Showing posts with label Goddess Fish Promotions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Goddess Fish Promotions. Show all posts

Monday, September 4, 2017

The Sullivans Boxed Set Books 1-3 by Bella Andre



The Sullivans Boxed Set Books 1-3
by Bella Andre

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Contemporary Romance

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:


More than 6 million readers have already fallen in love with the Sullivans! Now get ready to meet your new favorite family in Bella Andre's New York Times and USA Today bestselling contemporary romances with the first three books in the #1 hit series.

"Not since Nora Roberts has anyone been able to write a big family romance series with every book as good as the last! Bella Andre never disappoints!" Revolving Bookcase Reviews

THE LOOK OF LOVE

Chloe Peterson is having a bad night. A really bad night. The large bruise on her cheek can attest to that. And when her car skids off the side of a wet country road straight into a ditch, she's convinced even the gorgeous guy who rescues her in the middle of the rain storm must be too good to be true. Or is he?

As a successful photographer who frequently travels around the world, Chase Sullivan has his pick of beautiful women, and whenever he's home in San Francisco, one of his seven siblings is usually up for causing a little fun trouble. Chase thinks his life is great just as it is--until the night he finds Chloe and her totaled car on the side of the road in Napa Valley. Not only has he never met anyone so lovely, both inside and out, but he quickly realizes she has much bigger problems than her damaged car. Soon, he is willing to move mountains to love--and protect--her, but will she let him?

FROM THIS MOMENT ON

For thirty-six years, Marcus Sullivan has been the responsible older brother, stepping in to take care of his seven siblings after their father died when they were children. But when the perfectly ordered future he's planned for himself turns out to be nothing but a lie, Marcus needs one reckless night to shake free from it all.

Nicola Harding is known throughout the world by only one name - Nico - for her catchy, sensual pop songs. Only, what no one knows about the twenty-five year old singer is that her sex-kitten image is totally false. After a terrible betrayal by a man who loved fame far more than he ever loved her, she vows not to let anyone else get close enough to find out who she really is...or hurt her again. Especially not the gorgeous stranger she meets at a nightclub, even though the hunger - and the sinful promises - in his dark eyes make her want to spill all her secrets.

CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE

Gabe Sullivan risks his life every day as a firefighter in San Francisco. But after learning a brutal lesson about professional boundaries, he knows better than to risk his heart to his fire victims ever again. Especially the brave mother and daughter he saved from a deadly apartment fire...and can't stop thinking about.

Megan Harris knows she owes the heroic firefighter everything for running into a burning building to save her and her seven-year-old daughter. Everything except her heart. Because after losing her navy pilot husband five years ago, she has vowed to never suffer through loving - and losing - a man with a dangerous job again.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~





Enjoy the following excerpt from THE LOOK OF LOVE...

Chase almost missed the flickering light off on the right side of the two-lane country road. In the past thirty minutes, he hadn’t passed a single car, because on a night like this, most sane Californians—who didn’t know the first thing about driving safely in inclement weather—stayed home.

Knowing better than to slam on the brakes—he wouldn’t be able to help whomever was stranded on the side of the road if he ended up stuck in the muddy ditch right next to them—Chase slowed down enough to see that there was definitely a vehicle stuck in the ditch.

He turned his brights on to see better in the pouring rain and realized there was a person walking along the edge of the road about a hundred yards up ahead. Obviously hearing his car approach, she turned to face him and he could see her long wet hair whipping around her shoulders in his headlights.

Wondering why she wasn’t just sitting in her car, dry and warm, calling Triple A and waiting for them to come save her, he pulled over to the edge of his lane and got out to try and help her. She was shivering as she watched him approach.

"Are you hurt?"

She covered her cheek with one hand, but shook her head. "No."

He had to move closer to hear her over the sound of the water hitting the pavement in what were rapidly becoming hailstones. Even though he’d turned his headlights off, as his eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, he was able to get a better look at her face.

Something inside of Chase’s chest clenched tight.

Despite the long, dark hair plastered to her head and chest, regardless of the fact that looking like a drowned rat wasn’t too far off the descriptive mark, her beauty stunned him.

In an instant, his photographer’s eye cataloged her features. Her mouth was a little too big, her eyes a little too wide-set on her face. She wasn’t even close to model thin, but given the way her T-shirt and jeans stuck to her skin, he could see that she wore her lush curves well. In the dark he couldn’t judge the exact color of her hair, but it looked like silk, perfectly smooth and straight where it lay over her breasts.

