The One I Want: Out Now (Mostly)

It's out! (For the most part.) (You can also check out the Pinterest board for this story. It has Idris. Yum.)

When Farrah Kane comes home from New York she doesn't plan to fall into bed with Micah Stamps. He's demanding, stubborn, her boss and...her best friend. Except she makes the mistake of agreeing to be his roommate as well as his co-worker for the next three months. It's not long before their days are filled with work and their nights filled with passion. The question is whether their friendship will survive the heat and his stubborn ways. She wants to take her time getting settled into home and their new relationship. He seems to have other plans in mind...

There's no getting around the fact that Micah's best friend makes his blood run hot. Their platonic relationship could die a slow death as far as he's concerned. The year she spent in New York made him realize two things: He missed his best friend more than he should have and he never wanted to live without her again. Now that she is in his grasp—in his home—for three months, there's no sense in waiting to take the next step. Micah only has to convince his impulsive friend to settle down with him.

Their work and home life brings out all the differences between them and drags them to the forefront. Their hearts get in the way of their their well-laid plans. Now, they have to figure out if it's possible to be friends now that they've become lovers.

Amazon

Smashwords

ARe

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

The Chapter: Behind the Scenes

I've thought of a million things I could tell you about The One I Want. It's a failed Harlequin. All my books prior to this one came from characters, a piece of dialogue, a bigger picture I wanted to write. And, honestly, that's hard as hell to submit. (Yes, I wrote this book when I was still actively submitting to publishers.) This process of writing is pretty much looking at the book you wrote and trying to find the square peg it could possibly fit into, instead of the other way around. So, I came up with a friends-to-lovers story that could find a home with Harlequin, or anyone for that matter.

That's not enough for a blog post. So, I figured I'd talk about Alpha males and how I prefer Betas. Still, I ended up with about a paragraph of blog. And, really, my writing preference wouldn't tell you much about this story. It wouldn't give you a behind the scenes look.

So, I'm going to talk about The Chapter. The one I pretty much have in every book that's my favorite chapter. I could read that sucker out of context and still sigh or giggle or go Oooooooooh or restore my faith that I can write myself out of a brown paper bag.

In this book it's chapter six. During revisions, edits and proofing I could not wait until I got to this chapter. It's the chapter the characters kiss for the first time. Well, the first time they both remember, but that's a long story. Go with it. It's written from the Micah's POV. He's reached his breaking point when it comes to not touching Farrah like he wants to. It's the chapter I've pretty much nicknamed Shit Gets Real. Up until that point they are friends transitioning to lovers, but this chapter cleanly severs any doubt that they should be way more than friends.

I do not encourage skipping because you need all the book, but, uh, yeah, I won't be mad if you just skip to chapter six. (Psst. All the really dirty parts happen in chapter 10 and 13.)  

Twice Smitten, A Modern Fairy Tale: Book 2

In case you didn't know, Double Dare is free for a limited time. In case you were wondering what's next? Well, there's Twice Smitten.

 Abigail Johnson would use three words to describe Drew Carter: lush, loafer and womanizer. When he struts into Adtivity, the advertisement company she works for, her world tilts on its head. He's been hired as a consultant to help her ad account team go to the next level. She’s suddenly faced with a man who is a consummate professional, considerate and kind. It’s must be a farce, because he’s there to decide the fate of her career. When things heat up between them, she refuses to let those brief glimpses convince her to entangle herself in a relationship with him. Her career and heart is on the line.

Drew Carter is fully aware of Abigail's trepidation. There's no denying he hasn’t always been the kind of man a woman should trust, but no one woman has ever made him want the way Abigail has. Her stubbornness, loyalty and honesty appeals to his secret wish—to be open, unguarded and challenged by a woman. Abigail fulfills this unspoken need and he refuses to let her walk out of his life without giving them a chance.

It doesn’t take long for Abigail to suspect Drew just might be the one—the one. But can she trust him with her heart? The more she lets doubt rule her it just might be Drew’s heart that ends up broken.

*Will post buy links as I get them. So excited about this release. Hopefully, you'll enjoy it.

