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Today we have author Cate Beauman visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?

* International bestselling author Cate Beauman is known for her full-length, action-packed romantic suspense series, The Bodyguards of L.A. County. Her novels have been nominated for the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, National Indie Excellence Award, Golden Quill Award, Writers Touch Award, and have been named Readers Favorite Five Star books. In 2015, JUSTICE FOR ABBY was selected as the Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Gold Medalist, while SAVING SOPHIE took the Silver Medal. SAVING SOPHIE was also selected as the 2015 Readers Crown Award winner for Romantic Suspense and FALLING FOR SARAH received the silver medal for the 2014 Readers’ Favorite Awards.
* Cate makes her home in North Carolina with her husband, two boys, and their St. Bernards, Bear and Jack. Currently Cate is working on her twelfth full length romantic suspense novel.

Today Cate Beauman will be talking about “Long Story Short: Grow From Rejection.”
* I often hear others in the industry mention their love of the written word or how they knew they wanted to write stories for as long as they can remember. In my case, neither of those statements quite rings true. I hated reading as a young girl. It wasn’t until I was twenty that I had any desire to pick up a book and read for pleasure. I also never knew I wanted to be a storyteller until five short years ago.
* For most of my adult life, I worked with children with moderate to severe special needs. I loved it. Then we moved to a new state and the career I had chosen turned into a nightmare. My new job was awful and I resigned after a month of coming home in tears every day. For about two weeks, I binge ate chocolate and reread my favorite Nora Roberts novels. And then an idea clicked. I decided I was going to be a writer and tell fascinating stories just like my most favorite author.
* My husband came home from work and I shared my new ambition. I think he thought I had lost my mind, but he supported me anyway and has continued to be my biggest champion.
* For weeks I sat at my computer, typing away, having no real idea of what I was doing, but I loved it and how hard could it be, anyway? For a long time, I thought I was a storytelling genius—that one person who could write down their words and would instantly be picked up for a writing contract as soon as I got my work into the right hands. Wrong!
* I finished my first draft and joined an online writing community where I could trade critiques with other writers. I learned so much and realized I had a long way to go to improve my craft. I rewrote my novel twice before I sent it off for professional editing. And the editor emailed me the next day to tell me not to give up my day job and refused my manuscript.
* For a good two weeks I went back to the chocolate and Nora books and was ready to give up, but my champion reminded me that an editor is just a human being with an opinion. Thankfully, I resubmitted my work to a new editor and he got started right away. While my editor helped me clean up my project, I got started on the next story, then the next. Within a year and a half, I had three completed novels on my hands and wavered on what I should do with them.
* After doing much research, I decided I could spend months writing query letters or I could put my work out there on Amazon and the several other vendors available to indie authors and see what was what. This was the right decision for me.
* One nail-biting weekend in October 2012, we made all three books—Morgan’s Hunter, Falling For Sarah, and Hailey’s Truth—live and by weekend’s end, they were climbing Amazon’s ranks and made the bestseller list.
* Now, here I am less than three years later and I’ve begun work on my eleventh novel. I wake up every day thanking my lucky stars that my new job in a new state had been truly wretched, that I had the courage to try something different, and that I have loyal readers that eagerly come back for each new adventure in the Bodyguards of L.A. County series.
* With lots of hard work and a healthy dose of divinity thrown in, I’ve managed to become an international best seller, the runner up and winner of several very cool awards, and the writer of well-rated novels.
* Long story short: never be afraid to learn, go after what you want, grow from rejection, and be thankful every single minute for your tragedies and triumphs.

A look into…

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* Ethan Cooke Security and their bodyguard team return to action in Deceiving Bella – book eleven in Cate Beauman’s Bodyguards of L.A. County series.
* With over 7700 reviews and a 4.4 rating for the entire series, see why the Bodyguards of L.A. County is a multi-award winning series.
* New to the series? No problem! Each book in the “Bodyguards” series is a stand-alone title. Although reading the books in order is preferred, it is not necessary. Each title features brand new primary characters and limited overlapping secondary characters. Don’t hesitate to jump right in!

~ Blurb ~

* Isabella Colby has always yearned for normalcy. Now that she’s settled in LA, she finally has it. Good friends, a pretty home, and her thriving career as the Palisades’ top skincare specialist are a dream come true. Bella is content until she meets her hunky new neighbor, but her attraction to the blue-eyed cutie is the least of her worries when contacting her long-lost father threatens to destroy her happy life.
* Reed McKinley is more than ready to forget the past. His seven-year stint as an NYPD detective nearly got him killed. His wounds have healed and he’s starting over as Ethan Cooke Security’s latest recruit. With sixty-hour workweeks and little time to himself, the last thing on his mind is a relationship. Then he bumps into the gorgeous woman next door.
* Reed and Bella become fast friends. Before long, Reed discovers that Bella is keeping dangerous secrets. Bella may have the answers to decades-old questions he’s been searching for. Reed will risk it all to uncover the truth, but he soon realizes that the deeper he digs, the direr the consequences.