It wasn’t until Chase heard her say, "My car is definitely hurt, though," that he realized he had completely lost the thread of what he’d come out here to do.

Knowing he’d been drinking her in like he was dying of thirst, he worked to recover his balance. He could already see he’d been right about her car. It didn’t take a mechanic like his brother, Zach, who owned an auto shop—more like forty, but Chase had stopped counting years ago—to see that her shitty hatchback was borderline totaled. Even if the front bumper wasn’t half smashed to pieces by the white farm fence she’d slid into, her bald tires weren’t going to get any traction on the mud. Not tonight, anyway.

If her car had been in a less precarious situation, he probably would have sent her to hang out  in her car while he took care of getting it unstuck. But one of her back tires was hanging precariously over the edge of the ditch.

He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Get in my car. We can wait there for a tow truck." He was vaguely aware of his words coming out like an order, but the hail was starting to sting, damn it. Both of them needed to get out of the rain before they froze.

But the woman didn’t move. Instead, she gave him a look that said he was a complete and utter nut-job.

"I’m not getting into your car."

Realizing just how frightening it must be for a lone woman to end up stuck and alone in the middle of a dark road, Chase took a step back from her. He had to speak loudly enough for her to hear him over the hail.

"I’m not going to attack you. I swear I won’t do anything to hurt you."

She all but flinched at the word attack and Chase’s radar started buzzing. He’d never been a magnet for troubled women, wasn’t the kind of guy who thrived on fixing wounded birds. But living with two sisters for so many years meant he could always tell when something was up.

And something was definitely up with this woman, beyond the fact that her car was half-stuck in a muddy ditch.

Wanting to make her feel safe, he held his hands up. "I swear on my father’s grave, I’m not going to hurt you. It’s okay to get into my car." When she didn’t immediately say no again, he pressed his advantage with, "I just want to help you." And he did. More than it made sense to want to help a stranger. "Please," he said. "Let me help you."

She stared at him for a long moment, hail hammering between them, around them, onto them. Chase found himself holding his breath, waiting for her decision. It shouldn’t matter to him what she decided.

But, for some strange reason, it did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~



AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Bella Andre is the New York Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of "The Sullivans", "The Maverick Billionaires", "The Morrisons", and the NYT bestselling "Four Weddings and a Fiasco" sweet romance series written as Lucy Kevin.
Sign up for Bella's newsletter at www.BellaAndre.com/Newsletter
Visit Bella's website at www.BellaAndre.com
Follow Bella on twitter at www.twitter.com/bellaandre
Join Bella on Faceboook at www.facebook.com/bellaandrefans

Having sold more than 6 million books, Bella Andre's novels have been #1 bestsellers around the world and have appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists 32 times. She has been the #1 Ranked Author at Amazon (on a top 10 list that included Nora Roberts, JK Rowling, James Patterson and Steven King), and Publishers Weekly named Oak Press (the publishing company she created to publish her own books) the Fastest-Growing Independent Publisher in the US. After signing a groundbreaking 7-figure print-only deal with Harlequin MIRA, Bella's "The Sullivans" series is being released in paperback in the US, Canada, and Australia.

Known for "sensual, empowered stories enveloped in heady romance" (Publishers Weekly), her books have been Cosmopolitan Magazine "Red Hot Reads" twice and have been translated into ten languages. Winner of the Award of Excellence, The Washington Post called her "One of the top writers in America" and she has been featured by Entertainment Weekly, NPR, USA Today, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and TIME Magazine. A graduate of Stanford University, she has given keynote speeches at publishing conferences from Copenhagen to Berlin to San Francisco, including a standing-room-only keynote at Book Expo America in New York City.

If not behind her computer, you can find her reading her favorite authors, hiking, swimming or laughing. Married with two children, Bella splits her time between the Northern California wine country and a 100 year old log cabin in the Adirondacks.





The Sullivans Boxed Set Books 1-3 Buy Links: ON SALE FOR $0.99 DURING THE TOUR


Connect with Bella:

Sign up for my new release email:  www.bellaandrefans.com/newsletter
Connect with me on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/bellaandrefans
Join my Street Team:  www.facebook.com/groups/bella.andre
Check my boards out on Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/bellaandrefans
Follow me on Twitter:  www.twitter.com/bellaandre
Visit my website:  www.bellaandre.com


~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Bella will be awarding a signed copy of the The Sullivans Box Set and a tote bag, open internationally to 2 randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour.


