We have new cover art for the reissue of Spring Chickens – coming January 8, 2015!
So….
You wanna see?
Maybe just a peek?
I promise there are no disembodied heads floating above the hills
And no poultry in sight
You ready?
I said…
Here it comes…
Monday Mayhem – Wish List
Okay, so this week I want you guys to blog. If you could ask for five things, large or small, what would be on your list? Not the world peace, end to hunger type things, I mean gifts your loved ones could actually buy or make for you.
They can be completely random or your heart’s desire. You share yours this week. Next week, I’ll share mine. Ready? Go!
Monday Mayhem – Diving Into December
If you need me, I’ll be over here having a nap…
Kidding. Actually, I had an awesome long weekend. Here’s my recap, complete with pictures!
Thanksgiving brunch was yummy.
My baybeh came over to play
I kept cranking away at the NaNoWriMo word count
Until I got this:
Then I spent some time doing this:
and this
But there were still things to do. I had to finish a read through on Spring Chickens and do first-round edits on Going Deep
Then we made our annual contribution to the electric company
December will be the month of revision for me. I have 2 mostly complete manuscripts that are pretty darn messy. I have 2 websites I want to overhaul. I also have 2 releases to promote, 2 holiday parties on the same day…Oy. Maybe we can skip right to January?
How about you? Is your December shaping up to be crazy as well, or are you going low-key this holiday season?
Monday Mayhem – Magoo edition
Greetings, my friends, and welcome to the home stretch. As we round the bend into the final week of November, there are tons of things happening. Big things, wow things, as well as little things and ‘do this now’ things.
It’s the final week of NaNoWriMo and as I type this I have just over 10k left to make my goal. As many of you know, I am a write by the seat of my pants girl, and though I always start with a loose outline, most of my stories veer off at some point. This one (Bossy Pants) has pretty much been pretty much like taking a drive with Mr. Magoo.
I’m also in the midst of the first round of edits on Going Deep (Kensington-Lyrical – September 2015) and just returned the second round of revisions on Spring Chickens (Turquoise Morning Press – January 2015)
While I do all of that, I’m preparing for 2 more Maggie releases.
The first will be a boxed set of the Hot Nights in St. Blaise series. This will be all twelve novellas (including both Passionate Plume finalists-August Awakening and Daring Miss December) for the awesome introductory price of only $0.99! You can pre-order yours here:
Amazon ~ B&N ~ Kobo ~ Apple ~ All Romance ~ Smashwords ~ TMP Bookstore
On December 15th, I’ll be celebrating the first of my Kensington-Lyrical releases, Three Little Words.
Amazon ~ Apple ~ B&N ~ Google ~ Kensington ~ Kobo
December is shaping up to be a busy month as well. I’ll have two mostly finished, but really rough manuscripts (Full Court Press and Bossy Pants) to wrestle into shape.
I have to sit down and work on my 2015 business plan (Bet you didn’t know authors actually did those, did you?) and set my goals for the year.
I’m also planning to undertake a website overhaul…or two. You may have noticed that I’ve been mentioning my Maggie Wells work here more often, and talking about some of my Margaret books on Maggie’s blogs. I plan meld my websites and combine my blogs (if I can).
I’m taking on two board positions with my two Romance Writers of America chapters. In 2015, I’ll be President of the Diamond State Romance Authors, and Vice President of Passionate Ink RWA.
Oh, and Thanksgiving is Thursday.
And Christmas is just 30 days away.
So yeah…the holidays are here! What are your plans for wrapping up 2014?
Monday Mayhem – Guest Author, Parker Kincaid!
An Amazon exclusive bonus short from Shadow Maverick Ranch
Only $0.99!
The wedding you’ve all been waiting for…
You’ve been cordially invited to the wedding of Gavin Mathis and Lauren Delgado…
Gavin has waited long enough to make Lauren his. He is counting the days until he will stand before his family and friends and pledge his life to hers. For better or worse. Forever.
Lauren is more than ready to say her vows, but with the construction of their new home far behind deadline, she knows there’s only one thing she can do … cancel the honeymoon so she and Gavin can supervise the completion themselves.
Gavin knows arguing with Lauren will get him nowhere. But missed deadlines aren’t worth missing a pleasure-filled week alone with his bride-to-be.
It’s time to take matters into his own hands…
White Collar Wedding
By Parker Kincade
Publication Date: November 18, 2014
PREORDER TODAY! ONLY $0.99
Available exclusively at Amazon for Kindle and Kindle Unlimited
http://www.amazon.com/White-Collar-Wedding-Shadow-Maverick-ebook/dp/B00P0HH0LA/
EXCERPT:
Chapter One
Three weeks before the wedding…
“We’re going to have to cancel.”
Gavin held onto his patience by a thread. “Lauren. Be reasonable.”
His bride-to-be spread her arms and twirled in the middle of what should’ve been their new kitchen, if the fucking contractor had done what Gavin paid him a fortune to do.
Lauren laughed with a manic tone Gavin could go the rest of his life without ever hearing again.
