Sweet Lenora Book Trailer

Here's the book trailer for Sweet Lenora, a historical romance novella due out in July. Hope you enjoy it!

Shoe Planters

Have you wondered why there's a high heel with flowers on the cover of  my new romantic comedy, Afterglow? It's because the main character, India has the brilliant idea of turning old shoes into shoe planters to sell for charity. For lots of reasons which I won't give away here, the shoe planter project turns out to be more than India bargained for.

Shoe planters aren't a new idea. The folks at Fun Flower Facts  say that you can make planters out of just about anything.
There is, of course, the high heel planter:

Planter photo from Fun Flower Facts

But they've also made planters of old cars, old guitars, old bicycles, and even an old piano.

Planter Photo from Fun Flower Facts

If you want to know how to make your very own shoe planter, check them out here:

http://funflowerfacts.com/2012/08/28/fun-and-creative-garden-planters-and-containers/

And if you'd like to see what happens in India's great shoe caper, check out Afterglow, available  now at:
Champagne Books
and Amazon

Afterglow is here!

It's here! It's here!
Afterglow has arrived, with a new cast of characters to love and laugh with. 

India Othmar isn’t having a great year. Her husband of thirty-one years has left her for their son’s ex-girlfriend. Her grown children have moved home. Her best friend Eva seems determined to set her up with every oddball in their small Massachusetts town. And her most significant relationship these days is with Cherry Garcia.

But India is more resilient than she thinks. And though it will take a broken arm, a lawn littered with engine parts, some creative uses for shoes, and a scandalous love affair of her own, she learns, much to her surprise, that her life hasn’t ended with her marriage. 

I hope you'll have a read!!
Purchase Afterglow here:

Champagne Books

 

#SixSecondSunday: P-Town Proud!

Hi Sunday Sixers! I'm excited to announce that The P-Town Queen has been nominated for Champagne Books Book for the year. I'm blown away, dazzled and gobsmacked.  This must be what the academy awards best picture nominees feel like!

In celebration, today's six is from the book.Nikki, the heroine, has gotten hold of a seal carcass, which she intends to use as shark bait. The hero, Marco, is telling the story:


“That the sheep?” I asked.
“Seal,” said Nik. “The carcass washed up in Boston. Max Groper
procured it for me. It was a very lucky find.”
“Wonder what he’ll do for your birthday,” I said.

Click on link to purchase

Nikki Silva feels like she’s blown up her life even as her brothers tease her about blowing up a boat called the Mona Lisa. Divorced, funding for her shark research cut off, she’s moved back to Provincetown to live with her father in her childhood home. Nikki hopes to regain herself. She’s written a grant proposal for the newly formed Massachusetts Bay Commission to fund a study that will get her back to the sort of research she loves. The commission is run by her ex-husband Ned, who would rather have a migraine than give money to his ex-wife.

Marco Tornetti wants to turn a hole-in-the-wall Newark spaghetti joint into a trendy bistro. His silent partner, Fat Phil Lagosa, wants to use the place to meet questionable people for questionable business deals.  When Fat Phil accuses Marco of a double cross and has him taken for a ride by one of his hit men, Marco knows he’s in too deep.

            Marco escapes the hit man and takes the first bus out of the Tri-state area, a bus chartered by the Greater Teaneck Gay Men’s Choir and headed for Provincetown. Marco  figures that Phil would never look for him in Provincetown‘s gay community. But when he meets Nikki and falls hard for her, he finds that pretending to be gay isn’t as easy as it would seem.


For more great six sentence selections, visit Six Sentence Sunday!

Cover Reveal: Afterglow

I've got a brand new cover for my brand new romantic comedy, Afterglow!

India Othmar isn’t having a great year. Her husband of thirty-one years has left her for their son’s ex-girlfriend. Her grown children have moved home. Her best friend Eva seems determined to set her up with every oddball in their small Massachusetts town. And her most significant relationship these days is with Cherry Garcia.

But India is more resilient than she thinks. And though it will take a broken arm, a lawn littered with engine parts, some creative uses for shoes, and a scandalous love affair of her own, she learns, much to her surprise, that her life hasn’t ended with her marriage.