Tuesday, August 8, 2017

[Book Blast] Love on the Risky Side by Mariah Ankenman


Love on the Risky Side
by Mariah Ankenman

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE:  Contemporary Romance



~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Falsely accused of the murder of her best friend, Kayla Jenkins is on the run for her life. She ends up lost in dark, snowy woods off some backcountry road in the middle of nowhere. Frightened and colder than she’s ever been in her life, she almost thinks she’s hallucinating when a warrior on a white steed saves her.

In all his years as the sheriff of Peak Town, Colorado, Jake Ryder has never come across a half-frozen woman alone in the woods. She’s terrified…and lying to him, yet something about her calls to him on a primal level.

Even with her trust of law enforcement lower than the harsh temperature, Kayla finds it difficult to keep her secrets hidden from the kind and far too handsome sheriff. But as her faith in Ryder grows, she not only risks the real murderer finding her, but losing the one thing she has searched for her whole life and only just found…love.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~



As the shape came closer, she realized it wasn’t Bigfoot—because he doesn’t exist—she reminded herself. It was also not a bear. Her vision finally focused on a large gray horse. Not only a horse, but a rider, too.

The clouds in the night sky dissipated, allowing the moonlight to shine down into the woods. Kayla’s heart skipped a beat as the two towered over her.

The man sat upon the horse like a warrior of olden days. Long, dark hair fluttered about his face in the wind—sharp, high cheekbones, a smooth, square jawline, and thick, dark brows pressed down over a pair of deep, warm brown eyes.

“Hello.”

His voice rumbled over her like a warm blanket. What she wouldn’t give for a warm blanket right now.

“Do you need some help?”

She hesitated at his question, staring into his eyes. They looked so kind and trusting, but a man’s eyes had deceived her before. Until two days ago, David’s eyes had always been normal; sure, the guy had given off the jerkwad vibe at times, but she never suspected the evil hidden behind those eyes. Was this man the same? Could she trust those eyes?

Did she really have a choice?

No. She had no idea where she was and was literally freezing. Yes, she needed help. The only question, would this man be her salvation…or her downfall?


~~~~~~~~~~~~~




AUTHOR Bio and Links:

RWA® Golden Heart® Nominated author Mariah Ankenman began writing at the tender age of five. Her first book “George and the Green Glob” received high praise from her mother. Many years, and green glob stories later, Mariah received a playwriting degree from the University of Wyoming. After a few years in Hollywood, working in “the biz,” she came home to the beautiful Rocky Mountains. When she’s not writing Mariah loves to read, crochet, and play her ukulele. She loves to hear from readers.
Social media:

Website: www.mariahankenman.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mariahkenmanauthor/
Twitter: @MAsBooks

Buy links:






~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Mariah will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, June 26, 2017

[Book Blast] Harper's Place by Sheryl Winters @WintersSheryl #AmReading #Romance


Harper’s Place
by Sheryl Winters

~~~~~~~~~~~~~


BLURB:

Harper Grey is fed up with over-bearing men. Her father wants to sell the family hamburger joint to her brother because a woman could never make it successful.

Harper knows she has the same flair for business as her mother, and sexy Navy SEAL Patrick O’Brien dares her to prove it to the world.

When duty calls and Patrick must leave her side, will Harper be strong enough to make her dream a reality?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~



“How would you bring in new business, though?”

I’m amazed that he seems to find our conversation interesting. He’s an audience willing to listen and I’ve not had that in a long time. Damn this crush of mine. It won’t be easy to tame after tonight.

“New menu items, specials, things like that. Start serving dessert, like pies. Easy cook items. With the new burgers I’ve created and a new décor, I’d open in the summer when the air is fresh and everyone is happy to be out of the snow, hungry for grilled food. I think we could do fine.”

“What’s your hold up?”

“Tony, Dad. It’s complicated.” I shrug. His arm feels good, and I have the overwhelming urge to nuzzle against it. "Did you kiss Amy Parker when you were twelve? She still brags about it." Did I just ask him about kissing? What is wrong with me? Will this mouth of mine never shut up? Stop it, Stop it, stop it!

"That I did, in a closet over at Robert Anderson’s house."

"Ew."

"I was twelve and desperate. You can't blame me. I do blame that stupid soda bottle.  And your first kiss?" There is a challenge in his voice.

