A New Review On An Old Book!

Squeeeee! I just read this review on my second Honor Guard story, Fractured Paradise. It still tickles me to hear what people love about my books and I'm thinking that will never change. I'm so thankful to anyone who leaves an honest review anywhere other readers can see it!

Rachel is a headstrong woman determined to renovate her grandmother's house. Aidan is the man determined to buy it from her.

What I loved about this book is both Rachel and Aidan each had reasons beyond their own personal needs to buy and keep the house, and there were so many emotions that accompanied the reasoning: guilt, love & grief. The romance was steamy, and got hot. Then the author threw in a bit of danger and drama, and overall it was a very nice quick read that had emotional depth I could relate to with both Aidan and Rachel. A wonderful "beach read."

Thank you Carly Fall!

Sneak Peek Sunday!

Welcome back to another edition of Sneak Peek Sunday! To find more awesome sneak peeks, visit the Sneak Peek Sunday site here.

 

And now, here's the sneak peek of my book......

 

Today's peek is from my 2nd Honor Guard story, Fractured Paradise. In this scene, my heroine, Rachel, is in a boat rowing toward the shore from her grandmother's island cottage. She's been cleaning it up for several days and this night was supposed to be her first night staying in there. Only, too many strange and scary noises make her run for the boat and start rowing toward the mainland. Halfway to the shore, her boat starts taking in water...way too fast.

 

I hope you enjoy!

 

 

A bubble of panic formed in the center of her chest. Whipping her head around toward shore, she spotted both her cottage and the beacon of light coming from the parking lot of Dawson Tours. Which was closer?

On the island, she would be alone until someone decided to check on her, which could take days. Quick decision—go for the shore.

Rachel rowed faster away from the cottage and mouthed the words to the only prayer she remembered from her youth. Water gushed into the bottom of the boat now, swishing around whenever she moved her feet. The shore remained too far out of reach.

She cupped her hands and bailed frantically, but she would never be fast enough to keep from sinking. Her heart thumped against her chest, in her ears, and picked up speed. "Help!" she cried. "Somebody help me!"

But no one would hear her. Her throat tightened. Just how deep was this section of the sea?

One of her oars scraped along the edge of the boat and disappeared. "No, no, no!" She stretched out to grab it, but the boat rocked beneath her, flipped up on its side, and dumped her.

Sneak Peek Sunday!

Hello! Welcome to Sneak Peek Sunday, where authors bring you six paragraphs of their work. To find out more about the participants, visit here. As for me and the work I'm bringing you, this is a snippet from my 2nd Honor Guard book, Fractured Paradise. I love this story, set in northern England with an American heroine trying to fulfill her grandmother's wishes and "fighting" with a run-down home...and a local lad......

 

Rachel had come to the United Kingdom years ago to accept the job of a lifetime. She’d come to this city, if you could call it that, today at Nan’s request. Tonight, she came to the Thrush and Hound Pub because she seriously needed a drink.

 

Hopefully, the pint of lager sitting in front of her would help ease the panic that had settled into her bones after an afternoon in the cottage. She was beginning to think she’d bitten off more than she could chew here. How the hell had she let Nana talk her into this?

 

She should be in her element, searching through digitized documents for the bodyguards of the IPN, instead of carrying out this ill-fated secret mission for her grandmother.

 

She sipped her lager, took a deep breath, and scanned the pub. The building was twice the size of that dilapidated cottage, and with a much cozier atmosphere. It sported wooden tables and pictures of when Sunderland shipyards were in full swing. An area with darts and a big screen TV lay on one side separated by an ornately carved wooden railing. A sense of warmth welcomed her from the moment she’d stepped inside.

 

Then again, maybe that was just what she’d hoped to find after the strange encounter with Aidan Camden. She set her pint back on the bar and traced lines along the glass with her finger. Clearly, he didn’t want her around now that he knew she didn’t intend to sell the cottage, and yet she couldn’t stop her hormones from reacting to him.