Afterglow is coming to Champagne Books in early January

#Sweet Saturday Samples. Afterglow is coming in January

It's nearly time to cue up the lights and break out the bubbly.  Christmas will be here before you can say 'Is that you, Frosty?'  And in January, just as your settling in for a long winter's nap my new romantic comedy, Afterglow will arrive. Perfect for a long winter's read.


Here's a little sneak peak at Afterglow, the story of a woman of a certain age who learns that love can bring happiness  the second time around. In this scene, hero Mitch makes his feelings for heroine India clear.

I was nearly too embarrassed to face Mitch. Upending a suture kit had been bad enough, but this… I mean, here we were having a friendly dinner. And here was Red, turning it into something sordid. I did face Mitch though. I owed him an apology.

“That bit about…You’re not a boy,” I said.

            Mitch smiled. “Nice of you to acknowledge that.”

            “And Red Lansing is an idiot. An idiot who jumps to conclusions.” I could feel my face go hot. Mitch was grinning at me. “I guess it is kind of funny,” I said.

            “I don’t think it’s funny at all,” Mitch took my hand and kissed the place where the cast had been. Which, had I wanted to delude myself, could have been misconstrued as a friendly kiss. The next kiss, though, was a direct hit. On the lips, with feeling, and there was no misconstruing that at all.

            Mitch took my chin in his hand. “I’ve wanted to do that ever since you showed up in my ER,” he said.

            “I don’t know what to say,” I stuttered out.

            “Maybe you should think about it,” Mitch said. “I’ll go home and you can think about it.” He fished his car keys from his pocket and let himself out the door. Halfway down the stairs he stopped and turned. “Don’t think too long,” he said. And then he was gone.

Please visit Sweet Saturday for more delicious samples.

Introducing Sweet Lenora

I'm very pleased to announce the upcoming release of Sweet Lenora, a historical romance novella coming to Champagne Books next July as part of the Dark Heroes series.

Here's the Book Blurb:

Lenora Brewer’s family owns the largest shipyard in Salem Massachusetts and Lenora, as her father’s only living child, is given free rein to learn the business. When Lenora’s father is killed in a carriage accident, her relatives arrange a marriage to a wealthy investor who is rumored to have beaten his first wife to death.

            Lenora devises a scheme to stowaway on The Sweet Lenora, a ship named for her. 

The last thing Anton Boudreaux needs is a naïve young woman stowing away on his ship. The dark and daring captain has secrets of his own to protect.

            When Sweet Lenora encounters a dangerous storm off the coast of Brazil, Lenora and Anton find in each other the courage and tenacity to brave the elements. As their love for one another grows it becomes a force to be reckoned with—and it will be sorely tested.

Stay tuned for more details!

Please Welcome Dani Collins

Dani Collin's fantasy romance, The Healer, will be out next March with Champagne Books. Meanwhile, it's my pleasure to have Dani on my blog today writing about the beautiful lake near her house. So without further ado, here's Dani:

 

 

This is my first ever guest blog so thank you Ute for inviting me.  I’m new to Champagne and learning quickly. They’re a generous lot. 

I took inspiration from Ute’s blog about summertime and decided to include a photo of the lake off my backyard.  (I’m in Canada, north of Spokane.)  I should clarify this isn’t against my property line.  It’s a five minute hike downhill when you want to swim, ten minutes of getting hot and cranky coming home. 

I’ll do double duty and also mention this piece of water is the inspiration for the lake featured in my book coming out next March with Champagne.  It’s a bit of a spoiler to tell you this is Athadia’s first view of Kerfdom, but The Healer is a Fantasy Romance.  If Vaun doesn’t kidnap her into his world, how on earth do they fall in love?

I’ve strategically angled the shrubs to hide my neighbor’s house.  If I were Queen of Photoshop, I’d place a medieval castle on the other side.  You’ll have to use your imagination.

I feel like I’ve won the lottery all summer when I jump in after work for a quick dip and sometimes go again before bed if the night doesn’t want to cool off.  I love freshwater.  I can live with fish and weeds, but my skin can’t take chlorine and I’m a complete pansy about waves.  I’m always convinced they’ll suck me into the open ocean and next stop: Japan. 

