Diary of the Undead With Guest Blogger: LeeAnn Sontheimer Murphy

Win a copy of Love Tattoo and Love Scars and meet paranormal author LeeAnn Sontheimer Murphy!


Here's what she had to say...


As a teen and into my twenties, I kept a diary, meticulously recording the events and emotions of my daily life. I wrote an entry almost every day without fail, some short, some long. I seldom get out those old diaries now but when I do, I am moved by the depth of some thoughts and appalled by the shallowness of others.

Although at the core of my being I remain the same individual that I have been since birth, shaped and formed by life events and experience, I am not the same girl or young woman who penned those diary entries.

Some of the constants, however, remain – as far back as the entries date; I aspired to become a writer and an author. That never changed. Neither did my interest in members of the opposite sex. Many entries deal with my crushes, my dates, my boyfriends of the past, my dreams and my disappointments in love.

During this June Diary Month, I’ve thought about the days when I chronicled my life and wondered just what my character, Cara Riley, might write if she kept a diary. Since she is the heroine for both Love Tattoo and the just released (June 22) Love Scars, its fun to get back into Cara’s head. Both novels are written in first-person anyway so making the leap to the pages of Cara’s diary was simple.


Dear Diary,

Becoming undead is very different than anything I ever imagined, not that I ever spent much time thinking about it back when I had a real life. I guess I never appreciate what life meant until I chose to give all that up for my sexy, wonderful Will. He made me think before he would transform me with that third love tattoo which was a good thing.

Nothing would have made me back out, not when I love this vampire, a man to me, more than I ever loved anyone or anything but an afternoon spent thinking about what I would give up was important.

That way he knows that I came to him of my own free will, nothing else. Even with the obstacles that we face and probably will face in the future, I want no other existence but this one.

What I had to do to keep my happily ever after may not have been the easiest thing but I did it and I even have the scars, love scars Will calls them, to show for my efforts. – Cara


Dear Diary,

I sometimes wonder what my family would think if they ever learn the truth, that I’m a vampire and that I must drink blood to survive. They adore Will and welcomed him into the family but I have to wonder if that would change if they learned he is one and that, at my request, he made me one too. I don’t know. I would like to believe that they wouldn’t care, that they would accept us for what we are and still give unconditional love but I don’t know.

Prejudice is an ugly word but I’m sure most people would have some heavy ones if they found out someone they know is undead and drinks blood. I still haven’t seen human beings work out the racial, religious, and gender prejudices yet so it would be too much to hope for that people could accept us as we are.

I hope that my family never learns the reality and yet sometimes I hope that they will. As they age and we don’t, there will be a lot of explaining to do or lies to tell and I just don’t know yet how I will handle that.

Hopefully, I’ll figure that out before the time comes. – Cara


I’ve never written a character diary during a work-in-progress but now I see that it could be a useful tool for understanding motivation, for finding a way to express what my characters feel.

This may be something I can use in the future and for now, it offers readers a little deeper peek into the mind of my Texas gal vamp, Cara Riley Brennan.


A Note from the Book Boost: This was a great exercise. Thanks for sharing your character and her diary entries with us. Please tell us more about your latest book.


Blurb:

After marrying her sexy undead husband Will Brennan, Cara Riley Brennan thought her happy ending would last forever but she soon learned that the course of true love doesn’t ever run quite that smooth. Just when she thought they were settling into eternal bliss, Sallie Hawkins, the woman who made Will into a vampire in the past, intrudes into their lives. She’s wicked, she’s jealous, and she won’t stop till either Will or Cara is dead.

Her psychic presence tortures them both in body and soul but when she arrives outside their home in the flesh things go from bad to worse. Cara and Will realize that confrontation is inevitable.
When the three meet for battle, they all may not survive and in the end, who lives and who dies is up to Cara who will do anything to keep her chance at a permanent happily ever after ending intact.


Excerpt:

When we were in Memphis, we prowled Beale Street and drank Walk Me Downs. We ate at Dyer’s and sometimes we rode the trolley in the moonlight. Once in awhile, we headed to Tunica and some nights, we just stayed home, happy with each other’s company. We had music, poetry, and we had each other. We didn’t need anything else.

Out on the road, we sailed over the highways like that ghostly galleon from The Highwayman poem and before dawn came, we ate steak and eggs over easy in some diner or a truck stop café. At home and away, we talked about everything and nothing. By the time that the heat of summer faded into the first frost, I would have sworn that there was nothing I did not know about Will Brennan or that he didn’t know about me.