Smashwords

ARe
Barnes and Noble
Amazon

Down With Cupid: The Must Have Conclusion

Ok. One or two people felt they must have the conclusion. I'm going with it. Here's the links so far where you can pick up Down With Cupid, the follow up to Weekend Lover. Now hold onto to your shorts because there's about to be some serious linkage in this blog. First...

Here's the blurbage:

Two months have passed since Nicole Harrison’s weekend of forbidden pleasure. It should have been more than enough time for Nicole to forget Sebastian’s charming smiles and wicked kisses. Except, during those nights together, she managed to leave behind her driven lifestyle as a publicist and took what she wanted, experiencing freedom and the wild abandon of their reckless agreement of no last names, no shared details. The woman she was with him is the hardest part to erase from her memory.

Unfortunately, one detail was tantamount—Sebastian Clark is a publicist and now he’s gunning for her job.

Sebastian never allows himself to get tangled in knots by a woman, and, yet, he can’t stop dreaming about Nicole’s silky thighs and ripe lips, how she'd shuddered under his touch. He doesn’t need a woman who is more of a shark than he when it comes to PR, except he’s seen every, single soft inch of her. Now they’ll have to work side by side and somehow ignore what feels like unfinished business.

Will the weekend they spent together turn out to be more than they could have ever imagined, or will past hurts and career ambitions stand in their way? Only Cupid knows...   Here's where you can get it:   Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Smashwords
ARe

If you haven't picked up Weekend Lover or any of the Down With Cupid Shorts, don't worry...There are bundles.

Amazon
Lovers' Weekend
Down With Cupid Shorts Bundle

Barnes and Noble
Lovers' Weekend
Down With Cupid Shorts Bundle

ARe
Lovers' Weekend
Down With Cupid Shorts Bundle

Ha! This title has a rating already on Goodreads. You can see Weekend Lover's ratings here.

Ok. I think that about covers all the serious linkage. And that's it for my 2012 publishing schedule.

Maybe.

But, totally for now 'cause I'm going to go take a nap.

Weekend Lover Unleashed

The weekend that started it all...

Sebastian Clark's and Nicole Harrison's boundaries are clear—no last names, no shared details. A single night of giving in to temptation turns into three, and their naughty little weekend becomes more than just sex.

As a publicist for Snapshot, Sebastian's days are long and his moral code is to always keep things light. Until he touches Nicole and lust fades any last hold on common sense.

On the fast track for a promotion at Limelight, a PR boutique, Nicole has given up dating, especially handsome men. One kiss, one touch, one night won't break her own rules.

One weekend of shared passion sets Sebastian Clark and Nicole Harrison on a course that could ultimately destroy them both, or bring them a love for all time...

Amazon: The price is $1.67 http://tinyurl.com/cphfpj8

B&N: The price is $1.67 http://tinyurl.com/bnoj7x5

For free:
Smashwords
http://tinyurl.com/9d4mquh

ARe
http://tinyurl.com/8kp8efv
Kobo
http://tinyurl.com/d69x29z

Like it, love it, hate it, leave a review if you are so inclined.

Something for the Readers: More Down With Cupid Shorts or Shortish

Sometime around April or May I decided to put up a longterm free read. As I'm sure you've seen, at least on Smashwords and ARe, I've had some titles for free a time or two. I'd write a cute little short. 7,000 words tops. It'd be out in no time and that would cushion the months between when I'd write Tony's story and the release of that book.

The short turned out to be much more longer than I hoped. At the moment, it tops around 17k. So, I decided, ok, that'll be a real release. (Tony's story got put on ice when my laptop ended up stolen and I lost 13k of that novella.) I'll be smart and write a prequel and make that free.

The plot to the novella is that they spent a weekend together and never planned to see each other again. But voila, they work in the same business. (PR) Nicole Harrison's boss sees a chance to bring someone onto the job who is savvy and shark-like and bam Sebastian Clark is hired. What do you do when your weekend lover becomes a full-time problem? So, I'd write in full about the weekend. It'd be 3k tops.

It's currently 7300 words and I have at least one more scene to write. *headdesk* I do this for you, guys. Really, I do. And, because these two characters won't shut up.

Interview and Giveaway: Long and Short of It

I'm at the Long and Short of It today doing an interview and giveway. Swing by and check it out.

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