~ Excerpt from Deceiving Bella ~

* Should we get started?” Bella gestured to the kitchen.
* “After you.”
* She walked in front of Reed, hurrying to the table to pull out a chair. “Does this work?”
* “Yeah, it’s fine.” He sat down.
* She immediately draped him with the black cover, wanting to get to his hair while it was still wet. “So, what are we doing here, exactly?”
* “Just a cleanup, especially on my neck.”
* “Sure.” She grabbed the sheers and took her place by his side, sliding her fingers though his short hair and stopped. “Oops.”
* His shoulders tensed. “What?”
* “Just kidding. A little haircutting humor.”
* He tilted his head up, meeting her eyes. “A comedian.”
* She laughed as he smiled. “I haven’t even started cutting yet.” She gave him a bump. “Try to relax. I promise you’re in good hands.”
* “Chop away.”
* “Thanks.” She combed her fingers through his hair once more, using small snips to freshen up his look. Silent seconds ticked by as she breathed in the masculine scent that was Reed. He didn’t seem to wear cologne or use any fancy shampoos, but he smelled good just the same. “So, how was your day?”
* “Not too shabby.”
* She worked her way around his head, finding his cut a breeze to clean up. He easily could have gone another week without any problems. “What did you do?”
* “Worked a little. Boxed.”
* “Fascinating.”
* “I could make up something about stopping a bank robbery in progress or rescuing a cat from a tree.”
* She smiled. “The truth is fine, thanks.”
* “What about you?”
* “It was pretty much a normal day at the office—a second-session tattoo removal, a microdermabrasion, two stretch mark reductions, the usual stuff.”
* “What’s the tattoo of? The one you’re taking off?”
* “A woman’s name. Genevieve. The relationship didn’t work out.”
* He winced. “Ouch.”
* “Triple ouch. Tattoo removal is not a pain-free procedure, nor is it cheap—and he went pretty ornate with Genevieve. Hopefully next time he’ll pick a woman with a shorter name or abstain from getting himself tatted up altogether.”
* He laughed.
* She grinned, loving that sound. Did he have any idea how gorgeous he was when he smiled like that? She picked up the clippers off the table and let her knees rest against his as she leaned in and gently lifted his chin, evening out his sideburns. She swallowed, feeling his breath on her skin and his eyes studying her face. Licking her lips, she met his gaze. “You better hope I get this part right, or you’ll have to tilt your head for the next four days.”
* He sent her another one of his pulse-pounding smiles. “You’ll have to help me decide if I should lean more to the left or right.”
* Oh, this cutie had the potential to be trouble. Her eyes darted to his mouth mere inches from hers as his five o’clock shadow tormented her sensitized fingers. She took a step back and a steadying breath. It was a good thing they were just friends—currently the only relationship status she was interested in.
* Did you enjoy the excerpt? You can read the first chapter on my website, www.catebeauman.com, or you can finish the whole book with the links below!

Buy the books here…
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Kobo

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Find Cate Beauman here…
Amazon Author Page | BookBub | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | Twitter | Website
Do you like to win free stuff? Sign up for Cate’s Newsletter to be notified of monthly giveaway offers and new release information. For a limited time: new subscribers will receive a free copy of Morgan’s Hunter and Falling for Sarah, books one and two in the Bodyguards of L.A. County series!

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

ANNOUNCEMENT! Cate Beauman will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble 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!

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Today we have authors Colleen Shannon & Jannine Gallant visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourselves?
* Colleen Shannon grew up in West Texas where the skies are as limitless as the tales told by its many colorful residents. Surrounded by oil men, lawyers and drillers in a community that has produced two presidents and many national leaders and businessmen, Colleen grew up reading and writing stories of every kind. After college when she married and was expecting her first child, she used a scrap computer to write her first romance. She sold it herself in less than a year, and at the age of 26 began a new career and never looked back. The strength of her first book led to her nomination by Romantic Times as Best New Historical Author. She went on to win or be nominated for many other awards, and her fifteen single title releases have appeared on numerous bestseller lists. She has well over a million books in print. Her newest series, focused on the modern Texas Rangers, is from Kensington. Colleen’s ancestor, a Texas Ranger, was one of the first people buried in Brown County cemetery, Texas. Another one of her ancestors was a signatory to the Texas Declaration of Independence.

* Jannine Gallant has taken this advice to heart, creating characters from small towns and plots that unfold in the great outdoors. She grew up in a tiny Northern California town and currently lives in beautiful Lake Tahoe with her husband and two daughters. When she isn’t busy writing or being a full time mom, Jannine hikes or snowshoes in the woods around her home. Whether she’s writing contemporary, historical or romantic suspense, Jannine brings the beauty of nature to her stories.