Apparently, I was wrong.

Until that January dusk, I figured fairy tales always end happy and in my favorite Western movies, the hero rides off into the sunset with the gal riding behind him in the saddle. I had my Will Brennan and we had forever, all the time that exists. Until then, I always had to hurry, never had enough time. That changed when I did,

You see, the living always feel that breath of mortality against the back of their neck but when you are undead, you have all the days, the weeks, months, and years that there will be ahead so the need to hurry vanishes. If you know – barring any unexpected complication like some fool with a stake to drive into your heart – you live forever, you have all the time in the world held between your hands.

Want More LeeAnn?

Visit her website here: leeannwriter.weebly.com

Or her blog here:
http://leeannsontheimermurphywriterauthor.blogspot.com


Pick up your copy of her book today! Click here.

Contest Time:

Leave a comment and be entered in a contest to win both Love Tattoo and Love Scars (ebook format) or a choice of titles from LeeAnn's backlist.


**Winners for Book Boost prizes are drawn the first week of the following month and posted in the Recent Winners box in the right hand side of the blog. Check back to see if you are a winner and to claim your prize! Please leave your contact information in your blog post!**

Dress It Up with Guest Blogger: Dominique Eastwick

Welcome author Dominique Eastwick to the Book Boost today.

She's here to tell us all about corsets. Here's what she had to say...


Ah yes, the Corset.

Clothing, every character wears them and in most romances at one time or another they have to take them off. But how many really know how period clothing work. I thought long and hard about this blog and what to talk about. I have a back ground in Costume design and history, to summarize the history of costumes into one page is not going to happen. So I thought maybe we could bring it down to one piece.

The Corset.

Such an integral part of who women were and what they wore. Here was a piece of fabric with whale bones and later metal stays sewn into it to completely alter what a women’s shape looked like. You think today’s man is upset about the wonder bra, thinking they are romancing a woman with a “C” cup only to find out she is barely an “A”. Imagine taking a woman to bed who can’t even take off her corset because she can’t live without it one since her body has been so distorted by it. Now not all periods had corsets that were uncomfortable and inflexible, certainly the regency period had looser stays then the Victorian (which altered the waist to unbelievable sizes), Gibson Girl (which created an unnatural “S” shape to the body) or Elizabethan era (which complexly flattened the front of the body). But all were meant to alter the shape of the woman’s body to the desirable look of the era.

So let’s talk about the Corset. The basics are the same no matter what period of time you are talking about, its only where and how the cinching occurs that changes. I am not saying all Corsets are the same just the purpose. Let’s stick with Regency as it’s the most romanticized. The silhouette of the woman accentuated the bust. The waistline fell just below the bust and slowly headed south as the 1800’s progressed. The corsets main job was to push up the breasts, of course it still cinched the waist but no one saw the waist so the waist was straighter and less hour glassed.

Corsets were expensive. Poor women would not wear one, not only could they not afford one but wearing one would make it impossible to work in the fields. However a woman of moderate status, trying to gain status would definitely aspire to have one. And those with money would have many. The corset was made to the individual’s body. It would have fit like a second skin in most era’s only tighter.

Because they were expensive items you protected them. A chemise or shift would have been worn under the corset ensuring it didn’t get sweat upon. A petticoat would be worn over the corset adding protection to the corset.

Now the big problem when writing about the Regency period, we all think that the corset could be easily removed. But in fact it couldn’t the item would be laced up the back. For some the lacing weren’t merely zig-zaged but might have several places in the corset that the laces would go straight up to the next hole. Then once the corset was completely laced the maid would take those two lacing that went up rather the zig-zag and pull them tight and tie from there. This allowed for a tighter look in certain places.

Thus making the quickie in the library is less likely. I am not saying it didn’t happen just not as frequently as we writers seem to write about. A man no matter how experienced in getting a lady dressed would be hard pressed in many eras to get the corset just right to allow for the dress to fit again. Remember most women spent a good majority of their time dressing for the events of the evening.

But I as a reader and writer will gladly suspend my disbelief for a well written love scene and quick tryst with the right hero and heroine.

And as a closing thought...did you know men once wore corsets too? But found them cumbersome and uncomfortable so stopped wearing them. Smart Men.


A Note from the Book Boost: I didn't know about your history with costumes. I might totally need your help with my Victorian novel! Thanks for joining us today. Please tell us more about your book.


