound like a big deal to readers, but this is an accomplishment  that reassures me I won’t run out of ideas—or readers.

I love, love, love readers. If I could, I’d thank each person who’s ever bought one of my books. I can’t, so please know that I appreciate each time you read one of my books. You give meaning to my job. There are millions of books online. Thank you for choosing one of mine. Bless you!

Although my pocketbook doesn’t show I’m a success by any means, at least I know I can produce titles that some readers enjoy. Writers want readers to love our books. Yes, we crave your approval. We want you to buy title after title and prove you enjoy our writing. That’s certainly true for me. And if you leave a review, that’s even better!

Most of us sit alone at a desktop or laptop for countless hours creating our stories. Then we pay someone to edit them, someone else to create the cover, and some people pay another person to format and upload their books. I’m fortunate that my husband formats and uploads my books for me, and that reduces a part of my cost. Kim Killion does my covers now and she is a very creative professional.

Some authors may have a thousand dollars or more and hundreds of hours invested before their book ever becomes available online. And then there are the ads and marketing costs, prizes, and the investment of time in social media or cost of paying an assistant and/or promotion person. Hear the costs rising? See me cringe and shiver? Decidedly, I’m a low budget operation, but I do have my share of expenses.

Honestly, all I wanted to do was write my stories for readers. And I do, day after day. I love my job. After all, I can come to work in sweats and no makeup and still travel to other places and times. What a job!

But here’s the thing, some readers expect that work for free or 99 cents every time. Authors might experiment with those prices to promote a series or for a special promotion, but you can see that we can’t stick with those prices for the long haul. Nope, can’t do it. Have to recoup some of our time and expenses. Writers have to pay bills, too.

Still, I’m not complaining. I love what I do and hope readers love my writing. I want to entertain readers. I don’t resent people accusing me of writing mind candy. Since most of my books are historical, I intend that taking you to another time removed from ours will amuse you and provide an escape from whatever is troubling you or making you weary. Everyone deserves a happily-ever-after, even if it’s only for a few hours.

I intend to continue writing stories involving characters I love. Right now, I have two releases about which I’ve told you recently:



STONE MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS is my first Christmas novella. Christmas is my favorite time of year. Not the day, but the anticipation leading up to the day. I love shopping for the perfect gifts to please those on my list, the decorations, the carols, the festive spirit of the season. Buy links for this novella are:



WILD WESTERN WOMEN is the other recent release. Kirsten Osbourne, Callie Hutton, Sylvia McDaniel, Merry Farmer, and I each have a novella in this boxed set plus two short stories. My book is SAVE YOUR HEART FOR ME and my short story is "Stone Mountain Reunion".Buy links for this boxed set are: 

Now I’m at work on WINTER BRIDE, but don’t yet have the cover back from Kim Killion. It’s one of the Stone Mountain series and features Sheriff Butch Parrish as the hero. What a guy! I can’t decide when to release this book. Probably I’ll wait until the middle of January. What do you think?

If you want to be kept up to date about new releases and contests and giveaways and launches, please subscribe to my newsletter. You’ll find the entry if you click on the envelope at the top of the blog's right sidebar. I don’t send frequent newsletters, just when I have a release or contest. No salesman will call. Really.


In the meantime, thanks for stopping by!  

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

A SPY UNMASKED - BY TINA GABRIELLE



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Enter to win $15 Amazon gift card and ebook of A SPY UNMASKED. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.




The mission did not go quite as Robert Ware--known in society as the new Earl of Kirkland--planned. A spy in the service of His Majesty, Robert is a "guest" at a masquerade party as he retrieves vital information for a murder investigation. Until he's quite unexpectedly interrupted by an exquisite, masked woman with glittering green eyes. And a pistol she has cocked and aimed right at him...

Lady Sophia Merrill has defiantly taken up justice's shining sword, determined to expose the brigand who murdered her eccentric but brilliant father, and stole his latest invention. Now she must masquerade as Robert's betrothed in order to infiltrate the Inventor's Society and find the killer. But the undeniable potent attraction between them not only imperils the investigation, but Sophia's reputation... and both of their lives.


