Welcome to Scarlett Scott w/ #Historical #Romance ‘Reckless Need’ @scarscoromance @GoddessFish

On June 12, 2017May 21, 2017 By Casey's CornerIn Authors & Books, Goddess Fish Promotions3 Comments

Today we have author Scarlett Scott visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?

* Award-winning author Scarlett Scott writes historical and contemporary romance with heat, heart, and happily ever afters. Since publishing her first book in 2010, she has become a wife, mother to adorable identical twins and one TV-loving dog, and a killer karaoke singer. Well, maybe not the last part, but that’s what she’d like to think.
* A self-professed literary junkie and nerd, she loves reading anything but especially romance novels, poetry, and Middle English verse. When she’s not reading, writing, wrangling toddlers, or camping, you can catch up with her on her website, where her complete book list and information about upcoming releases can be found. Hearing from readers never fails to make her day.

Today Scarlett Scott will be talking about the best piece of writing advice she’s received and how it helped her.
* The best writing advice I ever received was back in college from my favorite professor, and it was not to be afraid to cut my writing, to pare it down into the leanest, most efficient prose it can be. As writers, we work so hard for those words on the page that the idea of removing any of them is enough to induce separation anxiety. But we’re not doing ourselves any favors by clinging to words—or even sentences and pages—that aren’t as good as they need to be. This advice has held true and strong for me over the years, and I’ve never regretted cutting a single thing from any of my books when it wasn’t good enough.

Find Scarlett Scott here…
Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | Website

A look into…

~ Blurb ~

A staid duke
* Heath, the Duke of Devonshire, has been living a passionless life of penance after losing the woman he loved. Determined to do his duty, he’s in search of an innocent bride with a sterling reputation. A bride who’s nothing at all like Tia, Lady Stokey.
A bold lady
* The Duke of Devonshire may be handsome, but he’s as boring as a bowl of porridge. Or so Tia thinks until he carries her to her chamber and undoes half her buttons while kissing her senseless.
A decadent desire
* The moment he scoops the delectable Tia into his arms, Heath wants her in his bed, and he’ll stop at nothing to have her there. When they unleash the scandal of the century, they must face consequences that are deeper and far more dangerous to their hearts than either of them imagined. Will they find love, or was the reckless need between them doomed from the start?

~ Excerpt ~

* He opened the door and froze on the threshold.
* She was within, all right. And she was bloody well half-naked, standing before a crackling fire in nothing but her corset and chemise. Her lovely hair was unbound, hanging to her waist, her delicious curves on full display from nipped waist to lush hips and bosom.
* Her gaze caught his. “Heath,” she said softly. “I should have expected it would be you.”
* He wasn’t certain if she meant that in a good sense or in a bad sense. Belatedly becoming aware of the wind and rain at his back, he stepped all the way into the cabin and closed the door behind him.
* “Are you injured?” he demanded, closing the distance between them easily.
* Relief coursed through him, banishing the very real fear that had taken up residence within him ever since learning of her disappearance. He wanted to take her in his arms, but after their last discussion, he hardly knew where they stood.
* She caught her lower lip between her teeth in that way she had that he already found mesmerizing. “Once again, I landed with an appalling lack of grace. I’m afraid my bad ankle rather bore the brunt of it.”
* She convulsed with a violent shiver then, her teeth chattering. To hell with the walls she wanted to build between them. “You’re cold.” He shucked his wet coat and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her into the warmth of his body. She didn’t protest, snuggling against him like a little kitten. He tucked her head beneath his chin, the sweet perfume of violets wafting up to tease him. “Better?”
* “I suppose it depends upon one’s definition of the word,” she quipped.
* He was grateful that she didn’t seem at all rattled. She was herself, with a rapier-sharp tongue always at the ready. He’d never met a woman quite like her, and he was increasingly drawn to her despite his every good intention. “Are you warmer?” he clarified.
* “A bit.” Her teeth chattered again. “How did you find me?”
* “Luck.”Or perhaps a lack thereof, because surely the fates were laughing at him now.

Buy Reckless Need here…
Amazon

Thank you for joining us here today, Scarlett Scott! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

ANNOUNCEMENT! Scarlett Scott will be awarding a Kindle or paperback copy of Books 1 & 2 in this series to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour! So be sure to leave a comment AND use this RAFFLECOPTER LINK to enter the drawing. Also, visit the other tour stops for a greater chance of winning!

Welcome to Maggie McConnell w/ #Contemporary #RomCom ‘Spooning Daisy’ @GoddessFish

On June 1, 2017May 26, 2017 By Casey's CornerIn Authors & Books, Goddess Fish Promotions8 Comments

Today we have author Maggie McConnell visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?