 

The bell on the front door of the pub chimed. The bartender looked up from loading glasses in a dishwasher and waved. "Hello, Aidan. What can I get you?"

Well? Did you like it? Are you intrigued? Check out more of the story for free here!







 

 



My Print Cover!!!! It's Here, It's Here!!!

 

This is the cover for my 3 Honor Guard novella anthology. Her Highland Champion, Fractured Paradise and Simple Treasures will be released as one PRINT book. Isn't this cover AWESOME???? That's Castle Stalker in the upper right hand corner and the Wearmouth Bridge in Sunderland, England in the lower left corner. That bridge is the bridge my mom used to walk across as a kid and she and I have walked across it together as well. I am in awe of this cover and I cannot WAIT to hold the book in my hands! It also makes me want to write more stories set in England and Scotland.

And just to tempt you, here's the unofficial back cover blurb:

The International Protective Network hires the most efficient operatives to protect their clients, but what happens when those employees need to face their personal demons in order to get the job done?

A broken-down bodyguard with no confidence...an American lass with no memory...a technical analyst more confident with computers than people...a lad living in the past...a new operative with something to prove...a former soldier struggling with her war scars.

In the cozy communities of the British Isles, three couples charge through the dangers confronting them in order to find truth, justice and the love they deserve.

Dreams Really Do Come True!!!!

I'M GONNA BE IN PRINT!!!!!!

 

Yes, you read that right. Another one of my dreams is coming true. Decadent Publishing is putting all 3 of my Honor Guard novellas in one print book!

 

So if you like to hold the book you're reading in your hands, you'll soon be able to do that! The book will have a new cover and I came up with a new title: Through the Eyes of Darkness.

 

I don't have all the details yet, but I know it'll be released this spring. I'll definitely keep you updated. 

 

 

Release Party- Day 3!

 

Welcome back for Day 3 of my Release Party for Simple Treasures! Today is the Story Behind the Story Day. Come on. You know every book has to have one, right?

 

Once I had the contract for my second book, Fractured Paradise, I began thinking about the possibility of writing a New Year's Honor Guard novella with a specific hero in mind. When I was trading emails with my fantabulous senior editor about something else in May, I asked her what the odds were that if I submitted another novella soon that it would be available in December 2012. If it couldn't be done, I planned to wait and write it next year. But my senior editor said that if I submitted it by June and the acquisitions editors accepted it, then it would be out this year. I had 3 weeks.

 

Immediately I began plotting and planning. I thought for sure the book would come together and be perfect for my intended hero. After all, I knew him well since he appeared in both Her Highland Champion and Fractured Paradise. But it wasn't working. I typed up a rough draft and sent it to my awesome critique partner and she basically told me it was crap. She was right, of course. So, I rewrote bits, tried some other ideas and a couple days later I sent her the opening again. And she told me....it was crap.

By this time, I was panicked. June 1st was right around the corner and all I had was a heroine I sort of liked. I'd stopped getting online, did nothing but work and then come home to write. At this point, I took one day to take a long, hard look at my story ideas. I gave myself one day to figure out a decent enough plot with a fantastic hero who could bring out the best in my heroine. If I could not have all those pieces in play by the next day, I told myself I would skip the story and write it for New Year's 2013/2014.

But I really liked the suspense plot idea.

And I started liking more about my heroine.

And the setting, Edinburgh during Hogmanay, was perfect.

AND I really, really, really wanted an Honor Guard UK trilogy.

 

So I plotted and planned, wrote down details of the hero I knew was right and by the end of that day I had my story outlined. Every free moment I had during my substitute teaching job, I wrote. In between sub jobs and my tutoring job, I wrote. When I got home from work, I ate a frozen meal, turned on some music, and wrote. On the weekends, I wrote from sun up to long after sun down. I took 15-30 minute breaks in between each hour. Some nights I fell asleep on the couch. Some nights I didn't sleep at all, but on June 4th, I hit send on my submission.

