Six Sentence Sunday 3/27/11

Was thinking about trying out my squeaky new Kitchen Sink WIP this week but...it may need to percolate,  not to mention progress...

And Stacey Kennedy gave HEALING HEARTS a review on Paranormal Romantics last week that absolutely made me sniffle. She plucked seven sentences that, she said, made her fall in love with Adam and "get all giddy over the man." I've never excerpted those before. 

So...in honor of Stacey's review and Adam's new Romance Trading Card designed by Angela Waters, the artist who created the Healing Hearts cover for Carina Press -- and egged on by @Stacey_Kennedy and @LisaFoxRomance on Twitter, here they are, magically condensed to 6:


Emma stared from one man to the other as if a bolt of lightning had riveted her to her place behind the large piece of furniture, revulsion filling her eyes when she looked at Farraday—shame when she gazed upon Adam.

Damn it to bloody blue blazes, he thought. The hell with her stiff-backed pride. He would have leapt to her side and knocked the other man senseless if he could. But he’d left his agility in a Spanish ditch.

“To me, Emma,” Adam repeated, his voice calm but forceful.



Want a chance to take Adam home with you? Visit Romancing the Past and leave a comment about your favorite type of hero!

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Romance Trading Cards

You've all heard about Jeannie Lin's awesome idea of Romance Trading Cards by now, haven't ya?

If not... you can read all about 'em here: http://romancetradingcards.com/.

I wanted some of these desperately.  'Cause hell knows, I can't get enough of seeing Adam (my delectable swoon-worthy hero) and the cover of HEALING HEARTS plastered all over the place!

I prevailed upon the brilliant Angela Waters, the cover artist who created the HEALING HEARTS cover for Carina Press, to design some for me. Angela went to work and came up with designs for both HEALING HEARTS and  SLEEPY HOLLOW DREAMS!

And here they are! 

         

Just when I thought Adam couldn't possibly get any more swoon-worthy...he did! Thank you, Angela. (And cover-model Jimmy Thomas)

And here's Emma:

            (She's most definitely Adam-worthy...don'tcha think?)

And...SLEEPY HOLLOW DREAMS, from the original cover by Angela Anderson for The Wild Rose Press (which today provided my first royalty check ever!)

So what do you think?  Aren't they gorgeous? Personally, I can't wait to get 'em printed up and hand 'em out at RWA #11!

(You can read blurbs, excerpts & reviews by clicking on the Books pages above.)

Six Sentence Sunday 3/20/11

“What’ll it be, baby?”

Lara started. She’d finally muscled her way onto a bar stool, but she’d spent the last couple of minutes alternately scanning the establishment and its customers, or ogling the bartender’s hellacious butt -- the kind of taut, primo male ass that could give a woman wet dreams for a month.

Now he was in front of her, rag slung over his shoulder as he scooped a pile of cash from the counter, the timbre of his deep voice and the tone of that “baby” sending zippy buzzes of electricity up her spine -- and lower. Lara’s mouth went dry.


“One of those.”


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When Worlds Collide and Empty Nests

Today, I'm talking about worldbuilding over at FF&P, the Romance Writers of America Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal chapter's web site.

Yep, it's required for historicals, too. Come chat about "When Worlds Collide."

http://ffnp.blogspot.com/2011/03/when-worlds-collide.html

And...I'm talking about that Empty Nest feeling when your book is released and you launch it into the world over at Romancing the Past, the Carina Press historical writers' blog.

So...how do you feel about that?  Come join me and chat!

Friends to Lovers

I'm over at Dear Author today, talking about why we love "friends to lovers" romance stories so much!

Pretty excited about this and I hope you'll join me!

Six Sentence Sunday 3/13/11

Thought we'd go back to see how Cole and Lara were doing.

The beginning of the infamous hot tub scene from my romantic suspense WIP, Cole in Her Stocking:

As if her heated thoughts had conjured him, the glass doors slid open and Cole strolled onto the redwood deck, his masculine frame backlit by the lights from the cabin, a powerful presence in the night. Through the misting air, his gaze locked with hers, embers sparking until his wintry eyes blazed with sexual fire. 

 Curls of need shimmered across the surface of Lara’s skin, and she shivered, despite the warmth of the hot tub.

Silence lengthened between them and magnified each creak of the snow-laden fir trees surrounding the lodge. Cole leaned back against the railing, arms crossed over his chest, his eyes smoldering with hunger as they traveled over her. 

 “Drink your fill, G-man.”

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Six Sentence Sunday 3/6/2011

I am in the middle of a couple of projects right now and couldn't decide what the heck to pick for Six Sentence Sunday this week. And, all of a sudden, I had a craving to pull my first completed full-length ms -- Lilacs at Dawn, a Regency like Healing Hearts -- out of its hiding place and take another look. I can't believe I wrote a 429-page book. Ever. Eventually, I may go back to tinker. This is a small scene (not this small, but not much longer) in the hero's POV wedged between wedding planning and wedding mayhem.