Blurb:

Tony Sherman may be a modern day Adonis and a well-know ladies man, but hiding beneath his carefree, playboy persona is a man who knows how to be discrete. He keeps his desire to protect all those he loves from being seen by anyone, particularly his family. Fate intervenes when he uses his charm to beg a favor from a co-worker, a women who is unaffected by his charisma as she is by his looks.


Haven Pelletier is anything but the kind of woman usually found on Tony's arm or in his bed. She's mousy and rubenesque, and unmoved by his Adonis appearance. But when circumstances bring them together, she sees right through his tarnished armor—to the true man underneath.


As Haven learns more about Tony, she discovers secrets hidden deep in his past and a Man who might just steal her heart if she lets him. When life throws obstacles in their way, can Tony be the Knight in Shining Armor Haven needs both in and out of the bedroom?



Excerpt:

Her breath caught as Tony pushed her forward toward the glass window. A full moon lit the snow white landscape giving it an angelic feel. The white mountain shimmered dreamlike as if waiting for the sun to crest over them to awaken the skiers and bring it once more the joyful life. But at the moment nothing moved. No wind, animal, or person disturbed the quiet slumber of the mountain.

"It’s beautiful."

"I know. I come here, to this spot every time I come up here. My favorite time is now, like tonight, under a full moon. When a thousand crystals are sparkling at us. It's almost magical, isn’t it?"

"Magical," she agreed.

"May I ask you something?"

"I guess so."

"Would it be okay if ... That is, may I...can I kiss you?"

Haven took a step back. "Why are you asking?"

"What do you mean, why am I asking?"

"Why ask? Would you have asked any other girl you were with?"

Tony looked at her stunned, here he was trying to be a gentlemen and she wanted to know why. "I don’t know, because maybe I didn’t want to get slapped or worse have you accuse me of sexual harassment when we got back to the office on Tuesday. Or perhaps I was just trying to treat you like a lady. How the hell do I know? I just thought..."

Whatever he thought to say was thrown to the wind. Her lips met his and he couldn’t have formed a complete sentence even if he tried. Snaking his arms around her waist, he pulled her into him, forcing her to rise up on tip toes. She was soft where a woman should be soft. She made him feel strong and masculine. His lips wanted to devour every full inch of her mouth. She tasted like the strawberries from her Daiquiri and smelled just as sweet.

His mouth demanded hers open, not that he was receiving any resistance. She opened for him and met his tongue eagerly welcoming and stroked him in. Her left hand moved over his shoulder, up his neck and now her long fingers intertwined into his locks. He didn’t know, didn’t care who was driving the kiss deeper. He just knew that he wanted it, needed it, like no other kiss in his life. He wanted this moment to last.

This moment of beauty, its purity and its fire.

Want More Dominique?

Visit her website here: www.dominiqueeastwick.com

Visit her blog here:
http://aspiringromancewriters.webs.com/


Pick up your copy of her book today! Click here.

Banish Boredom with Guest Blogger: Nina Croft

Meet Entangled author Nina Croft and win a copy of Break Out.

She's here to share her sure cures for boredom and here's what she had to say...

Anti-Boredom Month (Sure Cures for Boredom)

I thought I’d pick this subject, as it’s quite relevant to my recent release, Break Out.

My novella, Break Out, is a combination of space opera, paranormal and romance. It takes place in a future where man has fled to the stars and there discovered the secret of immortality—Meridian—extremely rare and only available to the very rich. Everyone in the civilized universe wants to earn enough to be able to afford the Meridian treatment and live forever.

Everyone that is, except the hero of Break Out, because he’s already immortal.

Ricardo Sanchez is a vampire. Born on Earth in the Middle Ages, he’s lived nearly two thousand years, and he’s learned that the biggest danger an immortal faces is boredom. Boredom saps the enthusiasm and makes eternity seem like an unbearable burden rather than a gift. Boredom can suck the will to live right out of a vampire.

So Rico makes it a point never to get bored. But why should he be. There’s a whole universe out there to explore.

I make it a point never to get bored as well.

I live on an almond farm in the mountains of southern Spain, between the Sierra Nevada and the Mediterranean. The summers are very hot, so any activities that require energy, including chores around the farm and riding my horse, need to be done in the early morning, leaving the rest of the long, sultry days free.