 

8 weeks and 2 days later I received the contract in my email. I knew the book still needed a lot of revising, but the crux of a good story was there, one I could definitely be proud of. My FANTABULOUS content editor helped me whip it into shape and now I get to share it with all of you! I hope you like it!

 

 

Simple Treasures Dedication~

For (MY CRITIQUE PARTNER). Thank you for your pom-poms, a swift kick in the arse, and the wisdom to know which one I needed on which day!

 

Remember to leave a comment to be in the running for the NEXT PRIZE! Be sure to leave your email address too.

Christmas Wishes Blog Hop!!!

Hello, hello! Are you ready for the holidays? Finished with your Christmas shopping? Sent out all your cards? I’m about halfway through my holiday work. Luckily this is my favorite time of the year so I don’t mind taking my time.

Thank you for participating in the Christmas Wishes Blog Hop! I’m so happy you decided to stop by my blog. In honor of the Christmas season, I’ve decided to share with you what each of my characters’ Christmas wish is and why.

Of course, they would all share the wishes of peace, love and health for those they love. That’s what makes them wonderful characters. But, like the rest of us, they also have wishes for specific items that reflect their own personalities.

Her Highland Champion

Malcolm Fraser would love his registration paid for the Lochaber Marathon in April 2013. He’s been running since he was a wee lad and thinks he could do pretty well if he could get sponsored for a spot.

Heather Winchester has been spending the last few years reading and studying for her Ph.D. in Archaeology, so she’d LOVE a gift card to a bookstore. Reading fiction never sounded to perfect!

 

Fractured Paradise

Rachel Grant is a self-proclaimed computer nerd, so she’d love the new 12" Ultrabook.

Aidan Camden keeps it simple. He’d love a new, sturdy backpack and other hiking/camping necessities. With him being a tour guide, he goes through them often.

Simple Treasures

Colin Munro has been told by his lass that he works too hard, so he would love a pair of tickets to a Celtic Football Club game.

Joanna Grainger has been in Edinburgh as a college exchange student and she’d love a sturdier and larger desk for her to do her studying. Right now she’s using one that barely fits her computer and one text book!

As for me, I would love a gift card to an office supply store. I think it would be GREAT to have a card so I could buy more notebooks for writing, pens, pencils, binders for organizing,…uh….where was I? Oh yeah, so, what about you? What’s your Christmas wish?

Just for visiting, one commenter will win a holiday surprise from me! Winner will be chosen, announced and contacted on Friday, Decemer 14th. Be sure to leave your email address. And did you notice the GRAND PRIZES of the Christmas Wishes Blog Hop? A Kindle Paperwhite, A Nook Glow, and a $90 choice giftcard for either Amazon or Barnes and Noble. AND Both Tablets will come with a book bundle!!  How awesome is that? Check out all the details and the other participants in the Christmas Wishes Blog Hop here. Now, get busy sharing your own Christmas wishes!

 

WINNER!!!!!

FOR MY PART OF THE BLOG HOP, THE WINNER IS ANNOUNCED IN THE COMMENTS SECTION OF THIS POST.

Come visit!

 

Today I'm hanging out with my friend Vivien Jackson at her blog. She's asked some questions about my latest release, Fractured Paradise, and even offered her review! Come on by!

Black Friday Blog Hop

 

Welcome to the Black Friday Decadent Publishing Blog Hop! Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to visit my Decadent colleagues when you're done here for some more amazing books and prizes! 

 

Black Friday is such an odd day in my mind. The day after we celebrate being thankful for the people and things in our lives, many of us push, shove and swear at each other to get into a store. I personally don't shop on this Friday because I value my life too much! I don't want to get knocked down as I reach for an item. No, I consider myself one of the smart ones. I sleep in, watch tv, maybe read and eat leftover turkey from Thanksgiving.

 

My characters are just as smart as me. Rachel Grant, the heroine in Fractured Paradise, wouldn't dream of getting up before the crack of dawn to go Christmas shopping. Actually, since she's a computer expert, she pretty much does all her shopping online.

