It's Sample Sunday again ... :-)

Enjoy Ladies and Gentlemen


... or grab it here on smashwords :-)

          “You do know you could have it all, Miss England. You just have to spread your wings and learn to fly. Simply reach out and follow your dreams. It’s all out there,” Daniel, whispered into her ear.

           






Check out what other readers thought of SDME:

"All in all I really did enjoy this book and I think the author has a real gift for story telling. So I’ll give the book 4 out of 5 stars"

"Overall, a very well written novel from a very talented writer.
My Rating: 4"

"All of the characters are a VERY unique that are possibly people that you know in real life. The overall story (minus the extra back-story) is a story that is very real and very relate able"

Susan Elizabeth Phillips - Match me if you can

Publisher: Avon

ISBN-13: 978-0060794361

My rating: 4/5

You met star quarterback Kevin Tucker in This Heart of Mine. Now get ready to meet his shark of an agent, Heath Champion, and Annabelle Granger, the girl least likely to succeed. But that's going to change now that Annabelle’s taken over her late grandmother's matchmaking business. Why does the wealthy, driven, and gorgeous sports agent Heath Champion need a matchmaker, especially a red-haired screw-up like Annabelle Granger? When the determined Matchmaker promised she'd do anything to keep her star client happy . . . did she mean anything? If Annabelle isn't careful, she just might find herself going heart-to-heart with the toughest negotiator in town.

Chicago Stars Book #6 (www.susanephillips.com)

My thoughts

Being still on sick leave I wanted to read something familiar and something I knew I would like. And SEP delivered!!!

 This book is a feast for Chicago Stars fans! Not only do we get served the wonderful story between Annabelle and Heath, but we can also reacquaint ourselves with friends like Molly and Kevin, Phoebe and Dan as well as the Tucker campground.

In short, the plot is Annabelle Granger inherited a matchmaking business from her grandmother and with the help of her friend Molly she lands a deal with Heath Champion (Kevin Tucker’s agent) as one of her clients. But, she not only has to cope with his demands, but also with Portia Powers owner of the matchmaking competition.

A special treat is the subplot – Portia’s romance with Bodie, Heath’s bodyguard. I LOVED IT!

 So in true SEP style, it’s a great book. The dialogue is witty, funny and “just right”. The characters are loveable and all we are used to in Susan’s stories. I loved the chapters at the campground with most of the characters from previous books – Phoebe Somerville and husband Dan (“It Had to Be You”) and Molly Somerville and husband Kevin Tucker ("This Heart of Mine") ... plus quite a few little kids.

Phoebe is great and I loved every scene she was in. She’s a real character nowadays and IMO deserves another book!

Molly’s little one is a hoot and I loved every single line she and Heath were in it.

A great story and it made my days "in bed" enjoyable!

Sample Sunday 21 August :-)

Enjoy Ladies and Gentlemen


... or grab it here on smashwords for free this weekend :-)

          Nicky had another quick word with Robert while trying to connect the mobile to the charger. All was going well and they were looking forward to seeing her the following weekend. Robert didn’t mention Shane so she assumed there were some issues and she avoided asking as well. They quickly said their goodbyes. Troubled, she looked out across the sea again. She knew too well that things weren’t going well on the other side of the Atlantic. She wished she could just reach out and be there.

          Nicky had just come out of the shower when Daniel knocked at the door. She opened the door slightly and saw him smiling at her, with a towel her only cover. Then her mobile rang and she went back into the room. It was Shane, but she chose not to answer it. When she turned around, Daniel had already stepped into the room with her.

          “My timing seems to be just perfect,” he said with a big grin. Nicky rolled her eyes at him.

          “Okay – just a quick question. I just talked to Sash. Vonnie, her family, Erin, her little princess and Alex are camping down near Cork for a few days and are wondering whether we would like to join them on the way home. Sash could bring all the stuff,” Daniel told her.

          “You’re kidding me, aren’t you?” Nicky was slightly baffled. “Camping?” Her eyes grew big.

          Daniel moved closer. “Don’t tell me you’ve never been camping.” He smiled.

          “You don’t expect me to sleep in a tent, on a mattress out there with all sorts of crawling little bugs,” Nicky sighed.

          “Miss England, it’ll be great. I promise. You’ll camp with me and Sash in the tent and you’ll be fine. Come on.”

          She thought about it and looked into his begging eyes.

           “You owe me big time for this, Mr. Callaghan!” She quickly adjusted the towel that was in danger of slipping.

          He donned a smile of anticipation, took her face into his hand and softly touched his lips to hers.

          “They say nothing beats sitting by the campfire under the stars.” He looked into her blue eyes before brushing her lips with his again.

          “You’re taking advantage of the situation here, Mr. Callaghan,” Nicky said softly.

          He smiled conspiringly. “Shh,” he whispered into her ear and took her hands off the towel. He kissed her gently as he laid her down on the bed. Nicky closed her eyes in pure happiness as he caressed her body softly with his lips. It was an overwhelming sensation that made her give into her feelings.