Enjoy an excerpt of A SPY UNMASKED:

Robert’s touch upset Sophia’s balance, and she inhaled sharply. He was purposefully trying to unnerve her. “Deception comes that easy to you?” she asked.

“It’s a requirement of my job.”

“I must keep that in mind when dealing with you, my lord.”

He stopped dancing, but his hand remained around her waist. “We are entering the enemy’s lair. I need to be certain you won’t panic.”

Her chin rose a notch. “I never panic.”

His voice was cold and exact. “Dispassionate control is required, or else dangerous mistakes can occur.”

“If you’re trying to intimidate me into backing out of the house party, then you’re failing. I have mettle, my lord. Your seductive tactics won’t work on me.”

He arched an eyebrow. “What do you know of seduction?”

“I’m not completely ignorant. I’m twenty-four years old, and despite what you’ve heard, I’ve attended numerous balls, danced with plenty of gentlemen, and strolled through moonlit mazes. I’ve been kissed before.”

Ocean-blue eyes studied her mouth. “Where?”

She frowned. “My lips and even once on my neck.” She pointed to a spot just beneath her chin.

His gaze dropped to where her finger pointed, then slowly lowered to the skin just above her bodice. Her pulse skittered.

“Then you won’t mind if I test your mettle?”

She stood frozen.

Looking into her eyes once again, he came close, moving slowly. He mouth brushed across hers, once, twice, a featherweight touch before she stepped back. Her fingers flew up to cover her lips.

“Just as I thought,” he drawled. “You lack experience. A few stolen kisses inside a dim maze are not sufficient.”

She bristled with indignation. “Not sufficient? Whatever else do you have in mind?”

“This.” Pulling her close, he swooped down and kissed her.


Buy the book at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.




Author Tina Gabrielle


Award-winning author Tina Gabrielle is an attorney and former mechanical engineer whose love of reading for pleasure helped her get through years of academia. She often picked up a romance and let her fantasies of knights in shining armor and lords and ladies carry her away. After multi-publishing for a prestigious law journal, she fulfilled her dream of writing fiction. A Spy Unmasked is the first book In The Crown’s Secret Service series. The second book in the series, At The Spy’s Pleasure, is coming in April 2015 from Entangled Publishing. She is also the author of adventurous Regency historical romances, In The Barrister’s Bed, In The Barrister’s Chambers, Lady Of Scandal, and A Perfect Scandal from Kensington Books.

Publisher’s Weekly calls her Regency Barrister’s series, “Well-matched lovers…witty comradely repartee.” Tina’s books have been Barnes & Noble top picks, and her first book, Lady Of Scandal, was nominated as best first historical by Romantic Times Book Reviews.

Website: www.tinagabrielle.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/tinagabrielle

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TinaGabrielle

Blog: http://thevioletfemmes.wordpress.com/


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Monday, November 17, 2014

SOUTHERN NOVELS FROM AWARD WINNING AUTHOR LAUREN CLARK


Please help me welcome Lauren Clark to the blog. She is an award winning author who's agreed to share with us today.

CC: Tell us about growing up.

LC: I grew up in Akron, New York, a tiny suburb outside of Buffalo, NY. It’s a town of about 3,000 people and I attended a K-12 school. We were quite close to Canada and I spent a lot of time in Ontario when I was a child. I have two brothers, who are both now married. Each child in the family has two children, so my parents have 6 grandchildren.

I’m single and have two boys, 17 and 9. They are awesome and keep me grounded.

I was both a bookworm and a jock – Lol.  I played field hockey beginning in the 8th grade through my senior year. I also participated in soccer, swim team, softball (1 year) and cheerleading. I was also in the honor society, took as many AP courses as possible, and graduated in the top of my class.

CC:Who are your favorite authors and favorite genres?