 

The hero in Fractured Paradise, Aidan Camden, wouldn't be caught dead in a line during Black Friday. Actually, he's an Englishman. I don't even know if he'd know what Black Friday was. (Brits? Do you "celebrate" this day? Anybody?) Aidan's a lot more hands-on than Rachel. He'd rather go to a store and hold the gift item in his hands before forking over the cash for it.

 

Technical analyst Rachel Grant arrives in Sunderland intent on tidying up her grandmother’s cottage, but the disaster she discovers requires more than a gentle sweep of a dust rag. Determined to please the most important person in her life, she trades her computer keyboard for a hammer and nails to make the repairs. She doesn’t count on the chilly reception from the locals who want to claim Nan’s home as their own.

Tour guide Aidan Camden wants to buy the cottage. He’s determined to acquire the property no matter how attractive he finds the current occupant. However, when tragedy strikes, throwing them both into a tailspin, he discovers he wants more than the house. He longs for the sexy American as well. Can Aidan put his own ghosts to rest in time to save the woman who’s claimed his heart?

What about you? Do you brave the insanity on Black Friday? Or are you like Rachel, Aidan and me?

 

One commenter here will win a FREE copy of Fractured Paradise!

Release Party Day 5- What's Next For Lexi?

First, thanks so much for celebrating all week with me. You've made my release so much more fun, and your presence means a lot. But, the party must end and I've got to get back to work.

At the moment, I'm busy writing a short story. Later in November, I plan to draft my next Honor Guard book. Also, I'm waiting to hear the official word so I can share some exciting news I've had to sit on for a while.

 BUT.....

In just a few weeks, you can meet another IPN Honor Guard. Well, Colin Munro wants to be an operative of International Protective Network, but one woman may get in the way.

Here's the unofficial blurb for Simple Treasures:

Take-charge bodyguard, Colin Munro believes working for the International Protective Network will be the perfect occupation for him. Unfortunately, his trial assignment is protecting a woman who has no intention of blindly following orders. Aye, he’ll bring the bonnie lass in line because there’s no way he’ll allow her to ruin his chance of securing his dream job.
 
Physically and emotionally scarred during her stint as a US soldier, Joanna Grainger wants nothing more than to enjoy life. New Year's Eve in Edinburgh marks the beginning of her transformation. But when she witnesses a crime no one believes occurred, her plans come to a screeching halt. To make matters worse, her sexy but headstrong bodyguard has no compassion for her or the victim.

As danger hunts them during one of the busiest time of the year, Joanna must convince Colin she's a worthy partner. But first, can she convince herself?

 

Want an unofficial peek? Shhhh. Don't tell, but here's the opening of Simple Treasures, which will be coming to you soon!

CHAPTER ONE

Colin Munro didn’t know which knife to worry about more, the one pointed at his throat or the one at his crotch.

“You’ve got ten seconds to tell me who the hell you are, or I start slicing,” the woman threatened.

He glanced into her stormy dark eyes. Joanna Grainger. The lass he’d been sent to keep safe.

Aye, but who would protect him?

“Take care where you move those blades.” Of course, he wasn’t terribly worried. If he needed to, he could easily disarm her. She stood about five-foot-six without the high heels she’d been wearing when she first entered her flat.

“I’m the one giving orders here.” The steel at his neck pushed a bit closer to his Adam’s apple.

“I don’t think so.” Colin smacked her arms at the same moment, snatched the blades from her fingers with one hand, and pushed her back to the wall. The picture frame close to her head shook, but he hadn’t shoved with nearly as much force as he could have. He pinned both her wrists to the wall above her head. “I’m Colin Munro, and I’m here to protect you.”

“I don’t remember asking anyone for help.” She brought her knee up for a perfect shot to his groin, but he shifted in time to get his family jewels out of the way.

“You didn’t, but Heather Winchester did.” He imagined she could be quite bonnie when she wasn’t scowling or threatening him.