Check out what other readers thought of SDME:

"All in all I really did enjoy this book and I think the author has a real gift for story telling. So I’ll give the book 4 out of 5 stars"

"Overall, a very well written novel from a very talented writer.
My Rating: 4"

"All of the characters are a VERY unique that are possibly people that you know in real life. The overall story (minus the extra back-story) is a story that is very real and very relate able"

Thank you to my followers - old and new

A sincere welcome to my new followers and thank you to those who have been following a while.

It's been a bit quiet hasn't it?

Yes - I haven't been feeling well, but have also been busy with edits for my next book. So as soon as I will get on top of those things I will be back with my books to talk about ... and there are a few.

So tell me, what are you currently reading?

The "Avon Books" Writing Contest

To celebrate the 2012 mass market publication of Family Affair, a novella by #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber, Avon Books is hosting a Debbie Macomber-inspired online writing contest! Aspiring writers who participate in the "Make Your Dreams Come True" contest may find themselves enjoying an "American Idol"-type moment, as the winner receives a cash prize of $500, and the winning entry will be published in the back matter of the paperback and e-book edition of Family Affair, going on-sale in July 2012. In addition, the grand prize winner may also be offered an Avon Impulse publishing contract!

Stories must meet these requirements:

• The story must be in the Romance genre and have a low-level of sensuality without any explicit love scenes.
• The story must not have been previously published in any form or media, including posting in any manner on the internet.
• Prose romantic fiction only; poetry, plays, screenplays, and non-fiction are not acceptable.
• English language only.
• No less than 20,000 words and no longer than 25,000 words.
• No images or illustrations of any kind.
• No curse words or depictions of vulgar behavior.
• An original work created solely by you without any material that violates or infringes another's rights, including but not limited to material that violates privacy, publicity or intellectual property rights, or that constitutes copyright infringement.
• The story must be in a Word or PDF file when submitted.

A submission that does not satisfy all of the above requirements will be disqualified. After the entry period concludes on September 30th, three finalists will be selected by a panel of Avon editors based on Plot (40%), Character Development (30%), and Literary Style (30%). Finalists will be selected on or about October 15, 2011.

Debbie Macomber herself will then select the grand prize. The winner will be announced on or about November 15, 2011.

Prizes

• Each of the three finalists will receive a collection of Avon Romances. Approximate retail value: $100.
• The Grand Prize Winner will also receive a cash payment of $500.
• Total approximate prizing value for contest: $800.

Avon Impulse further reserves the right to publish the story of the Grand Prize Winner and/or the other finalists as described above, but shall have no obligation to do so.

The contest is open to all legal residents of the United States, 21 years of age and older by August 8, 2011, excluding anyone who has ever received compensation in excess of $100 for publication of a work of prose fiction and employees and immediate family members of Avon, and its parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, assigns, advertising, promotional and fulfillment agents, attorneys, and other representatives and the persons with whom each of the above are domiciled.

Simply fill out this form to submit your manuscript. Good luck!

Click here for more details on the Avon Books Website

FREE - Get a copy of Sweet Dreams Miss England

Okay .... I'm feeling generous today.

If you feel like a nice romance, set in London and Dublin (and a bit of Ireland) head over to Smashwords and get Sweet Dreams, Miss England FREE. It only lasts for a couple of days, so hurry! If you like it, of course I'd like you to leave a review or tell your friends!

Thanks !!!! The code you need to add is JA66A

Check out what other readers thought of SDME here.

            Her heart was beating as if she had just run a marathon and it took all her strength to enter the hotel and ask for his room number. The hotel lift seemed to take forever to finally reach the third floor. She took a deep breath and knocked at the door. Nicky vaguely heard him say to come in.

          “Hey, Miss England. I thought I was under strict instructions: Dinner only and that at a restaurant.”

          Nicky felt her knees giving way underneath her. She felt her body shaking and wasn’t enjoying being there.

          “Daniel, I cannot go out for dinner with you tonight,” she said very softly.

          He moved closer to her, sensing that something was wrong.

          “Daniel, I am married and even though my husband lives in the States, it doesn’t change the fact that we’re married.” Nicky felt the tears running down her face. “The thing is, though, since I’ve met you, all I do is think of you. I can’t get you out of my head. I keep thinking of the way you held me when we danced. I cannot sleep because I remember the way you kissed me.” She wiped away a few tears, and with a big sigh, went on, “I just cannot have dinner with you, because I have to do what is right and that means I shouldn’t see you again. I am really, really sorry.”

          Daniel just looked at her for a while. The silence made her nervous and uneasy. Nicky wanted to say something, but he held his finger in front of her lips to stop her. He took her face in his hands and looked right at her.

          “You did come, though. Please don’t go,” he whispered. He moved forward to her and gently kissed her. Nicky moved back, but he held onto her hand and pulled her closer. He kissed her again and she felt herself slowly giving in to him. She had yearned for his kisses for such a long time and didn’t want to fight them any longer. They had already made her too weak. He touched her neck with his lips, gently moving his hands down her arms to her waist, slipping his hands under her shirt, caressing her back. His kisses felt like an exciting rush to her body, something so gentle, but at the same time wanting, like she hadn’t known before. He looked into her eyes as if to get her okay, picked her up in his arms and eased her onto the bed. Nicky’s body trembled as Daniel kissed every inch of her body while removing her clothes. She enjoyed the way she was being loved in such a caring yet passionate way.