It’s a very isolated area, so many of the diversions available to most people just aren’t an option here—we’re a long way from any shops, cinemas, or restaurants. But it’s also a very beautiful area—a dramatic mix of mountains and steep rugged gorges—and I never get bored of just sitting and gazing at the scenery (especially if I have a glass of the local vino in my hand).

But we can’t spend all our lives just staring at the scenery, so here are a few things I’ve found work well to keep the dreaded boredom at bay.

* Obviously, the first sure cure to boredom is reading a good book. And this month, that’s got to mean downloading your copy of Break Out, getting a comfy seat in the shade somewhere (or floating on the pool perhaps), and settling down to read it. Once you’ve finished that there’s a whole load more great stories out there.

* And if you want something a little more challenging, then there’s the option of writing. If you’ve never tried it—give it a go. Take a few on-line classes. Delve into your imaginations and create new worlds. And if you’re already a writer, then start a new story. One you’ve been thinking of writing for a long time. Maybe one you thought was a bit silly, and would never sell, so you’ve never tried. Write it and see.

* I’m a killer sudoku fanatic—I’ve found this site that issues a new one every day. And ever since I read somewhere that doing puzzles like Sudoku, uses ninety calories an hour, I’ve felt it’s a legitimate form of exercise.

* Walking your dogs. If you don’t have one, get down to your nearest rescue centre and put that right. I have three, and they all like walks.

* Long lazy lunches, with a jug of sangria followed by a siesta, and then a swim to wake up (I limit this one to the weekends as it has a habit of eating into the day.)

Okay so that’s my list—not very long but the reading and writing take up the vast majority of my time.

So do you suffer from boredom in the long, hot days of summer? And if so what are the best cures? Comment and let me know for a chance to win a digital copy of Break Out.


A Note from the Book Boost: Nina, your life sounds like a romance novel come to life! Color me jealous. :-) For me, I don't have a chance to get bored. With 4 children (ranging in ages from 16 months to 20 years) I can barely remember what "bored" felt like. I can also barely remember what this thing called "sleep" felt like. Thanks for joining us!


Blurb:


The year is 3048, Earth is no longer habitable, and man has fled to the stars where they’ve discovered the secret of immortality—Meridian.

Unfortunately, the radioactive mineral is exorbitantly expensive and only available to a select few. A new class comprised of the super rich and immortal soon evolves. The Collective, as they’re called, rule the universe.

Two?thousand?year?old Ricardo Sanchez, vampire and rogue pilot of the space cruiser, El Cazador, can’t resist two things: gorgeous women and impossible jobs. When beautiful Skylar Rossaria approaches him to break a prisoner out of the Collective’s maximum security prison on Trakis One, Rico jumps at the chance. Being hunted by the Collective has
never been so dangerous–or so fun!



Excerpt:

“Umm?”

“You taste…” She licked her lips again and a tremor of residual pleasure shot through him, jerking his hips. “…delicious.”

At the word, another hunger rose, and his gums ached with the need to taste her. “Come here.” He tugged her to her feet, pulling her close against him. Everything was hot and wet. He kissed her mouth, her cheeks, burrowed his face in the curve of her throat, licking the moist skin, finding the point where the blood flowed close to the surface, touching his tongue to the pulse.

She wasn’t fighting him off now, and he knew he could have her. His hunger rose as his fangs grazed the tender flesh. It had been days since he had fed, but still he couldn’t bring himself to make the final move.

If he tasted her, what would he discover?

Right now, he only suspected what she was. If he knew for sure, would he have to put a stop to this charade? Put a stop to Skylar? And even if he did prove she was a liar, it wouldn’t explain what she was really up to. He doubted he could make her talk, and he wanted to know.

Actually, he wanted her to tell him of her own free will, and for that he needed more time.

When he didn’t move, she wriggled against him. His hunger roared, straining against the fierce hold he had on his control. If she moved again, he knew he would lose it, take her. And then she ground her hips into him, and his control slipped away. There was only one sure way he could stop himself now. He stared at the red button on the wall beside him.

Dios, he hated cold water.

He shifted Skylar so he held her in one arm, and taking a deep breath, he slammed his other hand onto the button.

The effect was instantaneous.

Skylar screamed, and this time it wasn’t from pleasure.

Want More Nina?

Visit her website here: http://www.ninacroft.com

Pick up a copy of her book today! Click here.

Contest Time:

So do you suffer from boredom in the long, hot days of summer? And if so what are the best cures? Comment and let me know for a chance to win a digital copy of Break Out.


