Kindle Romance Novels

Later today How Much You Want to Bet? will be featured on Kindle Romance Novels. And this made me think how I rarely talk about this book. Since this is a re-release I assume you've heard the song and dance before, but you know, maybe you haven't.

This book didn't come about from a movie or reading another book. It came out of desperation for something different and new. I'd been pounding away on my first novel, Love Unexpected, for more than a year. A novel that, thank God, will never see the light of day.

I wanted to write on something that was not that book and then Neil showed up. Irritated and frustrated by a good for nothing rich playboy who had tricked her into a date. Ok. Maybe not tricked. She bet against him in a pool game and lost. The wager was a date and since Neil is nothing without her pride she refuses to back down from the deal. I wrote that first chapter at the speed of light. I was charmed both by Gib and Neil. (If Neil is nothing but pride, Gib is nothing but charm. As Neil would say, he could charm a nun out of her habit.) And since I had so much fun writing about their interactions, whenever the first book got too much I'd sneak in some more words. Sooner than later I got to the end and thought nothing of it. How Much You Want to Bet? was a contemporary romance. I wrote romantic suspense. I would not send that book out on submission because I could not imagine writing contemporary romances over and over again. (Yes, you can laugh hysterically at this. I do.)

Yet every single time I went back to re-read what I wrote I'd laugh over their antics. I yearned for what Neil wanted. I swooned over Gib. Finally I came to the conclusion I couldn't just let Gib and Neil sit on my harddrive. Barely 36k I sent it to a small e-publisher. It was contracted. At the end of the contract I pulled the book. And then, more people were trying out self-publishing. I kept hearing about it for months and months and whenever I did I thought about Neil and Gib.

Now even though I'd written the book, had read it a million times during edits and pulled out bits for excerpts, I hadn't really read it in a long, long time. I wrote this book way back in 2005 and 2006 and 2007. Yeah, my writing has grown by leaps and bounds. I didn't think it would hold up. So before I truly decided to self-publish I sat down and re-read How Much You Want to Bet? By the end of the third chapter I came to the same conclusion I did before: this book couldn't sit on my harddrive.

Reviews for How Much You Want to Bet?

"This romance is all that and more. Blue's style is unintrusive, but revealing. Her characters' souls are laid bare... as well as their deepest desires. A great read." Snapdragon, Long and Short of It Reviews

"Blue has crafted a highly interesting plot that keeps you wondering who has the biggest secret. Trust me, you'll be surprised at what comes tumbling out in a way you will not expect." LMReviews, Sable Lit Reviews 

"Melissa Blue gives readers a fun tale full of passion, humor, a little sadness and some suspense - in short, all the traits that make a book worth reading many times over. " Chrissy Dione, Romance Junkies 

"If you like wit, humor, attitude, and snark in your books, you’re going to really enjoy this read. If you like compassion, vulnerability, sensuousness, and plain old fun in your characters when you read, you’re going to love this book." Sandy M, The Good, The Bad, The Unread 

How My Obsession With You've Got Mail Turned Into A Book

Some people hate this movie. Hate it. Fox took her store in the end and that makes him a bastard and not a hero. Except every time I looked at the movie and the heroine, Kate aka Shopgirl, I saw a woman stuck in the past. When one of the characters asked her What if you do lose the store what would you do? She looked flummoxed. Her enter life had been that store and nothing else. Hell, even her AOL name was Shopgirl. She identified as nothing else even though it was apparent she loved books.

And, I may have been the only person who watched that movie and thought, Thank God, when the store closed. Go ahead. I'll wait for the tomatoes and rotten eggs to be thrown my way.

Ok. Done?

The single redeeming factor is that from the first scene you knew Fox and Kate belonged with each other and not the pompous buttholes they were with. When they found out who each other were, you knew, just knew, still they belonged together.

In the end I just couldn't get one nugget out of my head: what if you had to let something go? Something you loved with all your heart? Something, that maybe, you should have let go a long time ago.

I bridged that nugget with my favorite trope. The I Loathe The Very Being Of You romance trope. Love it. You get to banter and I love banter. You get to sneak in all the glimpses of the real person underneath and watch the hero and heroine fall. And there's nothing better to get to that scene where the character realizes they are head over heels in love and their general reaction is, Oh, hell. Not you! I mentioned I was bent, right?