A look into…
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~ Blurb ~
* Ranger bred, Ranger bound…
* Being a Texas Ranger is Zach Travis’s destiny. But war-weary Zach didn’t come home to Texas to take on his father’s legacy, only to heal his emotional scars…until his family’s compound is invaded by an enemy as brazen as she is beautiful. Not only does Hana Nakatomi seem willing to risk everything for the sake of her own birthright, she could be tied to the organized crime syndicate responsible for the murder of a Ranger. Yet, from the first moment Zach has the alluring thief in his grasp, he can’t deny the pulsing attraction between them….
* It’s Zach’s duty to bring Hana in for questioning. But he has his own ideas about how to capitalize on her street smarts and martial arts skills. Even as sparks fly during their pursuit of a common enemy, Zach is never sure if Hana is his ally—or his worst nightmare. One thing’s for certain: she’s the first woman to breach the walls of his battered heart….
~ Excerpt ~
* Hana blinked at the sudden wash of light and for a second, the tall, muscular figure towering over her was a blur. She quit tugging, trying to get away, hoping the grip on her hair would loosen, but instead the man facing her wrapped his hand around her long hair and tugged her toward him.
* “Who the hell are you and what do you want?” the man growled.
* Hana was mute, staring up. She knew who this was: the reluctant scion of the family, Zachary William Barrett Travis the gazillionth or whatever it was. She’d seen his picture in her research. He’d upset his entire family by wandering all over the world, then joining the Army Rangers for eight years, then wandering again. He’d refused to take up his family responsibilities, reportedly to the extreme frustration of his father, who, according to the maid who’d given her firsthand knowledge of the family, wanted Zach to join the Texas Rangers.
* She’d made a mental note of how handsome he was the first time she Googled his image, but a static photo couldn’t do his vitality justice. His hair was tousled from the nightmare she’d seen him thrashing in as she slipped past his bed. His chiseled features, with that perfect cleft chin that held true generation through generation in the Travis family, reminded her a bit of Brad Pitt in the movie Troy, one of her favorites with its warrior ethos and battles to the death . . .
* Hana kept her black gaze steady on his upper half, but in her peripheral vision she noted one of his snaps had slipped open.
* “Start talking or I’m calling the police.” He pulled her a bit closer as his gaze scanned the study, looking for open cases or signs of theft, she knew.
Buy Travis Justice here…
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Google Play | iTunes | Kobo
Find Colleen Shannon here…
Facebook | Twitter | Website
A look into…
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~ Blurb ~
* The Wilde brothers have one thing in common—a thirst for adventure. But Griff Wilde is about to be taken on the ride of his life . . .
* When Griff Wilde receives a letter from a dead man sending him on a race to find a mysterious treasure, he’s not worried about the competition. After all, salvaging sunken treasure is what he was born to do. But the riddles leading to the clues are a little trickier than he anticipated . . .
* Ainslee Fontaine is ready for a change. A cross-country scavenger hunt sounds like a piece of cake after teaching in New York City. How hard could it be? For starters, travelling alone seems to have its hidden dangers, like real-life treasure hunters who ignite her deepest passions. But there’s still a hidden prize to find—unless someone stops them by any means necessary . . .
~ Excerpt ~
* “Your box number?”
* “1692.” Her murmured response was barely audible.
* Twitching moustache turned Griff’s way. “And yours?”
* “1775.”
* The clerk unlocked a cabinet door and pulled down two keys. After he’d opened the first numbered compartment with Ainslee’s key and removed a long box from the wall, he directed her into a cubicle. Returning, he held out his hand. Griff slapped the key into his palm then followed the man and the box he retrieved to a second cubicle. Once he was alone, Griff flipped open the lid. A square card with the nearly illegible writing he’d come to despise rested inside the box along with the label off a tequila bottle? What the hell was that about? Not just any tequila, either.
* He recognized the brand. This one was expensive. Taking the card and label, he left the empty container on the table, grabbed his bag off the floor and headed out of the cubicle past the clerk toward the exit.
* When Ainslee rushed past the teller, he raised a hand. “Miss, wait!”
* Ainslee’s sandals tapped against the marble tile as she hurried across the lobby behind Griff. He pushed through the entrance doors and into a wave of damp heat then turned to face her.
* “Shall we go get something to eat while we hash out the clue? I skipped lunch.”
* Her eyes widened. “Clue? I don’t know what—”
* “At this point, it seems silly to pretend we aren’t both after the same thing.”
* She waved the card still clutched in her hand. It looked just like the one he’d shoved in his pocket.
* “Exactly. We’re competitors not allies.”
Buy Wilde One here…
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Google Play | iTunes | Kobo
Find Jannine Gallant here…
Facebook | Twitter | Website
Thank you for joining us here today, Colleen Shannon & Jannine Gallant! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

ANNOUNCEMENT! The authors will be awarding digital copies of both books on tour to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour! So be sure to leave a comment AND use the Rafflecopter link by clicking here to enter. Also, visit the other tour stops for a greater chance of winning!