**Winners for Book Boost prizes are drawn the first week of the following month and posted in the Recent Winners box in the right hand side of the blog. Check back to see if you are a winner and to claim your prize! Please leave your contact information in your blog post!**

Harvest the Love & the Law with Guest Blogger: Nina Pierce

Win a copy of Blind Love and chat with author Nina Pierce today at the Book Boost!


Recently, we chatted with naughty Nina and here's what she had to say...


TBB: When and why did you begin writing?


NP: I first sat down to write six years ago when my multiple sclerosis forced my retirement from teaching. Thank goodness I strapped in and held on, because it’s been one heck of a ride.


TBB: How did you come up with the title for this book?


NP: I wanted all the books in the Tilling Passions series to have titles containing the word “Love”. Deirdre, the heroine, is a landscaper which made me think of harvesting, which made me think of bountiful harvests. (I rarely try to explain my warped thought process … so just go with it. LOL!) Love’s Bounty just seemed to fit with Ayden and Deirdre’s love story. Out of the chaos of a drug bust gone wrong, they “harvest” true love.


TBB: I totally understand your thought process there. Should I be worried? LOL How did you come up with the idea for this book?


NP: Love’s Bounty is the second book in a romantic suspense series. I love “alphabet guys”. You know, CIA, DEA, FBI, RCMP … they’re just so darn alpha and sexy and I really wanted to write a story about one. So Ayden Scott, DEA agent was born. Of course you can’t have the DEA without some drug running and a nasty drug Lord pushing his way up the Maine coast. Deirdre Tilling just happened to be the perfect woman to fall in love with him.


TBB: Right up my alley. What are you working on next?


NP: I have several projects going at the moment. I’m currently writing the third story in a contemporary erotic romance BDSM series, titled Slave to His Desire. I’m also rewriting the third book in the Tilling Passions series, Arranging Love, which I hope to release by the end of August.

I’ve also recently gotten the rights back to a vampire story and I’m working to expand it and turn it into a series. And like many writers, I have characters from new stories clamoring to have their stories told. As you can see, I’m not at a loss for things to keep me busy. It’s trying to wrangle in my muse and keep her focused during these warm days of summer that becomes a challenge!


TBB: My muse is being a bit of a work-a-holic these days as well. I can relate. But your projects sound fabulous. Since you spend all this time writing, what does your family think of your writing?


NP: So many times you hear erotic romance authors say they keep their writing secret from their family and friends for various reasons. I am so fortunate to be able to share my writing with my family. Of course I have grown children, which makes a difference (and offers interesting topics of conversation for my son’s fraternity) because I don’t have to hide much from them.

Mr. Nina is proud of me and touts himself as my “research assistant”— and a fine one he is! The funniest person is my mom, who buys all of my books, but apologizes because she just couldn’t possibly read them. LOL! I love my mom!


TBB: Oh, that is too cute! My grandmother reads all of mine and tells me "you kids just think you invented sex". She makes a good point. Most people like to tell their story about the first time they found out they would be published...what your reaction to the news?


NP: I cried. Then I ran out to a softball game Mr. Nina was at and told anyone who would listen. Of course I cried some more. (Then again, I cry at Hallmark commercials.)


TBB: I cry at commercials too--but we're artistic and that makes it okay. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?


NP: Jacques Ives Cousteau. Seriously. I wanted to hang out on his ship and scuba dive every day. But writing was a close second. *g*


TBB: What is your favorite breakfast food?


NP: Eggos with yogurt and raspberries.


TBB: That sounds fairly healthy. I'm not a breakfast person. Lastly, iIf someone wrote a biography about you, what should the title be?


NP: The Mouth That Never Stops


TBB: I love it! You're my kind of gal. Thanks for joining us today and please don't forget to leave us with a blurb and excerpt of your latest book.


Blurb:

A woman determined to protect her heart…

Landscaping in Delmont, Maine hasn’t been Deirdre Tilling's only passion. Up until two months ago, it had included a live-in lover. Jilted for the third time in as many years, Deirdre’s decided to give up on love. With her feet firmly planted on the path of one night stands, she finds herself heating up the sheets with a dark haired stranger she met at her new employer’s party. But one night with the man who is both sexy as hell and compassionate, may not be enough.