The name of her university mate drew her big, brown eyes wide for a moment. “Heather?” She dropped her leg, leaving her navy skirt sitting crooked on her slim hips.

“Aye. Heather called Russell MacLeod of the International Protective Network this morning, explained you’d witnessed a crime, and she was worried about you. She thought you might need protection. They gave the job to me.”

She narrowed her gaze on him. “Why should I believe you?”

“Because if I were here to kill you, you’d already be dead.” Taking a step back, he tossed the blades to the coffee table. The sound of the metal scattering across the wood charged into the silence of the room. Her back, he noticed, stayed against the wall.

So what do you think? I have to admit, I didn't really love Colin at first, but he totally grew on me as I wrote the story! Be sure to keep in touch with me because I'll be doing another party when this story comes out as well.

Remember to leave your comments to be in the running for the last day of PRIZES AND the grand prize, which will both be announced tomorrow!

THANK YOU!!!


 

Release Party Day 4- What Did You Say????

Welcome back to the 2nd half of my Sunderland Dialect Game for the Fractured Paradise Release Party! Did you get a chance to play this morning? If so, have you checked the answers?

The directions are the same as before. I've given you words or phrases from my Sunderland relatives as they speak them. Your job is to "translate" them to American English. You can translate as many or as few as you wish. Just leave your guesses in the comments section. I'll give you the answers around midnight!
THANKS FOR PLAYING!

11. "Wee said that, like?"
WHO SAID THAT?

12. "Where yae gawn tee?"
WHERE ARE YOU GOING?

13. carnt- In American English, this word has an apostrophe in it and fewer letters
CAN'T

14. hinny- My grandfather often called my grandmother this.
SWEETHEART/LOVE/A TERM OF ENDEARMENT

15. canny lass- Girls, we'd all be happy with this description of us.
GOOD LASS

(This is Penshaw Monument, Sunderland)

16. chatties- A food I LOVE
POTATOES

17. "Shut your gob."
SHUT YOUR MOUTH

18. bullets- Most of the time you can't get these out of a little kid's hand.
SWEETS/HARD CANDY

19. lugholes- We all, men, women and children, have two of them.
EARS

20. claes- Most of us wouldn't be caught dead out in public without them.
CLOTHES

Okay, there you go! I look forward to your translations!

Remember to leave comments on any posts this week! Saturday I'll be choosing the winner from all the comments from the week. And tonight I'll choose today's winner from everyone who plays the game!

Release Party Day 4-What Did You Say????

Good morning! Welcome to Day 4 of my Fractured Paradise release party! Today, we're going to play a game using the dialect of my Sunderland relatives (past and present). I don't really use these words much in my stories, but I often hear this dialect in my head as I'm writing.

Okay! Are you ready?

DIRECTIONS: I'm going to give you a set of words this morning and then another this afternoon and it's your job to try to figure out what each one means. You can make a guess about as many of them as you wish. For this morning's words, I'll give you the answers around noon. For the afternoon's words, I'll leave the answers up after midnight!

So for example, if I were playing and writing answers:

1. "She could talk the head off a wooden donkey."
In the comments section, I would put
1. Someone who talks too much.
2. (Whatever you think it means)
And if I skipped 3 & 4
5. (Whatever you think it means)


THANKS TO AL WHO PLAYED THIS MORNING. I ENJOYED READING YOUR COMMENTS! HERE ARE THE ANSWERS:

1. "Me mam nicked me sweets."
MY MOM TOOK MY CANDY.

2. deed- None of us want to be this anytime soon!
DEAD

3. "Watch how you go."
BE CAREFUL/WATCH YOURSELF/TAKE CARE

(This is Roker Pier Lighthouse, Sunderland)

 

4. "I'm gannin yem."
I'M GOING HOME.

5. "Why aye, man!"
OF COURSE!

6. pet- And I don't mean the furry creatures we have as part of our families.
IT'S A TERM OF ENDEARMENT. MY ENGLISH AUNTS ALL CALLED ME THIS.