* Golden Heart nominee Maggie McConnell spent her childhood overseas as the daughter of US diplomats. Attending college in Illinois, she earned a BA in Art and an MBA while working at the local humane shelter. At 26, she packed her dog and cat into a Ford truck and drove the Alcan Highway to Alaska, where she spent 23 years exploring The Last Frontier in a single-engine Cessna. A vegan and animal rights advocate, Maggie provides a sanctuary on her Arizona ranch for all creatures great and small, but her immediate family includes dog Molly, cat Sara, horses Quinn and Teena, and an ever-growing dynasty of chipmunks. Every year, like the Gray Whale, Maggie returns to Alaska.

Today Maggie McConnell will be talking about the best piece of writing advice she’s ever received and how it helped her.
* Seven years ago, I followed advice from Jody Handley, a former editor at Warner (now Grand Central Publishing) that transformed my writing. I revised a 110,000 word manuscript into 88,000 words and in 2012, You Had Me at Habari was nominated for a Golden Heart.
* No, it wasn’t published—that’s another story—but I felt like I had found my writing sweet spot, and in 2016 achieved my initial goal of being traditionally published when Spooning Daisy was released.
* Never underestimate the intelligence of your audience. Or as Coco Chanel might say: Less is more.
* I hear the groans, see the eye rolls. Oh, that. Yes, old news, but vitally important to the flow and readability of a story. And I’m surprised when I see writers ignore it. A book is much more interesting to readers if they bring their own interpretations and action to it. When watching a movie, is it better when the character says, “I’m angry”? Or when the character acts angry, and the audience figures it out? Don’t over-explain. (Did I just over-explain?)
* Using my own writing as an example, here’s a passage before I applied Jody’s advice:
* “Lady of the manor,” Jenna mumbled disparagingly while rolling her eyes. “That and a buck will buy me gum.”
* “–If y’ prefer we can retire to the drawing room. I just thought you’d rather be in a room where Maddie’s presence is so strong. It’ll help you sort things through.”
* “There’s really nothing to sort through,” Jenna declared. “I’m going to do exactly as Quinn advised. I have no way to pay the estate taxes so I’m selling the land to Billy Hunt. He’ll relocate the distillery and if people want to work they can, and if they don’t, no skin off my nose.”
* Clara patronizingly patted Jenna’s hand. “That’s poppycock, dear. You’re just upset with Quinn–”
* “I am not upset with Quinn,” Jenna insisted a bit too energetically. Giving her hands something to do she brushed her bangs away from her face.
* “Well, y’should be. He did leave you—”
* Now the same passage, revised:
* Jenna rolled her eyes. “Lady of the manor. That and a buck will buy me gum.”
* “–If y’ prefer we can retire to the drawing room. I just thought you’d rather be in a room where Maddie’s presence is so strong. It’ll help you sort things through.”
* “There’s really nothing to sort through,” Jenna said. “I’m going to do exactly as Quinn advised. I have no way to pay the estate taxes so I’m selling the land to Billy Hunt. He’ll relocate the distillery and if people want to work they can, and if they don’t, no skin off my nose.”
* Clara patted Jenna’s hand. “That’s poppycock, dear. You’re just upset with Quinn–”
* “I am not upset with Quinn!”
* “Well, y’should be. He did leave you—”
* To Jody’s advice, I add a corollary. Envision your story as a movie and write accordingly. A few years back, I took a college screenwriting course and what I learned has elevated my dialogue. In movies, dialogue and action must carry the story—rarely are we privy to thoughts as we are in books. Learning to write effective dialogue is worth the effort.
* For summation, I hand this back to Ms. Chanel: Write shabbily and they remember the writing; write impeccably and they remember the story.*
* *What she really said: Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman. 🙂

Find Maggie McConnell here…
Facebook | Website

A look into…

~ Blurb ~

* Her mango chutney is exquisite; her blueberry sauce to die for. But Chef de Cuisine Daisy Moon is a woman without a kitchen after a “bit of trouble” at her last job. Now blacklisted from Seattle to San Francisco, Daisy’s sole job offer is from Wild Man Lodge in Otter Bite, Alaska, where the end of the road is just her beginning.