"Kevin Monroe at the Klines Movie Theater. He sent me a six-page note the next day about how much he loved me, and I freaked out and dumped him."

"Any regrets?"

I choke back a giggle. "Naw, ‘cept I remember I liked his cologne. It could have been aftershave, but it was nice." It’s not half as nice as the Aramis that Patrick has on. Something about it sends a shiver up my spine that has nothing to do with the zombie waiting in Dad’s office.

"The dark isn't so bad, now is it?"

"I guess not."

Silence surrounds us. The fear that enveloped me seems to disappear.

"Are you seeing anyone?"

"No." It sounds terrible now that I've said it out loud. Like I’m admitting to being a desperate and dateless leper.

"So," he drawls out, "ever thought of dating a military guy?" He squeezes my fingers.

Is he serious?

His fingertip smooths over the rough callouses I've gained from years of hard work. Suddenly my wasted evening of not going out to celebrate is starting to look better. "I think it would depend on which military guy."

"You're killing me. You know that, don’t you?" His strangled tone only sets off a case of the giggles.

"Are you asking me out, Patrick?"

"Trying to, but you're not making it easy.” The challenge is back in his voice.

"I wouldn't mind a date or two,” I manage to squeak out. Breathe, Harper, just breathe, calmly through your nose, out your mouth. Sainted Mother of God, Patrick asked me out! I hit the jackpot! Now all I have to do is not hit him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

I never set out to be an author. Only a storyteller. Some days I succeed better than others.

Links:

Website: http://sherylwinters.weebly.com/
Blog: http://sherylwinters.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sherylwinters123
Twitter:https://twitter.com/WintersSheryl

Buy Links:

Roane Publishing: https://www.roanepublishing.com/product-p/hp-01.htm
Amazon  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XT6VPHK
Amazon (UK)  https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XT6VPHK
Barnes and Noble  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1126040154
Kobo Books  https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/harper-s-place
Smashwords  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/713416
Bookstrand  http://www.bookstrand.com/harpers-place

~~~~~~~~~~~~~





Sheryl will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.


Thursday, January 29, 2015

[Book Blast] A Perfect Catch by Anna Sugden #Excerpt #Giveaway



A Perfect Catch
by Anna Sugden

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

He's the perfect catch…for now!

When it comes to romance, Tracy Hayden is not looking for a rematch. She's had epic passion—and problems!—with professional hockey player Ike Jelinek. Brilliant on skates and magic in bed, his too-traditional-for-her views were like a bucket of ice water on their affair.

Then an injury takes Ike out of the game, and everything changes. Suddenly he needs her services-providing business—even though he once claimed it was their biggest problem. Tracy's determined to be professional, despite the sizzling attraction between them that won't go away. Maybe they need a second fling to fix that!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT

Tracy wasn’t surprised to see Ike. The four Jelinek boys had grown up with Jake, and the men were like broth¬ers. Still, she’d hoped she’d get lucky and miss him.

Back when Tracy had been starting Making Your Move, her relocation business, she’d helped Ike find the perfect town house and they’d had a hot and heavy fling shortly after. Even though they’d been great together in bed—and a whole bunch of other places—the fire had burned out quickly when they’d realized they’d wanted different things from a re¬lationship.

The flip side of all that passion meant they rubbed each other the wrong way ever since. Unfortunately they couldn’t avoid each other. Even ignoring the family connection, Making Your Move managed all the Ice Cats’ relocation, travel and accommodation projects, so Tracy spent a lot of time with the team.

What surprised her was that every time she saw Ike, her body reacted to his broad shoulders, his powerful legs and his crooked grin as if they were still lovers.

No way. She knew better than to go down that road again.


“Hey, princess.” Ike caught Emily as she threw herself at him, lifting and twirling her around, much to the girl’s delight.

Laughing, they headed toward Tracy.

Ike’s smile faded when he spoke to her. “Con¬gratulations.”

“Thanks,” she replied politely.

Emily skipped between the two adults as they walked toward the hospital entrance. “Auntie Tracy, did you see that Uncle Ike bought exactly the same bear as you?”

Sure enough, the stuffed toy Ike clutched awk¬wardly by the arm was identical to the one in her gift bag, right down to the yellow ribbon tied jaun¬tily around its neck.

“You can’t have too many teddy bears.” She kept her voice light, even though she wanted to snap childishly at him to take his back.

Ike arched an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t have thought you’d get something as old-fashioned as a bear.”

The emphasis was intended to goad her. One of the reasons she and Ike hadn’t made it was she’d thought his attitude toward women and life were stuffy and old-fashioned. “Teddy bears are tradi¬tional. There’s a difference.”

The look in Ike’s green eyes said he begged to differ. “Uh-huh.”

“Auntie Tracy got me the same bear when I was born. Except mine has a pink ribbon.”

“A family tradition.” Tracy smiled sweetly.

“My tradition for new Ice Cat babies is to get them one of those all-in-one things with feet, with the team logo on it.”

“Shouldn’t they be called Ice Kittens, Uncle Ike?”

“I guess they should. But you wouldn’t want to confuse them with the girls who clean the ice for us.”

“Why? They’re only cheerleaders on skates.” Em¬ily’s lip curled. “Just because we don’t like their job doesn’t mean we should disrespect the ice girls, Em,” Tracy chided gently.

Ike shot a look of surprise at her. “I thought you’d disapprove of them. Women being used as—” he paused, glancing at Emily, who was following the discussion intently “—entertainment for the pre¬dominantly male audience.”

“I wouldn’t want to be one and, if I owned the team, I wouldn’t have them at all, but the job exists. As long as they’re not being exploited, good luck to them. Besides, I’ve seen how hard the Ice Kittens work. They have a lot of promotional and charity duties, on top of what they do at games.”

“Be careful—they’ll be taking away your femi¬nist badge.”

Tracy shrugged. Ike had always thought she was a bra-burning radical, rather than a woman who didn’t like to be pigeon-holed, dictated to or discriminated against because of her sex. “I believe in equality and that if you can do the job, you can do the job.”

“That means if I can play well enough, I can be an Ice Cat, not an Ice Kitten.” Emily nodded, with a satisfied grin.

Tracy bit back a smile as Ike clamped his jaw shut. Clearly, he didn’t agree with women playing in the NHL. Luckily, they arrived at the hospital en¬trance, so Emily’s attention turned to which floor her mother would be on.

A blast of warm air hit them as the automatic doors swished open, and the three of them hurried inside out of the chilly November evening. The lift was crowded with the start of evening visiting hours, but by the time they got to Maternity there were only a few people with new-baby gifts.

Jake met them in the waiting room, looking tired but exhilarated. They exchanged hugs and congratu¬lations before he led them down to Maggie’s room. Emily rushed ahead, chattering a mile a minute.

Ike caught the door and held it open for Tracy. She nodded her thanks as she walked past him into the room.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:


Harlequin SuperRomance author, Anna Sugden, loves reading and writing happy endings as much as hockey! When not reading or watching hockey, she loves football, good food & wine, making simple cross-stitch projects, and collecting memorabilia, penguins and fab shoes!

A former marketing executive and primary teacher, Anna lives in Cambridge, England, with her husband and two bossy black cats. Learn more about Anna, her heart-warming romances and her shoes at www.annasugden.com . You can also follow her on Facebook (www.facebook.com/annasugden.romanceauthor), Twitter (www.twitter.com/annasugden) Pinterest (www.pinterest.com/annasugden) and on the Romance Bandits blog (www.romancebandits.com

Buy Links:






Anna will award a $15 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter, as well as 4 signed copies of A Perfect Catch AND 4 exclusive A Perfect Catch notebooks. (international giveaway). 


Friday, January 16, 2015

[Book Tour] Convincing the Rancher by Claire McEwen #Interview #Giveaway @HarlequinBooks



Convincing the Rancher
by Claire McEwen

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

About that night…

Benson, CA, represents all that Tess Cole doesn't want. So she intends to keep her business trip there brief. Too bad her idea to quickly change the mayor's mind about some planning issues dissolves the moment she recognizes him! That one night with Slaid Jacobs remains a personal favorite for Tess—and for him, too, it seems.

Even though he's gorgeous and hot, it's clear to Tess that the single dad wants a commitment—something she avoids. It's also clear Slaid is bent on convincing her they can build a future out of their passionate past. And that's a very tempting offer…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~


TESS WASN’T PREPARED for a Jeep that looked like an ice sculpture. With a pang of longing, she pictured her underground parking space in San Francisco, where even on the rare frosty morning she never had to worry about a frozen car. Reluctantly she opened her wallet and stared at her rainbow assortment of credit cards, wondering which one she could sacrifice as an ice scraper. The Saks Fifth Avenue card was nice and thick and would work the best, but she didn’t want to risk ruining it. Same with Bloomingdale’s. And there was no way she’d sacrifice Nordstrom—their annual shoe sale was coming up.
           
She finally settled for Talbots and started scraping at the frosted windshield. The ice came off in a spray coating her bare skin. “Ow!” she exclaimed and pulled her hand away abruptly, shaking it to try to get the frost off and the heat back in.
           
“Don’t tell me you didn’t bring gloves?” The deep voice had her whirling to confront the mayor. He looked warm and comfortable, his thick parka advertising the fact that he was prepared for the weather. The battered leather cowboy hat on his head was one more reminder that she’d left San Francisco far behind.
           
“It’s probably seventy degrees at home today,” she said by way of an answer.

“It’s seventy degrees in San Francisco most days. Didn’t you check the weather report before you drove out here?”

She hadn’t. She’d been in denial until she’d pulled into town yesterday. Despite all the arguments with Ed and the cramming she’d done to understand wind power, she’d ignored the fact that she’d be living in this tiny town in the middle of nowhere for the next month or so. Tess could safely say that denial was one of her strongest abilities.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~


1) What sparked your interest in becoming a romance writer?
I am a total romantic, so the idea of immersing myself in romance was pretty appealing!  Plus, I wanted to tell stories about everyday people who were trying to figure life out, and contemporary romance is perfect for that.  The genre takes the characters on a journey of learning and growth. I also felt strongly that my stories had to have a happy ending. So romance seemed like a great match for me.

2) What is one of your favorite quotes?
I firmly believe that most of the best quotes on writing, or pretty much anything else, come from Anne Lamott.  If you haven’t read her book on writing, Bird By Bird, Some Thoughts on Writing and Life, I highly recommend it.  One of the many pearls of wisdom in this book is “Don’t look at your feet to see if you’re doing it right.  Just dance.”  You can apply it to almost any situation but for writing it’s truly perfect.  We can get so caught up in trying to make our work perfect, or pleasing to everyone, or a bestseller, or better than someone else’s, that we can lose our spark and dull our creativity.

3) Do you plan all your characters out before you start a story or do they develop as you write?
Well, they seem to show up out of the blue, but then I spend time writing about them in a notebook, learning their backstory.  For example, the heroine, Tess Cole, in my new release, Convincing the Rancher, walked into a scene in my first book, perfectly clear to me!  Not just how she looked, but her personality.  But to write her book I had to understand more about her. What had happened to her that made her the way she is?  So that took more focused thinking.  Then I had to figure out who the hero would be.  What kind of man would be able to capture her guarded heart?  Slaid Jacobs came into my imagination right away.  I knew he was the mayor and that he was a single dad.  I could see him sitting at his desk. But then again, I had to think more about what made him the way he is.  Why was he mayor? Why was he a single dad?  What about Tess appeals to him?  What about her makes him frustrated?

4) What type of book have you always wanted to write?
I love writing my contemporary westerns but I also love to travel in Europe and I’ve always wanted to set some books there.  So I started one of them recently.  It’s a romance, but with some art history and mystery thrown in.  It’s set in Paris and I’m stumbling through the rough draft whenever I get a chance to work on it.  It’s a challenge, but I love trying something new!

5) How did you get the idea for this particular novel?