“I am being reasonable. How can we leave for our honeymoon when…” She waved her hand to encompass the area. Her beautiful eyes turned glassy with tears.
Son of a…
Gavin wanted to hit something. Lauren wasn’t prone to shed tears over messes and missed deadlines. She shared his no-nonsense approach to business. More than once he’d been in awe of her strength, the steel in her spine as she’d out-maneuvered countless boardrooms of men.
Every woman had her limits. It seemed the business of building their home had caused Lauren to hit hers.
What was supposed to be the happiest time of their lives had turned into a complete nightmare.
He glanced around the room, which was nothing more than a construction zone. The custom cabinets had been installed, leaving gaping holes where the appliances should be. There were no countertops. No trim. No. Goddamn. Sink.
And that was just the kitchen. The master bathroom didn’t have a shower. The guest bedrooms didn’t have flooring. The walls throughout had yet to be painted.
Anger fired his blood. Oh, he was definitely going to hit something—the chubby jaw of the bastard who’d left this shit undone.
“We aren’t canceling our honeymoon.” He’d waited more than twelve years to make this woman his. They were less than a month from making it official. Lauren deserved the wedding of her dreams, which included their honeymoon in Hawaii. He’d be damned if she wouldn’t get it.
Seemed Lauren had other ideas.
“Let me rephrase. It’s done. I called the travel agent this morning.”
“Damn it, Lauren. You should’ve talked to me before you made that decision for both of us.”
“Talking about it wouldn’t have changed the situation, Gavin, and you know it. Look around. Our home is in shambles. We’re scheduled to move in a month. You really think that’s going to happen if we aren’t here every single day to make sure things are getting done?”
Gavin couldn’t help but take her comment personally. He didn’t believe in micro-management. He paid good money to others so he wouldn’t have to. But the fact remained: the ranch kept him so busy these days that he hadn’t done his job to make sure their house was completed on time.
“So we postpone our move-in date. We’ll stay at the cabin a little longer. It’s not the end of the world, and certainly not worth missing out— ”
“No. We need to stay and deal with this mess. We can go on our honeymoon later.”
“With calving season right around the corner? You know I can’t leave my brothers to handle all the work.”
“They handled it themselves all the years you lived in London. You think they couldn’t handle one more?”
Gavin stared at the woman he loved, wondering at what point she’d decided to turn on him.
“That’s not what I meant,” he said slowly. “Clay has his hands full with the new stock coming in over at Ainsley’s. Even with Jared’s help, it’s all Pax and I can do to keep up without Clay. You know we’re hiring more help, but until then, it’s all hands on deck, baby. We’ve talked about this.”
He reached for her and muttered a curse when she stepped away.
“Lauren.” Gavin folded his arms to avoid the urge to reach for her again. “When I came back to Texas, I made a promise—to myself and to my family. I have a responsibility to be here for them.”
Lauren shoved both hands through her hair, leaving behind a mess of shining waves Gavin longed to bury his own fingers in.
She sighed. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I didn’t mean … of course we can’t go away during calving season. But we can’t go away now either. I wouldn’t be able to relax knowing things are such a mess here.”
Gavin was on her before she could retreat. He pulled her into his arms and breathed a sigh of relief when she melted against him. “I can think of a few ways to help you relax.”
“I have no doubt.” She nuzzled his chest. “I know it’s not ideal, but we could spend our wedding night at the beach house. Maybe spend a day or two there?”
He loved his—their—place on Galveston Island. However— “November isn’t the greatest time for swimming in the Gulf.”
“Who said anything about swimming?”
Gavin stroked a hand over her silky hair, struggling for the words to express how precious she was to him. He settled for, “All right, baby. If that’s what you want, that’s what we’ll do.”
He’d find a way to give this woman the moon if she asked for it, but spending what should be their honeymoon fighting with housing contractors was not his idea of a good time.
He had to make this right.
It was time to call in reinforcements.
* * * * *
Author Bio and Links
National Bestselling Author, Parker Kincade, writes edge-of-your-seat-sexy romantic suspense, hot and steamy sports romance, and erotic western romance. Her first novel, One Night Stand, won the 2013 Reader’s Crown Award for Best First Book, the category of Best Erotic Romance in the Celtic Hearts Romance Writers Golden Claddagh contest, and was named finalist in the Romance Writers of America/Passionate Ink Stroke of Midnight contest.
Parker lives in the southern United States. She loves to read, play golf, spend time with her family and friends, snuggle with her beloved boxer, ice cream from the ice cream truck, and watching old musicals.
Links:
Website: www.parkerkincade.com
Blog: www.parkerkincade.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/parkerkincade
Twitter: www.twitter.com/parkerkincade
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6475101.Parker_Kincade
Monday Mayhem – November Nuttiness
It’s November and I’m knee deep in NaNoWriMo. This year, I’m working on a novella about a young widow looking to cut loose, and the guy who’s just the man to help. 🙂
It’s also birthday month. That means I dragged Fodder out to the movies. Hard to make the man sit still for 2 hours, so I need to take advantage when I can. We saw St. Vincent. I can definitely recommend it.