An agent hell bent on proving himself…

DEA agent, Ayden Scott, has a lot to prove after a disastrous drug bust in Miami three years earlier that left a member of his team dead. Working undercover as lead investigator, he’s determined to bring down an elusive drug cartel smuggling heroin into central Maine. He’ll use any means necessary to complete his objective, including sleeping with the suspected drug Lord’s landscaper, Deirdre. He just hadn’t expected the feisty redhead to be so much more than long legs and dangerous curves.

One night neither of them can forget…

Deirdre and Ayden both thought one sexually explosive romp in the sack would be the end of their relationship. But Deirdre’s arrest for heroin possession and her father’s near-fatal heart attack prompts Ayden to confess his true identity. When Deirdre is kidnapped by the drug cartel and used as a pawn, Ayden is forced to choose between his heart and his mission. The question is…who will survive his decision?


Excerpt:

Cautious, and working to keep his jangled nerves from pumping his legs in a dead run, Ayden strolled to the shelter of the dinghy. The noise grew louder. Ayden realized he wasn’t moving away from the sound. He was aimed right toward it. What a fool. It was a beautiful fall night. No doubt lovers were using the upended craft for a little private party of their own.

Turning on his heel, he started to walk away, when the noise came again. It wasn’t the moan of sexual pleasure. It was the keening sound of sadness. Someone was crying. And from the quiet hiccupping, it was female.

Ayden shot a longing look over his shoulder, debating between the refuge of the path and the complications under the boat.

Chivalry won out and he stepped warily around the bow.

The redhead sat on the wooden slats, her bare feet digging restlessly in the sand, her face cupped in her hands. Between shuddering breaths, she sputtered angrily into her bent knees, but her tears and her fingers kept the words from him.

“Uh-hmm.” He cleared his throat, not knowing how else to get her attention.

“Holy shit…” She tried to jump to her feet, but banged her head on the iron rigging attached to the upside of the boat and fell back down. “Fuck.” Her hand flew to her head.

“I’m sorry, you okay?” Ayden reached for her, but she shook him off.

“I’m fine.”

She looked up at him. Even in the pale light, he could see the sadness in her eyes.

“Actually, I’m not all right.” She pushed herself up, ducking her head away from the oarlock. She wiped at the sand on her bottom. “You scared the living shit out of me.”

Biting back a smile, Ayden watched her glistening tears turn to fury. That he could handle. An angry woman was one hundred times easier to placate than a despondent one.

“Again, I apologize.” He held his hand out as a peace offering. “I’m Austin Schaeffer.” How easily that name slipped off his tongue.

“Deirdre Tilling,” She shook the hand he offered.

Her grip was surprisingly firm. Ayden liked the touch of her palm against his skin. Not all soft and pliant, but callused and rough. He wondered how it would feel running up his back.

She was a beautiful woman. Her breasts swelled enticingly just above the bodice of her dress. Her long, muscular legs that he’d admired in the great room, started somewhere around her neck. No wonder Jameson had been seducing this lovely creature.

Jameson. Right. He mentally shook his head. Focus, Ayden. Tonight was about gathering information, not sexual conquests. But then again, there was that two birds and one stone thing.

“You come to Jameson’s parties often?” He immediately slipped into detective mode.

She pulled her hand from his and rubbed at the spot on her head. “What? Jameson? Oh, Shawn. No, never been to one of his parties. I’m one of his employees. Damn, this hurts. It’s already forming an egg.”

Ayden ignored the fact she’d called the owner Shawn. Obviously, he wasn’t getting any action from an employee who referred to her boss by his first name.

“Here, let me take a look at it.” He ran his fingers through her hair. It was soft as silk sliding over his hand. “Oh, yeah. You did a nice job. Probably could use a little ice.” At this rate, so could he, but not on the head on his shoulders.

“I did a nice job? Me? You were the one sneaking up like some pirate looking for lost treasure.”

The woman had no idea how close to the truth she was.

Want More Nina?

Visit her website here: www.ninapierce.com

Pick up your copy of her book today! Click here.

Contest Time:

Leave a question or comment for Nina and be entered to win an ebook copy of Blind Love, the first book in the Tilling Passons series.


**Winners for Book Boost prizes are drawn the first week of the following month and posted in the Recent Winners box in the right hand side of the blog. Check back to see if you are a winner and to claim your prize! Please leave your contact information in your blog post!**

Good Love with Guest Blogger: Rosalie Lario

Welcome author Rosalie Lario
to the Book Boost today!

She's here to chat about what she thinks makes a great love scene and here's what she had to say...