It seemed like bits of my life came together and contributed to this plot.  We were trying to adopt a baby, so I guess I had adoption on my mind.  And some friends of mine who had adopted told me that they had paid for a PO Box for their child’s birthmother, so she’d always have an address where their child could write to her.  That was so poignant to me, such a beautiful thing to do, that I knew I had to put something like it in my book.  It really helped me develop the rest of Tess’s story.  What I’d first imagined as sort of a light-hearted book took on a lot more depth.  And as I mentioned before, I could picture Slaid in his faded jeans, cowboy hat and flannel shirt, with his cowboy boots up on a big desk with an American flag behind it.  I knew he was the mayor.  But I didn’t know what type of conflict he’d have with Tess.  Then my sister went camping in the Eastern Sierras and came home early because it was so windy everyday.  That’s when I knew the conflict would have to do with windmills and wind energy.

Flirting Questions 

1)Hey, baby! What’s your sign? 
I’m a Libra.  And the funny thing is, my husband is too. And one of the traits of Libras is that they can see both sides of every issue, which sometimes makes it really hard to make a decision. So you can imagine how difficult it is for my husband and I to get anything decided and done!

2) What’s an absolute no-no in a relationship?
Cheating!  I’ve been cheated on before and it feels so awful.  I guess I’m still processing it because it shows up in a lot of my books!

3) How did you meet your significant other?
Well, it’s quite an odd story.  I was going through a divorce and had sworn off men forever.  My sister and I attended a Pogues concert at the Fillmore (a historic club) in San Francisco.  She spotted a handsome man and dragged me over to stand near him, despite my protests.  I refused to even look at him.  But during the concert some drunk men started bothering me, trying to get my name and phone number.  They wouldn’t leave me alone, and finally the handsome man next to me intervened and got them to go away.  At the end of the concert I thanked him, but refused to speak with him any more than that.  My sister was so convinced I should meet him that she dragged me through the crowds in pursuit of him as he was leaving!  I was so mad at her and went the opposite way.  So I didn’t meet him. 

But a couple of days later, while searching online for an apartment to rent, I noticed a page on the Craigslist website called Missed Connections.  When I clicked on it, I found all kinds of messages from people trying to find someone they’d spotted around the city.  It was all very romantic and I kept reading, just for fun.  Much to my surprise, I found a message addressed to “You of the Curly Red Hair, at the Pogues Concert.”  I have curly red hair, so of course I clicked on it.  It was from the man next to me at the concert  - the handsome stranger my sister had been so sure I needed to meet.  It was such a bizarre coincidence that I realized my sister was right - I did need to meet this man!  So I answered the ad. And we’ve been together pretty much ever since.

4) If you could take a romantic trip, where would it be?
Well, as a parent, I think it would be really romantic to go to a nice resort in Hawaii that had fun kids activities for my son.  So then my husband and I could have a few hours alone together in a tropical paradise every day.  But last fall, my husband, son and I took a very romantic journey all together.  We rented an apartment in Paris for a week, then drove through France and stayed at an ancient castle for a few days, then went on to Italy to stay in Venice for a week.  It was such a lovely trip.  We were so surrounded by romantic beauty every day.  I’d love to take that entire trip again if I could!

5) Do you believe in love at first sight?
I believe in love at second sight!  The second time I saw my husband was when we had our first date - after the crazy coincidence where we found each other via Craig’s List.  I was walking toward the bar where we’d arranged to meet.  He showed up at the same moment and when I saw him walking toward me, something in me just gave a jolt and I thought “Oh no.  I am in trouble. I am going to fall in love with this guy.”  And I did.


Flirting Quickies: 


Facial hair or clean shaven?  I have to admit, I’m not a fan of beards.  I don’t mind when my husband is a little scruffy, but when he grew a beard earlier this year?  I wasn’t too excited about it!

Planner or Pantster?  I’m a strange combination of both.  I plan a bit, then I fly by the seat of my pants for a while, then I plan a little more.

White wine or red?  Red… it goes really well with dark chocolate!

Coffee or tea?  Coffee. I love it. It makes everything better.

Vanilla or chocolate?  Chocolate. There is nothing like dark chocolate truffles, or chocolate cake, or chocolate mousse… yum.

Laptop or desktop? Laptop. I do a lot of my work while drinking coffee in cafes!
Beach or mountains?  Impossible to choose! I live a block from the ocean and I never get tired of walking along the shore.  But I write about the mountains and love it there…
Cat or dog? Dog, for sure!  I love my wacky little terrier mutt.
Twilight or Fifty Shades?  Twilight.  I didn’t love all of it, but a few of the scenes, especially in the first book, were really romantic!
Backpacking or luxury hotel?  Over the years I’ve morphed from a hardcore backpacker to a luxury hotel kind of gal.  It’s just a lot more relaxing then schlepping my gear up a mountain!
Christmas or Halloween?  Christmas!  I love it all, the lights, the yummy smelling tree, church during advent, buying gifts for my son… it’s such a sparkly time of year!



AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Claire McEwen lives by the ocean in Northern California with her family and a scruffy, mischievous terrier.  When not dreaming up new stories, she can be found digging in her garden with a lot of enthusiasm but, unfortunately, no green thumb.  She loves discovering flea-market treasures, walking on the beach, dancing, traveling and reading, of course!  Convincing the Rancher is her third book for Harlequin Superromance.


Buy Links:

Amazon: 

Barnes and Noble:

Harlequin:

iTunes:

Kobo:




a Rafflecopter giveaway