7. ower- A direction (a preposition)
OVER

8. lang- An amount of time.
LONG

All right, participants. Good luck!

Remember to leave your guesses (and comments for other days) to be in the running for the PRIZES!

Release Party Day 3- What Is The IPN?

 

And we're back for more partying! Fractured Paradise is the 2nd book that discusses the International Protective Network, or IPN. Because this fictional organization is so important to me and my Honor Guard stories, I thought I'd share a bit about it. 

(Released March, 2012)                                                       

 



HOW IT CAME ABOUT

I've always been interested in reading books and seeing TV shows and movies that deal with justice organizations such as the FBI, CIA, soldiers, police, detectives. I wrote a few stories before with characters in each of these organizations, but getting the details right is difficult if all you have to go on is Hollywood. So, when I had the opportunity to write for Decadent Publishing, I decided to create my own business.

 

Creating my own business has been very interesting. Coming up with the name and what they did wasn't too difficult, but when I started having to figure out where its headquarters were and the company's background....wow! It suddenly became just like creating a "real" business. I had to know who opened the company and why. I had to know who worked in the technical side of the business and who they helped. I had to figure out what the lobby looked like and what hours the head office was open. At times, it's still overwhelming, but for the most part it's exciting because it's all from my own head!

 

 

THE ORGANIZATION

The International Protective Network is a world-wide organization of bodyguards. When other legal agencies can't guarantee a person's safety, the IPN can get the job done. The headquarters are located
in Edinburgh, Scotland. A Scottish couple, Russell and Mary MacLeod, started the agency after their youngest daughter testified against a criminal even after she was threatened. The police couldn't protect her and the criminal's friends eventually found and killed her. Russell, Mary and their remaining children opened the IPN soon after.

The IPN protects everyone from foreign dignitaries, to politicians, to Hollywood celebrities and even ordinary folks who can't get help anywhere else. They operate officially within the law, as true bodyguards, but they also have a more clandestine branch for more difficult and dangerous jobs. The men and women hired by the IPN come from all walks of life. At the moment, the company is still fairly new. So they only have offices in Edinburgh and Boston. But the agents will go wherever they're needed because in the end, justice must win.

 

THE IPN OPERATIVE OF FRACTURED PARADISE

In Fractured Paradise, the IPN operative is Rachel. She is a senior technical analyst. She's been known to get information on just about anyone and honestly, no one asks how she gets it. She worked for a computer company in the States until Russell and Mary MacLeod contacted her and asked her to join their company. Knowing exactly what it was like to feel all alone, as many of the IPN clients feel, Rachel accepted the job offer in hopes of helping people fight for justice. She moved to Edinburgh the week after her online interview.

 

Although Rachel's on vacation in this book, her IPN skills come in handy when someone tries to scare her away from her grandmother's cottage. Too, she calls her best IPN friend for advice.

 

AND NEXT....

I'm already hard at work planning 3 new IPN stories for next year (one in Scotland, one in Thailand and one in Mexico)! Plus, you've got Simple Treasures coming out next month with a Scotsman who hopes to join the ranks of IPN operatives.



Remember to comment on any of the posts this week to be in the running for the PRIZES!

Release Party Day 3-Fun Facts

Good morning! Welcome to DAY 3 of the Fractured Paradise release party. This morning I'm sharing FUN FACTS about me, the characters and the making of Fractured Paradise. Some of the facts you may already know. Hopefully some will be new to you as well.

Ready? Here we go!

About Alexa:
*I'm a HUGE sports fan. I grew up watching my brother play baseball, watching football with my father and keeping score for my high school basketball team. I'm a die-hard Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots fan, and the family all loved Rocky. BUT if I could only watch one sport for the rest of my life it would be soccer. (Of course my favorite soccer teams are English. Liverpool, Chelsea and Sunderland!)

*I would pack up and move anywhere in Great Britain without a second thought if I had some way to support myself. (Anybody got any ideas???)