~ Excerpt ~

* “I had apple strudel. I never have apple strudel. It’s not my usual.”
* “You came here to tell me you had apple strudel?”
* “The thing is…I liked it. For a change, I mean. Once. Not every day, of course.”
* “Max–”
* “The truth is…” He stepped toward her. “The truth is…I feel bad about giving you such a hard time at breakfast.”
* “Ohhhh. This is an apology.”
* “No, absolutely not.” Max retracted the step he’d just taken. “This is absolutely NOT an apology.”
* Daisy huffed. Normally, she’d take great satisfaction in Max’s guilt and take equal pleasure in the banter that would surely follow. However, she was a woman on a mission, and she didn’t have the time, not with Otter Bite hanging by a manila envelope. “Fine. Thank you for coming here NOT to apologize and for that apple strudel thing. And–” She momentarily softened. “–the money. But I just don’t have the time for whatever this is.”
* Once again he stepped toward her. “You’re making this extremely difficult.”
* “This? This what? What am I making–“
* “This.” The word melted into her mouth.
* The two hundreds floated from her hand to the floor. Then, her arms wrapped Max’s neck, his body pressed hers, and Daisy was lost in a kiss she never expected to own.

Buy Spooning Daisy here…
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Thank you for joining us here today, Maggie McConnell! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

ANNOUNCEMENT! Maggie McConnell will be offering 1) Nordstrom “Daisy” vegan leather clutch, 2) Nordstrom turtle pin, or 3) Rebecca Minkoff star pendant/necklace to 3 randomly drawn winners (US only; international winners will receive a $25 Amazon/BN GC)! So be sure to leave a comment AND use this RAFFLECOPTER LINK to enter the drawing. Also, visit the other tour stops for a greater chance of winning!

Welcome to A.C. Melody w/ #Paranormal #Erotic #Romance ‘Hearthstone Alpha’ @AuthorACMelody @GoddessFish

On May 31, 2017June 1, 2017 By Casey's CornerIn Authors & Books, Goddess Fish Promotions2 Comments

Today we have author A.C. Melody visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?

* A.C. Melody lives in Washington State, is the proud mom of two amazing sons – okay, so they’re typical boys and always keep her on her toes! Stemming from a family of artists and musicians, she thrives in all things creative and would call a day without her MP3 player and coffee a day of reckoning. When she’s not writing, reading, drawing or cheering on the sidelines at football games, A.C. Also enjoys gardening, which has honed her ability to dodge raindrops into an enviable skill.
* A.C. Melody loves interacting with her fans and fellow authors. She can be reached at her email or on any of the following media sites.

A look into…

~ Blurb ~

* All Reyna Daniels wants is to secure her return home to Minneapolis. The last thing she needs is to find her world completely inundated by the magnetizing, hostile Corbyn Bruschard and his group of male-model friends.
* Corbyn’s not ashamed at being everywhere, since it’s his territory, and he’s certainly not going to apologize for trying to keep Reyna safe. Especially when she’s his mate.
* With all signs pointing to an old enemy’s return, Reyna’s going to have to suck it up and face her ancient Norse heritage fast. That doesn’t mean she has to accept being mated to an Alpha who threatens all of her hard-earned independence.

~ Excerpt ~

* He visibly reined it back, calmed. “Why not just let him play hookey for the day?” He suggested, apology lacing a tone that still sounded very determined. “It’s only for a few hours, Serena.”
* “Because, it’s routine, Corbyn,” Serena countered. “His father and I have already discussed it. I will be joining Justin at school today. Auntie Rey, too, if she wants.”
* “Well, I was going to—” Reyna started, when Corbyn’s eyes flashed to hers.
* “Go to school with your nephew,” he finished for her.
* No apology this time, just straight up authority.
* “Yay!” Justin clapped, jumping out of Reyna’s arms and taking off out of the room again, which forced Serena to follow, but not before she leveled Corbyn with a stern look.
* In the silence that followed, Reyna couldn’t tamp her anger down no matter how hard she tried.
* “I don’t like bullies,” she stated clearly, looking Corbyn dead in the eyes.
* “And I don’t like having to bully,” he returned gently, sincerely. “But I will do whatever is necessary to keep everyone here safe. That includes you.”
* Reyna eyed him, unable to find the voice of reason inside her that should have been asking why he found it was his place to protect anyone in that household, when that should be her brother’s job. She turned away from him and felt his strong fingers curl under hers again. It succeeded in stopping her, but she didn’t look back this time.
* “You can’t make me the enemy already, Reyna,” Corbyn stated passionately. “I’m just getting started.”

Buy A.C. Melody’s books here…
Amazon | B&N | Red Sage Publishing

Thank you for joining us here today, A.C. Melody! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

ANNOUNCEMENT! A.C. Melody will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour! So be sure to leave a comment AND use this RAFFLECOPTER LINK to enter the drawing. Also, visit the other tour stops for a greater chance of winning!