And then Lynne sort of just lurked in the back of mind. She's a wannabe rebel. She's a big ol' softie. The more I thought of the type of man who would make her go all Oh, hell. Not you! The more I kept thinking You've Got Mail needs an argument in its defense. (Ok. Not really what I was thinking, but close enough. And it's a Nora Ephron movie and really she needs no defense. She's brilliant.) I imagined the kind of man who'd make her want to strangle herself before falling for him and then Nate started to form. He's alpha, he's a jackass and he's brilliant at what he does. And at the core he's a big ol' softie.

So, yeah, that's the big reveal in how an obsession turned into a book. Frightening or enlightening? lol

See Lynne Chased Has Landed

The official release date is May 11th, but you can pick it up now. And I'm so over the moon about getting Lynne and Nathan's story into your hands. I faced a lot of road blocks, but the characters kept dragging me back. And now it's here. Squee!

Blurb:

Nathan Craine eats small businesses for breakfast. There's one store he is dying to buy, but this time it is for very personal reasons. He's certain the owner will hand over the store; it's only the matter of naming a price. To his surprise, Lynne Kelley refuses to sell, now or ever.

For Lynne, this is more than a business--it's a home. For Nate, it is a way to honor his father and right a past wrong. Both are determined to win, yet the more time they spend together, the deeper their attraction grows. In this battle, someone has to lose. And the cost of winning might be far more than either is willing to pay.

Amazon
B&N
ARe

DAY 3: The Fifth Ring of Diet Hell

My co-worker told me the snap would be audilbe on this day. Of course, I didn't believe her. The first day I knew I had to change my eating habits I freaked. What in the hell do you mean only 5 oz. of meat and meat substitutes ALL DAY? There must be crack in your drinking water.

Then I started to warm up to the idea. Day 1 I did fine. I didn't have enough snacks that would take me over my 1600 calorie diet. I felt dizzy most of the day, so it's kind of a blur. Day 2 I did even better. I ate less than 1600. I even got in a 20 minute walk.

But today when I woke up, I needed a damn Snicker's bar. It's been calling my name. Right along with those smurf looking folks called Keebler. I don't even like sweets that much, but shh...can't you hear them?

Melissa

Melissa!

Yes.

You know you want me.

But I'm doing so good right now. I want to fit into those jeans I bought, but can't wear because my hips are too wide.

You know you want me. We have M&Ms lodge in our sweet, sweet, fatty dough.

I'm trying to think of pretzels (12 of them to be exact, because that will only be 110 calories), even a blueberry bagel with fat free cream cheese.

Melissa, you can just lick us. That won't count against your calories. Just one lick. Maybe a even small nibble.

Folks tell my mom and kids I love them. I don't think I'm going to make it.

Oh, Look At The Cuteness

So, I was trying to dig up more dirt on See Lynne Chased. See, I've never owned a diary for fear someone would find it and read all my innermost secret thoughts. But because it makes total sense to me, I've written a lot of major events and thoughts on blogs. I came across this post about How Much You Want to Bet?  I was so green.

This still holds truth:

Maybe it’s write for the fun of it, publishing will come when it’s your time. It’s okay to let a book rust on your hardrive until you know how to write it. Submit on a whim. No, it’s really write because you love it. Write because the characters won’t leave you alone. Write because you can NOT write. 

Looking to Send Out (Unproofed) ARCS: See Lynne Chased

I'm looking to send out some (unproofed) ARCs of See Lynne Chased, a contemporary romance, for reviews. Not too picky where you post the review, just that you post a review. Here's the blurb:

Nathan Craine eats small businesses for breakfast. There's one store he is dying to buy, but this time it is for very personal reasons. He's certain the owner will hand over the store; it's only the matter of naming a price. To his surprise, Lynne Kelley refuses to sell, now or ever.

For Lynne, this is more than a business--it's a home. For Nate, it is a way to honor his father and right a past wrong. Both are determined to win, yet the more time they spend together, the deeper their attraction grows. In this battle, someone has to lose. And the cost of winning might be far more than either is willing to pay.

If you are interested please send an email to melissablue84 at yahoo dot com And, FYI, I'm not looking for glowing reviews. I won't say no to them. lol I'm just looking for honest reviews. Contact me at the above email addy.

My Thoughts at the Moment

That is all.