*I have a REALLY bad habit of writing a story and then thinking of connecting stories for all the secondary characters. Yes, it means I'll always have stories to write, but I don't mean just one or two secondary characters here and there. I mean ALL.


About Rachel Grant, the heroine:
*Rachel got picked on as a kid. A teacher in her grade school took her under her wing and introduced her to the "beautiful world" of computers. Rachel stayed in touch with that teacher, but by the time she was in middle school she was a well-known hacker.

*Rachel was approached by Interpol, the FBI and the CIA for her computer skills before she took the job at the International Protective Network.

*Rachel gets annoyed when people doubt her technical abilities and she's not above hacking into someone's personal accounts to prove it!

*Rachel was "dumped on" her grandparents as a child while her mother traveled with Rachel's beauty pageant contestant sister, Vicki.

About Aidan Camden, the hero:
*I tried to make Aidan a Scotsman, with the story set in Edinburgh, but Aidan wouldn't hear of it. He's a Sunderland lad through and through.

*Aidan wanted to work in a big city and so he went to London, where he worked several jobs in tourism before landing a gig as a tour guide.

*Aidan always had big dreams and always felt living in Sunderland was holding him back. He left at 18.


Miscellaneous Facts:
*All of the secondary characters in this story have the names of my young relatives in Sunderland.

*Although she's only on the phone, Rachel also makes an appearance in my December Honor Guard story, Simple Treasures.

*Gemma Barnes works in the hotel Rachel uses and becomes an instant friend.

*Adam McAndrew, a secondary character here, affected me so much I'm pretty sure I'll be writing his story one of these days.

*At one point, Rachel contacts her best IPN friend, Ian MacKenzie. Ian made his first appearance in Her Highland Champion.



So, what did you already know and what did you learn? What surprised or intrigued you most?

Stay tuned to the party, folks! Remember to comment to be in the running for PRIZES and this afternoon I'll be sharing the deets on my fictional company that each of my Honor Guard stories includes.

FRACTURED PARADISE RELEASES TODAY!

 

IT'S HERE, IT'S HERE! Break open the champagne and chocolate! My Sunderland story officially releases today!

 

I have to share this with you. As I mentioned yesterday, I first worked on this story several years ago. I submitted it to a lovely Harlequin editor who was kind enough to give me a long rejection (which is a good thing!). She pointed out what she liked, what needed work and offered to read something else. I also submitted the opening to a wonderful agent (who is no longer an agent) who traded emails with me, pointed out what worked and what needed work. She also gave me GREAT encouragement. Without these two women, this story never would've gotten published.

 

NOW....

Technical analyst Rachel Grant arrives in Sunderland intent on tidying up her grandmother’s cottage, but the disaster she discovers requires more than a gentle sweep of a dust rag. Determined to please the most important person in her life, she trades her computer keyboard for a hammer and nails to make the repairs. She doesn’t count on the chilly reception from the locals who want to claim Nan’s home as their own.

Tour guide Aidan Camden wants to buy the cottage. He’s determined to acquire the property no matter how attractive he finds the current occupant. However, when tragedy strikes, throwing them both into a tailspin, he discovers he wants more than the house. He longs for the sexy American as well. Can Aidan put his own ghosts to rest in time to save the woman who’s claimed his heart?

Excerpt:

Chapter One
In a perfect world, Rachel Grant would be sitting on the back porch of her grandmother’s English cottage sipping a pint of lager while watching the boats ferry tourists across the North Sea.

But this wasn’t a perfect world.

The small cottage she’d been sent to "tidy-up" stared at her with broken windows, exterior walls missing wooden slats and stone, and a thousand years of neglect. Uncontrolled grasses choked the once vibrant and sweet-smelling gardens. Her sanctuary, Nan had called it? Maybe sometime in the last century.