LC: Right now, Sue Monk Kidd, JoJo Moyes, Chris Bohjalian, Sophie Kinsella, Emily Giffin, and Jennifer Weiner top the list. I also adore Rainbow Rowell, Veronica Roth, and Suzanne Collins. My tastes are so varied. One week it’s thrillers, the next week, sweet romance, the next dystopian.

CC: A lovely mix. Have you also read Sarah Addison Allen? What’s your favorite way to relax and recharge? Hobbies?

LC: I work full time, write, and go to graduate school these days, so anytime I’m not in front of a laptop or computer screen “doing work” I feel like it’s a little bit of an escape. That said, I do read on my iPhone, so I’m still relying on technology to “get away.”

My hobbies …. Running, wine night with girlfriends, reading. Collecting story ideas while I travel and visit friends and family.

CC: Do you have a favorite quote that sums up how you feel about life?

LC: “Can I be blunt on this subject? If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”
Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft


“And what, you ask, does writing teach us? First and foremost, it reminds us that we are alive and that it is a gift and a privilege, not a right.”
Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing


CC: How long have you been writing?

LC: I’ve been writing in my current career (public relations, television reporter and anchor, web content manager) for almost 15 years. I’ve been writing fiction since 2009.

CC: Where do you prefer to write? Do you need quiet, music, solitude? PC or laptop?

LC: I prefer to write in the morning, in the solitude of my office, before everyone wakes up. I generally get up between 5 and 5:30 am, grab coffee, and write or edit for two hours. Of course, that continually makes me a few minutes late for work, but I think my boss has gotten used to the idea that he’s not dealing with a run of the mill employee. My goal is always better time management!

CC: Are you a plotter or a panzer?

LC: Definitely a plotter. I need a plan, and often write a few sentences on every chapter, mapping out the entire book before I begin writing the first word. Plotting everything, to the best of my ability, saves me time in the end. Certainly, there are times that the characters veer off and do their own thing, but I always come back to the main plan and stay relatively on course.

CC: Do you use real events or persons in your stories or as an inspiration for stories?

LC: I use real situations in my stories, does that count? It seems that I have all sorts of crazy things that happen to me on a daily basis (i.e. A greeter in Wal-Mart who wanted to buy my brand new iPhone. A grocery store check-out clerk who insisted that I buy Blue Bell vanilla ice cream instead of Breyers). I’ve used quite a few of those strange, but funny, incidences in Pie Girls and Dancing Naked in Dixie.

CC: Do you set daily writing goals?

LC: As far as writing goals, 2,000 words is a good day. I’m usually happy with 1,500, but it all depends on the chapter I’m working on. I love to complete a chapter in a sitting, so if it takes 1,650 words, I’m done! I try to write every day, Monday through Friday. Some weekends are too full of kids’ activities and social events, so it’s tough to squeeze in a few hours, but I try.

If I’m on deadline to revise a book, I’m very structured and methodical. I work out the number of pages to complete per day and pin the calendar to the fridge and set up reminders in Gmail.

CC: What do you hope your writing brings to readers?

LC: It’s my hope that my stories might give my readers a bit of escape from normal, every day life. I hope that they read my stories, lose themselves a little bit in the setting and characters, and laugh out loud at some of the funny situations my characters find themselves in.

CC: What long-term plans do you have for your career?

LC: I’m all about improving my skills as a writer. I’m a voracious reader of writing craft books – and adore James Scott Bell, Donald Maas, and other experts in the field. 

CC: Would you like to tell us what you’re working on now?

LC: In September, I landed a two-book deal with Harper Collins/Thomas Nelson. I couldn’t be more thrilled, and I have met a wonderful team of talented women who will be bringing my new suspense novel, “Center of Gravity,” to market in July 2015! Another novel will follow, and involves a sister betrayal storyline.  The books will be published under LAURA MCNEILL (my real name), as they wanted to reserve Lauren Clark for RomCom Fiction.

CC: Congratulations! What advice would you give to unpublished authors?