If you’re a fan of romance, or fiction in general, I’m sure you can think of at least one book with a love scene so well done that you can’t forget it. It was so riveting that you couldn’t put the book down. You turned page after page (perhaps while getting a little hot under the collar).

So what was it that made that particular scene so powerful? Was it the author’s choice of words? The way he or she described the action? That was probably part of it, but more than anything I would bet it was the emotion of the love scene.

Ultimately, I think we all read for one main reason (besides pure entertainment), and that’s to experience emotion. We want to feel what the characters are going through. And for us romance junkies, we want to fall in love with a character. This is why it’s so important to show the emotion behind the action. What are the characters feeling? What emotional bonds are being formed between them?

In my current release, For Love of an Angel (Book 1 of The Fallen Warriors series), my heroine, Eva, has strong feelings for fallen angel Michael from the moment they first meet, and I must say, this resulted in some pretty steamy love scenes.

I’d love to hear about your favorite love scene in a novel. What was it that made it so great for you?

A Note from the Book Boost: I really enjoy humor in a love scene. If you can work that into a really hot scene--I'm all the more involved with the character. The best example I can give is in Linda Howard's book "Mr. Perfect". Thanks for joining us today, Rosalie. Please tell us more about your book.


Blurb:

In a world where angels rule over humans, twelve outcasts dare to defy expectation, warring with their angel brethren to prevent the extinction of humankind.


They are The Fallen...


Michael is one of twelve angels who have been outcast due to their determination to protect humankind. In order to preserve his immortality and strength, he must find a mate with angel blood. Eva Smyth has never believed the propaganda spouted by the Consortium—the elite system of guards put into place once angels took over reign of Earth—but she never expected to learn the angels plan to eradicate all of humankind, or that she herself is part angel. Joining Michael means living a life on the run, at war against the angels and hunted by the Consortium. Eva must decide whether to risk it all...for love of an angel.

Want More Rosalie?

Rosalie Lario practiced real estate law for several years before finally admitting to herself that negotiating contracts wasn’t nearly as fun as dreaming up stories. When not writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband and son in their home state of Florida, as well as searching out things that go bump in the night. She still hasn’t found any proof of the supernatural, but she's keeping her fingers crossed.

Visit her website here: www.rosalielario.com

Follow her on Twitter here: www.twitter.com/rosalielario


Pick up your copy of her book today! Click here.

The Mystery of History with Guest Blogger: Anne Whitfield

Meet historical fiction author Anne Whitfield today at the Book Boost!

Here's what she had to say...


It's been previously discussed on one of my groups about the market of historical fiction and what's the next hot thing.


For the 14 years I've been writing I've heard that the market for historical fiction is either dead or in a slump so many times it's become a chant, or perhaps a wail, like that of a Banshee.


Seriously, historical fiction will always be around. It may not be the "in thing" sometimes, but it's always there, ready to comfort like a favorite pillow, always loyal like an old dog.


Historical fiction readers are a tough band of faithful followers, ready to seize the next release and hold it tight to their chest in welcome. We've taken the knocks when reading historical fiction wasn't cool. We've ridden the slumps when some publishers thought, in their wisdom, that we suddenly wanted all historical novels to be riddled with lust-driven virgins possessing names from the 60s & 70s like Kylie or Sharon and who sleep with men on first acquaintance before returning to their father, who happens to be a peer of the realm, while also being a pirate or a spy, or worse, an illegitimate son of royalty.


None of this should distract from the obvious. Well written historical novels of any era, and any genre, have entertained us for centuries and will continue to entertain us for more centuries because of one thing. Humans are curious.


We didn't live in those times and we want to get as close as we can to what it was like for our ancestors - reading historical novels will allow us that insight, will take us on a journey and, once bitten by the historical fiction bug, you'll never be free of the fever. The only cure is to read as much historical fiction you can in your life time.


So when you hear the market for historical fiction is dead or in a slump just laugh and buy a Historical Fiction book. I do.


A Note from the Book Boost: I'm a huge fan of historical fiction. As a reader, there's almost nothing I'd rather get lost between the pages with. As an author, I've written one historical novella and it was tough. I've been struggling to write a full length historical for some time. Let's put it this way--I truly admire those who can do it consistently and do it well. Hat off to you, milady. Thanks for joining us today, Anne. Please tell us more about your book.