She dropped her suitcases and flexed her fingers. She’d come to do a little dusting, a little washing, and poof, she would have the cottage ready for her grandmother’s return. But this eyesore required extensive renovations. As a technical analyst for the International Protective Network, Rachel worked with computers and digital research. Manual labor was way out of her comfort zone.

Thunder crackled above, and she squinted up to the sky. An impending storm prepared to drench her at any moment—not that it would make much difference. When she’d rowed out to this isolated, pathetic piece of dirt, she’d soaked herself through. She shivered against the cursed wind, ran her fingers through her hair, and blew out a slow breath. Now what?

She’d given up her seat in front of a flat screen and a keyboard back in Edinburgh to execute her nana’s fanciful ideas of returning to Sunderland. Rachel had agreed only because it was for Nan, but….
 
"This, I did not sign up for." Tears pricked at the corners of her wind-burned eyes, threatening to rip her resolve to shreds. Getting here had been hard enough. It wasn’t fair that her island of paradise looked like the summer cottage from a teenage horror movie.

She took a cleansing breath. No panicking allowed. Solving problems was her specialty, after all. "Well, computer problems, anyway," she mumbled.

"A bit of a disappointment, I expect." A rich, deep voice with a twinge of an English accent drifted from behind her.She whirled around. Her hair whipped against her cheeks and made her wish for the hundredth time she hadn’t packed all her hair clips.

"Sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you."

The stranger paused beside the edge of the clearing, and her heart stuttered. Although no one would mistake him for a Hollywood leading man, the guy could command attention by stepping into a room. Or onto an island.

 

So, are you intrigued? Well, then get thee to Decadent Publishing or Amazon to get the story immediately delievered to your e-reader!

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Release Party Day 1- The Story Behind The Story

Welcome back to Day 1 of my week-long release party for Fractured Paradise! This afternoon I'm sharing with you the story behind the story. Here, you'll find out how this book came into being, why I wanted to write it, and why I chose the dedication I did. 

Fractured Paradise started out as a way for me to get over my British grandmother's death back in 2003. She had been sick for quite a while and I'd said my final goodbye, but I was not with her when she died. At the time, I needed comfort and turning to my happy place (the UK), I was able to get through my emotions as I wrote the book. The story has Rachel's grandmother in it, so I was able to honor my grandmother as well.

As a granddaughter, I managed to get through my grief by doing the physical writing and working through my emotions in the story. As a writer, I revised the manuscript, which started out as a 250-page contemporary romance (no suspense), and submitted it to contests (in which it finaled and won a couple) and a lovely editor rejected it but gave me some great feedback. I then put it aside for a few years and wrote other contemporary and romantic suspense stories. It was last year, when I signed my first contract with Decadent Publishing, that I started to think about revising Fractured Paradise for the Honor Guard line. I cut it down, added in a suspense element (and an International Protective Network employee) and submitted it earlier this year. In my mind, the book had become a way for me to honor not only my grandmother, but also my British heritage in general. When it came time to write the dedication for the book, choosing my grandparents was not even a question.

You see, I spent a lot of time with my grandmother as I grew up. Because she worked in a school, she had the same vacations as me so she babysat quite a bit. Sometimes she came to our house and sometimes I went to her house. My grandfather worked a lot so I only saw him at night and on the weekends. But I remember very vividly sitting on their living room floor while music played, with my notebook in my lap and a pen in my hands. My grandfather would come in from work and ask, "Are you not done with that book yet?" (My usual response was, "No, I started a new one!") I always remember them being supportive of my fanciful career plans. They were both very proud of me and my push to get published, to see my dream come true. Sadly, my grandfather died in 2009 and so he wasn't around for my first book to come out either, but I hope I've honored them both in my attempt to bring all that I love about Britain, and especially Sunderland, to readers everywhere. 

For Mary L. Martin (1922-2003)

And Jimmie Martin (1919-2009)

Nan and Granda, I did it!

Okay, remember to leave comments on the blog ALL week long for your chance to win prizes, including a FREE copy of Fractured Paradise! I'll choose today's winner after midnight!