LC: Persevere. Don’t give up. Finish that “terrible, awful” first manuscript, even if you think it’s the worst piece of fiction you’ve ever read. There’s something completely satisfying in finishing an 80,000 word manuscript, and it teaches discipline and follow-through, which are necessary for a lengthy, successful writing career. 

CC: Share a fun fact readers wouldn’t know about you.

LC: I have an unrequited love affair with caramel desserts. For my birthday, my boys bought me a 7-layer caramel cake. It was divine. (And I did share with a dozen of my closest friends).

CC: Yum! I love caramel. Share something about you that would surprise or shock readers.

Surprise or shock?  Hmmm.  I have a tendency to lose things. My keys. My car in a gigantic parking lot. Today, it’s my wallet. Sigh. I need to invent an invisible tether to all things important to functioning as a person.

CC: Is your book a series?

LC: Nope. Not this one.

CC: Can you give readers a blurb about your book PIE GIRLS?

Princess, Southern belle, and spoiled-rotten social climber Searcy Roberts swore on a stack of Bibles she’d never return home to Fairhope, Alabama. After marrying her high school sweetheart and moving to Atlanta, Searcy embraces big-city life—Carrie Bradshaw style.

But now, Searcy has a teeny, tiny problem. Her husband’s had a mid-life crisis. He’s quit his job, cancelled her credit cards, and left her for another man.

Searcy returns to Fairhope, ready to lick her wounds. But when her mother falls ill, she’s is thrust into managing the family business—only to discover the beloved bakery is in danger of closing its doors forever.

Enlisting the help of the adorable bike store owner next door, an array of well-heeled customers, and her soon-to-be ex-husband, Searcy hatches the plan of the century to save Pie Girls.


CC: How about an excerpt:

Thirty minutes later, I am decked from head to toe in the finest lingerie Saks Fifth Avenue has to offer. Wrapped in a lovely camel Armani overcoat, belted securely, I smooth the deep red cashmere scarf against my neck.

The sensation of wearing barely anything gives me a heady rush of power. The garter belt, slung low around my hips, allows a satisfying tug when I take a step. Silken stockings caress my legs, and Lucinda opted for a buttery-soft pair of black thigh-high boots to finish the outfit.

After smoothing and coaxing my hair into submission, Lucinda talks me into some lotion, and then a dusting of sparkly powder to highlight my décolletage. She wields a huge brush and swishes the iridescent flecks onto my skin with expert precision. The result is amazing.

“Perfect.” I blink at my reflection. My skin appears softer and luminous, almost flawless. The glow makes my eyes seem brighter, even in department store lighting.

“You look fabulous,” my personal shopper agrees. She steps back to survey her work and gives me a satisfied nod. “He won’t be able to help himself once he sees what’s under that overcoat.”

Lucinda squeezes my hand. “Good luck with everything. I think Alton will come to his senses.” She pauses and frowns. “He’d better.”

As for Pamela Pryor, she’d better watch out.

This is war. No price is too high.

I am going to win my husband back.

Where can readers find your books? (buy link)

 Kindle: http://amzn.to/X8rCq1
Nook: http://bit.ly/1pHBVuo
iBooks:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/pie-girls/id906182442?mt=11

Is there anything else you’d like readers to know about you?

Thank you to the lovely readers who’ve championed my books, suggested them to friends, and gifted them to loved ones. I offer my sincere appreciation.


About Lauren Clark:
                                            
Lauren Clark writes contemporary Southern novels sprinkled with sunshine, suspense, and secrets. A former TV news anchor, Lauren adores flavored coffee, local book stores, and anywhere she can stick her toes in the sand. Her big loves are her family, paying it forward, and true-blue friends.

She is the author of four award-winning novels, Dancing Naked in Dixie, Stay Tuned, Stardust Summer, and Pie Girls, as well as a short story, A Very Dixie Christmas, published in the Merry & Bright holiday collection. Lauren is a member of the Gulf Coast Writers Association and the Mobile Writers Guild. Check out her website at www.laurenclarkbooks.com.

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