Another Sample Sunday for Sweet Dreams, Miss England

Enjoy Ladies & Gentlemen

 ... and if you like what you've read and you would like to read more in return for a review please contact me. I'll be more than happy to send you a pdf file.

... or grab it here on smashwords for just 99c :-)

            Her heart was beating as if she had just run a marathon and it took all her strength to enter the hotel and ask for his room number. The hotel lift seemed to take forever to finally reach the third floor. She took a deep breath and knocked at the door. Nicky vaguely heard him say to come in.

          “Hey, Miss England. I thought I was under strict instructions: Dinner only and that at a restaurant.”

          Nicky felt her knees giving way underneath her. She felt her body shaking and wasn’t enjoying being there.

          “Daniel, I cannot go out for dinner with you tonight,” she said very softly.

          He moved closer to her, sensing that something was wrong.

          “Daniel, I am married and even though my husband lives in the States, it doesn’t change the fact that we’re married.” Nicky felt the tears running down her face. “The thing is, though, since I’ve met you, all I do is think of you. I can’t get you out of my head. I keep thinking of the way you held me when we danced. I cannot sleep because I remember the way you kissed me.” She wiped away a few tears, and with a big sigh, went on, “I just cannot have dinner with you, because I have to do what is right and that means I shouldn’t see you again. I am really, really sorry.”

          Daniel just looked at her for a while. The silence made her nervous and uneasy. Nicky wanted to say something, but he held his finger in front of her lips to stop her. He took her face in his hands and looked right at her.

          “You did come, though. Please don’t go,” he whispered. He moved forward to her and gently kissed her. Nicky moved back, but he held onto her hand and pulled her closer. He kissed her again and she felt herself slowly giving in to him. She had yearned for his kisses for such a long time and didn’t want to fight them any longer. They had already made her too weak. He touched her neck with his lips, gently moving his hands down her arms to her waist, slipping his hands under her shirt, caressing her back. His kisses felt like an exciting rush to her body, something so gentle, but at the same time wanting, like she hadn’t known before. He looked into her eyes as if to get her okay, picked her up in his arms and eased her onto the bed. Nicky’s body trembled as Daniel kissed every inch of her body while removing her clothes. She enjoyed the way she was being loved in such a caring yet passionate way.

Check out what other readers thought of SDME here.

Astraea Press is looking for Submission - Topic: Halloween

Astraea Press is looking for Halloween reads as well as

 Thanksgiving, Christmas and Valentine's Day in all genres!

 

Details:

15K and up, not to exceed 100K

Does not have to be solely on the holiday but rather include some element of it

Keep Astraea Submission guidelines in mind

HFN acceptable

Deadlines:

Halloween: August 31st

Thanksgiving: September 15th

Christmas: October 31st

Valentine's Day: December 31st

 

Write a story for us, we dare you

 

 

Click here for more details   and GOOD LUCK !!!

 

 

Sandra Brown - Chill Factor

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

ISBN:  978 - 1416593522

My rating: 2/5


In Chill Factor, Lilly Martin is stranded in her mountain cabin with Ben Tierney, a man suspected of being. . .you guessed it.
They're marooned during the worst blizzard of record (here's where the weather became a significant factor), without hope of a timely rescue, totally dependent on each other for their survival.
Tierney is a threat to Lilly on several levels. (I'll let you think about that for a while.) Even if she withstands the storm, even if she escapes Tierney, she may not survive her so-called rescuers. Among them are a tough FBI agent, the high school football coach whose personal life wouldn't hold up under close scrutiny, and Lilly's short-tempered ex-husband who is the local chief of police. All are desperate to reach her and Tierney. But not everyone is desperate to rescue them. (www.sandrabrown.net)


My thoughts

Okay – so I can’t say it was a complete waste of time, but in all fairness and honesty – boy, did that story drag along. The plot is actually quite interesting. Two strangers (well sort of) are stuck in a mountain cabin during a snow blizzard – that’s Lilly Martin and a very sexy Ben Tierney. Would be nice, wouldn’t it, however, Lilly becomes more and more worried, though not a hundred percent convinced that Ben is a killer.

The other characters are Lilly’s ex-husband, Dutch the police officer in town, Dutch’s friend, Wes, and his family, and two FBI agents amongst a few others.

So, yes, not even half way through the book I figured out who’s sleeping with who, as well as who the killer is. AND it wasn’t that I finished and thought “I had a feeling it was ....” nope I honestly knew. So the story dragged on even more to the point that I put the book down more often than actually picking it up to read again.

And there were a few issues I couldn’t understand and that frustrated me. Though more or less reasonably well explained at the end, I would’ve liked a bit of a hint earlier.

All in all .... not really my cup of tea.