What’s your favorite way to cool off?  Floating down a river?  Cliff diving?  Swim up bar? 

Dani Collins recently contracted her first book with Harlequin Presents and followed up with a Fantasy Romance to Champagne five weeks later.  Connect with her through her website at www.danicollins.com.

Please Welcome January Bain

I'm very pleased to have January Bain as a guest today. Her new paranormal romance, Forever Man was released earlier this week by Champagne Books.

Here's what January has to say about Forever Man:

July 2, 2012 THE BIG DAY AKA The scariest day of my life…

My name is January Bain and I love to write. There, I’ve confessed my addiction! And now my first book is about to be released and I would dearly love to share my storytelling journey with you.

Where did the idea come from? I remember it as clear as if the moment had just happened: I was watching The Green Mile, and was mesmerized by the idea that the gentle giant, imprisoned unfairly in jail for a crime committed by an another, could heal others by taking on their illness and then just letting the evil flow back into obscurity by exhaling through his lungs. I coveted that gift with every fiber of my being. I had just lost two beloved brothers to cancer and had to stand by and watch it happen. My heroine, Ellie Hightower, was going to have it so much better than me! She was going to have the gift of healing and save those she loved. I know why I write romantic stories—the happy, guaranteed ending.

It’s been an interesting journey, this getting a book polished and ready to be published. Though the learning curve has been pretty steep, I have had the blessing of working with great people who have made the journey a whole lot easier. A special thanks to my wonderful editor, Judy Griffith Gill and her expertise. She has made me a far better writer.

And to all my wonderful friends at The Writers Vineyard, your support and friendship has meant more to me than you can know!

I would also like to thank J. Ellen Smith, our esteemed publisher for her invaluable guidance in getting my first novel to the public.

And most of all, my very own “Forever Man”, my wonderful husband, Don, who has made the journey of life the best it can be!

Excerpt from FOREVER MAN:

Prologue

Pure evil waited, hushed and cold in the perfect darkness. The steady drip, drip on the coffin lid above was soundless next to the crashing waves of the sea. But the creature within was aware and knew what the substance was: life-giving nourishment.

The blood was pooling, seeking a way into any tiny fissure that it could search out with thin hungry fingers. The resurrection was painstaking. Each life-giving drop dripped onto the needy beast which absorbed each molecule like a monstrous sponge as it built up, layer by layer. The vampire waited patiently—certain of its imminent resurrection.

After all, it had already waited centuries, what were a few more hours to recover what had been lost…

Excerpt Two:

Please God, let this beautiful creature be okay.

A surge of pure power seemed to drive through my hands into the dog as I concentrated my thoughts on it and then all I could see and feel was hot, white light surrounding me for a few brief incredibly thrilling seconds. The light blinded me, its power as strong as the noonday sun. A sense of pure aliveness electrified me, as if I was at the pinnacle of my strength and could rise up and fill the world with goodness and healing. Then, just as suddenly, the floodgates in my mind closed and the white hot energy retreated back into my hands that began to shake violently with the excess energy.

The sensation left as abruptly as it had come and I fell back exhausted from the effort. The dog whimpered, shook itself and sat up. It looked at the two of us as if nothing had happened, its brown eyes shining and its tail wagging as if it didn’t even remember the last few minutes of its life.

The woman, her eyes huge in her round face, looked at me with complete wonder. “How could this be? One minute I thought it was dying, then you came along and now it’s up and fine? It doesn’t make any sense.” The woman shook her head, unwilling to believe her own eyes.

Best regards,

January Bain

Storyteller

www.januarybain.ca

The Forever Series

Forever Man

Forever Woman

Forever Clan

Short Bio:

January Bain hails from Manitoba, Canada. Married to the love of her life, her husband Don, she has combined her love of romance with her interest in the paranormal and vampires to produce the FOREVER SERIES of books. She teaches English and Computer courses during the day, and writes at night. She hopes to touch your heart with this third book in the series, Forever Clan and would very much enjoy hearing from her readers. www.januarybain.ca