 The night before he was to be wed, a bullet slammed into his chest and he crumpled to foreign soil, knowing he had failed.

"Forgive me, England," he murmured as his eyes closed.

He thought of the girl, fresh as lilacs at dawn, who would stand alone in the church the next morning, waiting for a bridegroom who would not come. His hand closed over a satin garter trimmed with lace and blue velvet ribbon.

"Forgive me, my darling."

Blackness claimed him.

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Friend Friday: MARSHA MOORE

Today I'm pleased to welcome as my Friend Friday guest blogger, one of my Six Sentence Sunday pals, Marsha Moore. Marsha's here to chat about her latest fantasy release, Tears on a Tranquil Lake, her artwork, and some cool contest giveaways on her blog. Take it away, Marsha!

------------------------

Hi and thanks for inviting me to be here today, Taryn!

I’m going to use this fun opportunity to unveil a new creative work of mine. No, not a book. Well, sort of. Some know I paint watercolors. I tried to sell commercially, did the art fair circuit for one summer, and had some of my paintings in local art galleries. Now, I just paint for fun, but I had a cool idea of creating an illustration of a scene from my latest fantasy romance release, Tears on a Tranquil Lake.

Today, I’m unveiling that painting. I’ve entitled it Magic Sandcastles, from one of my favorite scenes in the book.

I was so pleased with the way it turned out, I’ve printed the illustration on some cool items (tote bag, note card sets, post cards) which I’m offering as giveaways in a contest on my website. http://www.marshaamoore.com/

Here’s my painting, showing my heroine mermaid, Ciel, with her merman lover, Meris:

And here’s an excerpt from the book which inspired the artwork:

A splashing sound interrupted my sunbathing. Meris pulled up onto the rock next to me. Without a word, he bent over me and tasted my lips.
My lips grew warm and tingly in response.
He looked up and gazed at the pirate ship for a while. “It looks like the Hawk is stocking supplies to travel. Are you joining them?”
I nodded, afraid to look into his eyes in case he did not approve.
“Where are they going?”
“Tortuga.”
He sighed and shook his head. “You'll be gone for at least three days.” We sat in an awkward silence. Then he took my hand and smiled. “I have a new place to show you today. Come with me, Ciel.”
I returned his smile and we pushed off the rock, finding Albeo waiting to join us. Meris and I swam hand-in-hand for a couple miles, arriving in the surf of a beach with powdery soft, white sand. Dunes, grasses, and flowering sea plants made the coast private. The entire area as far as I could see lay natural and undeveloped. It belonged to us.
Meris led me onto a bend in the shore, decorated by a community of sandcastles.
“How fun! They're remarkable!” I exclaimed.
“Yes, they are, but watch.” He waved his arm above the structures, and in moments hundreds of tiny hermit crabs became the ‘people’ of this imaginary world, climbing the ramps and manning the turrets at his bidding.
“Oh! How do you do that? That's amazing!”
“Merpeople can perform magic. This is only one simple example of what I can teach you.”
“Yes! Please, teach me! I want to know how. That's such fun!”
While the surf lapped at our tails we sat next to one of the castles. Meris instructed me how to focus my mind, and with patience and time I directed a few of the crab ‘men’ to follow my bidding.
“There you go!” He applauded. “Practice will improve your skill. Later, I'll show you more of our magic.”
“I can’t wait!”
The lesson ended and he leaned into me.
“Such beautiful golden hair,” he said as he moved strands aside to nibble my earlobe.
I lifted my chin upward, enjoying the sweet sensations.
The tip of his tongue traced along my extended neck and I sighed. His hands passed around my waist, drawing me closer. His lips soon found their way to mine, covering them with butterfly kisses. Nothing could feel softer or more like love itself.
When we paused to catch our breath, I pulled back slightly and wrapped my fingers around the black pearl. “What does your gift mean? The captain told me . . .”
He placed a hand over mine, enclosing the pearl. The magic of the amulet within our hands pulsed harder.
Blurb:
What a surprise for a young woman, to find herself suddenly transformed into a mermaid.

Ciel’s first thought – track down the merman who changed her and make him reverse his magic.
Unable to find him, survival in her new world becomes paramount. She eagerly accepts help from a dashing pirate captain who takes a fancy to her, lavishing her with finery. When her merman does show up, he competes for her affection. One look into his eyes makes her life more complex -- he is her soul mate.

Which man will she choose – pirate captain or merman? Which life – human or mermaid? Caribbean adventures and dangers chase Ciel as she searches for decisions and the key to her happiness.

Warning: This book contains Haitian vodou, sultry wenches, foul-mouthed scalliwag pirates, overindulgence of fine Caribbean rum, and amorous encounters on deserted beaches.

Marsha's links: Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Tears on a Tranquil Lake is available from: MuseItUp Publishing, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Coffee Time Romance Bookstore, All Romance, Omnilit and Diesel.