I’m also doing Weight Watchers again. So far I’m down 5 pounds total, but I might have indulged a bit this weekend. I needed that chocolate chip cookie. I needed it bad.
This year, I will have the day after Thanksgiving off for the first time since 2002. I’m looking forward to the long weekend. I hope to finish the first draft of Bossy Pants by then and start in on the first book in a new series I’m calling Hooligans to finish out the 50k I need to complete the challenge.
Finally, the Diamond State Romance Authors will be hosting our annual public meeting next Saturday, November 15, 2014 at the Thompson Library in Little Rock. The program will be about Writing Short, and will start at 10am. Coffee, donuts, and good company – all for the low, low price of FREE! Here’s the blurb:
There’s more to writing short than less story. Join the Diamond Sate Romance Authors for a glimpse into the beauty of brevity. Learn tight writing, secondary plots, characterization and backstory. We’ll discuss tips and techniques that will help you craft a better story of any length with fewer words.
This free public workshop will prove you with the tools you need to improve your pacing, tighten your plot, and make every sentence count.
Monday Mayhem – Revisiting old friends
This week I spend a bit of time with some old friends. Remember Lynne Prescott and Bram Hatchett from Spring Chickens? Well, I just finished the first round of edits on the revised manuscript, and I have to admit, I still love these two. It was great spending time with them again.
The second edition will be all scrubbed up, repackaged with a new cover (thank goodness), and available in January 2015.
Along with the change to standard time, NaNoWriMo started this weekend. I’m about 4.5k into a new story I’m calling Bossy Pants. Wish me luck!
The Ethridge Estate was attacked by a T-Rex Halloween night. Thankfully, only the candy bowl was destroyed.
Lastly, we’re being held hostage by our animals. I think we may end up just abdicating and leaving them the house. If any has a lead on new place….
What’s happening in your world this November?
Monday Mayhem – I saved it for you
Okay, so there was going to be a Facebook party that never happened. I was all set to be entertaining for my allotted hour and now I’m stuck with a bowl full of Halloween candy that apparently isn’t Weight Watchers friendly (who knew?) and a bunch of silly questions. Fodder has gallantly volunteered to eat the candy, therefore I have decided to inflict, uh, I mean share the questions with you.
Want to play along?
1) What Halloween candy do you eat first, and what would you trade? Me, I’m all about the Reese’s cups, but you can keep your peanut butter kisses. I’m funny that way.
2) What do you think about this pumpkin spice craze: super nice or overripe? Can’t get into it. Believe me, I’ve tried.
3) One time I dressed as Peg Bundy from ‘Married with Children’ for Halloween. Sorry for the pic of a pic, but my scanner isn’t working. So, tell me…what’s the zaniest costume you’ve ever worn? Share pics if you have ‘em!
4) Let’s talk pie…I’m all over the pecan. What’s your favorite? Mine is pecan, but key lime is a close second. Your turn! Go!
5) You’re being haunted – choose your ghost: Rex Harrison or Patrick Swayze? Write in votes accepted.
Monday Mayhem – Thank you!
It’s been a busy couple of weeks with the release of Enchanted Lover, and you managed to hang in there. Thank you all for your support! As you can imagine, I’m a little burnt out on blog posts. I don’t really have much to say other than I think you are AWESOME!
Guest Author – Megan Mitcham
I’m so excited for my pal, Megan Mitcham. It’s her debut month, and she’s sharing her awesome Base Branch series with us. Welcome, Megan!
The Base Branch Series
Serve in the name of honor. Battle in the name of love.
Known by few as the Base Branch, the United Nations’ Special Operations Forces provide globe defense against any who threaten the fragile balance of peace.
Travel Time
My favorite part about writing the Base Branch Series—besides getting to better know the uniquely complicated and stubbornly passionate characters—is the travel. Do I have the means to jet set from Washington D.C. to Africa, to London, and then Los Angeles to Mexico? Nope, but I can research with the best of them. I. Did. A. Ton. Of. Research. And loved every minute of it.
Did you know Sierra Leone hosts hundreds of miles of pristine beach nestled against the cobalt water of the Atlantic Ocean? How about this? Many tube stations in the London Underground were used as air-raid shelters during the Second World War.
Thanks to Google maps, I’ve roamed the streets of Hermosillo, Mexico and scoped the dusky grass of the Kruger Lowveld. You know my places to travel to list has tripled in the last year. I’ll start witting it down with a trip to Mexico in a few months. Yay!
So, what are the top destination on your travel list? Comment and let me know for a chance to win a digital copy of Enemy Mine.
Megan lives in Southern Arkansas where she pens heart pounding romantic thriller novels and window steaming erotic romance.
Author Links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/megan.mitcham.5
Facebook Like: https://www.facebook.com/meganmitchamauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeganMMMitcham
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/meganmitcham5/
Website: www.meganmitcham.com
Book Links
Enemy Mine
Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play | B&N
Justice Mine
Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play | B&N
Stranger Mine
Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play | B&N