Blurb:


Leeds. 1870. Lonely and brokenhearted, Grace Woodruff fights for her sisters’ rights to happiness while sacrificing any chance for her own.

The eldest of seven daughters, Grace is the core of strength around which the unhappy members of the Woodruff family revolve. As her disenchanted mother withdraws to her rooms, Grace must act as a buffer between her violent, ambitious father and the sisters who depend upon her. Rejected by her first love and facing a spinster’s future, she struggles to hold the broken family together through her father’s infidelity, one sister’s alcoholism, and another’s out-of-wedlock pregnancy by an unsuitable match.

Caring for an illegitimate half-brother affords Grace an escape, though short-lived. Forced home by illness and burdened with dwindling finances, Grace faces fresh anguish –and murder– when her first love returns to wreck havoc in her life. All is not lost, however. In the midst of tragedy, the fires of her heart are rekindled by another. Will the possibility of true love lead Grace to relinquish her responsibilities in the house of women and embrace her own right to happiness?


Excerpt:

Grace blinked to clear her frozen mind as her mother and Verity climbed the staircase. If Verity was here then was William here too? Movement at the door caused Grace to close her eyes. She couldn’t bring herself to open them and see the one man she’d longed for since she was sixteen.

‘Miss Woodruff?’ Doyle inquired at her shoulder.

Startled, she spun to face him, but she was blind to him, blind to everything but the sensation of having William here. Crazily, she wondered if she would swoon like a maiden aunt.
Doyle’s hand reached out, but he quickly tucked it behind his back. ‘What is it, Miss Woodruff?’
Grace swallowed, feeling the fine hairs on her arms and nape prickle. He is here.

‘Good evening, Grace.’

At the sound of William’s deep velvety voice, her heart stopped beating, only to start again at a rapid pace. Her stomach clenched and her legs felt unable to support her anymore. Slowly, she swivelled to gaze into William’s blue-green eyes and knew she was lost again. William smiled his captivating smile. He had aged, no, matured since their last meeting. He looked leaner, but broader in the shoulders. There was an aura about him, something that females of any age wanted. He made all other men around him seem insignificant. A magnetism, a mystical air surrounded him, catching Grace in its clutches once more.

Want More Anne?

Visit her website here: http://www.annewhitfield.com

Visit her blog here: http://annewhitfield.blogspot.com


Pick up your copy of her book today! Click here.

Meet Editor and Publicist Mirta Espinola

Today the Book Boost welcomes Editor and Publicist, Mirta Espinola. She's here to tell you a bit about the services she offers. Here are the details...

Editing Services:

Services Include: Children’s Literature/Young Adult Literature


Basic copy editing involves reviewing text and correcting spelling, grammar, and punctuation. I will read the entire manuscript, checking for consistency, redundancy, flow, transition, and the proper use of words. I will provide suggestions to eliminate confusion by providing feedback on clarity to make sure the author does not lose the reader’s interest.


For an additional fee: I can offer feedback on author's use or lack of use of literary elements and reading concepts that would allow author's work to be used in a K-12 academic capacity. As an experienced Language Arts, Reading Specialist teacher and doctoral student, I can offer specific feedback regarding whether or not the work can be used in an academic capacity.


Book Review Package Includes:

Along with my editing services, I will provide a book review for a small fee. My services will include reviewing children's books and young adult literature. I will provide feedback on appropriate grade level by subject matter, appropriate reading level and feedback on at least 5 areas where the book can be utilized in a classroom or academic setting. I can post the review on my BLOG and set up other networking links as well. That will offer exposure for your work. In addition, I will offer legitimate tips where your publisher or publicist can send your book to generate more interest and reviews.


You can choose the book reviewing package without the editing services. Depending on the length of book and/or illustrations we can discuss fees upon contact.


Affiliations and Work Experience (Non-educational):

Las Comadres Member
National Association of Hispanic Journalist Member
American Copy Editors Society Member
Journalism And Women Symposium Member
1 year experience Editor YA Literature/Study Guide Writing
3 years experience PR/publicity for local author
3 year Magazine/Online (YA Literature) Book Reviewer
VOYA
ALAN review & Latina Blogger

Want More Mirta?


Visit her website/blog here:
www.espinolaeditor.blogspot.com

Or e-mail her directly here:
mirta_espinola20 (at) hotmail (dot) com

**Disclaimer Notice: The Book Boost in no way endorses the quality or validity of the services offered. The information provided herein is for advertisement purposes only.**