Sugar Plum Kisses on Sale 12/26-12/27

Right now Sugar Plum Kisses is free on Amazon. This is a sale so it won't last at this price...FREE! Pick it up now.

http://www.amazon.com/Sugar-Plum-Kisses-ebook/dp/B00AK2UN4Q

Twelve days to entice her...

Two years, two missed opportunities and Blaine Tucker refuses to have another chance pass him by. This Christmas he's going to risk it all to have Simone Michelson. Unfortunately the woman of his dreams, his wants and desires ties his tongue into knots. She's kind, sexy and funny as hell. Even if she could see him in a new way, he's not sure if the heartache of her past will stand in their way. There's only one solution: entice her with gifts. The kind of gifts that don't say he's a nice guy. A nice guy who also happens to be her boss.

Who in their right mind would take one look at Mousy Simone and want to leave her seductive gifts and love notes? No one she can think of. She hopes like hell it's Tucker, but if he felt anything for her, he'd have said it by now. The man could smile at any woman and get her to forget her name or morals. He's vibrant and she's drab. He's nice and she's prickly. Even if her Christmas wish came true, how could she trust what he felt was real?

Together they must face their fears and doubts to make this year's Christmas unforgettable.

December: All the Places You Can Find Me

Er, my schedule is kind of full this month. Anyway, if you're interested in all the things I'll be doing or the places I'll be, here's a list:

December 14-25^th @ http://trindiebooks.com/giveaways/ You can enter into a massive giveaway on Trindie books for a chance to win some great prizes. Also, a copy of my See Her Fall Series. Here’s a review:

"The See Her Fall Series by Melissa Blue features two contemporary romances that are funny and entertaining...It was very satisfying to experience the journey as both women find the perfect man to compliment their lives." ~ Susan Plummer, ARe Cafe Recommended Reads 

Here’s a rafflecopter to make it easier to enter: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

December 15^th @ http://www.irmcbooks.com/ IRMC Holiday Blitz Blurb. Sugar Plum Kisses cover, blurb and buy links will be featured on this fabulous site dedicated to IRMC romances. Gotta support.

December  17^{th @}  http://reading-romances.com/  Nat’s Reading Romances It’s a guest post y’all. Make sure to stop by. 

December 23^rd @ http://www.theereadercafe.com/  Author Interview on eReader  Café.

The Next Big Thing

I've been tagged. I said yes to a very short and sweet blog hop. :) Here it goes.

I've been tagged. I said yes to a very short and sweet blog hop. Here it goes:

 

Rules of the Next Big Thing
***Use this format for your post
***Answer the ten questions about your current WIP (work in progress)
***Tag five other writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them. Be sure to line up your five people in advance.

What is your working title of your book? Thirty Days, Thirty Ways

Where did the idea come from for the book? I was thinking about how in three years I'm going to be thirty. And freaking out a little bit over it.

What genre does your book fall under? Definitely an erotic romance.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? Kerry Washington would definitely play Jocelyn. She has a sweet quality about it. She's smart. And after the scene in Scandal, we all know she's probably a little dirty.

Almost forgot the hero...James McAvoy. Yeah, I know. But, I have a total thing for him. I do. I do.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? Jocelyn has spent the first twenty-nine years of her life being a stick in the mud and all that's going to change with Ian—her newfound lover.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? Not sure yet, but I'm really starting to lean toward putting this story out on submission. But who knows.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? It's not done yet, but I'm thinking I'm about four scenes away from writing the end on this novella.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? Oh, this is a tough one. I'm totally going to chicken out and pass. lol

Who or what inspired you to write this book? NaNo, actually. I was writing a YA Paranormal and I missed having a place to put all the frustration. And then of course I started to think about how long ago I was a teenager...

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? The hero is Scottish. A dirty Scot.

Jeanie and Jaya tagged me. 

And I'm dragging in Jennifer Leeland and Aimee Duffy. It's payback for all the times they've dragged me into something on Facebook or Twitter. Lol Lovely ladies and they've got books out, too.

 

Right now I'm on Aimee's blog talking about why I love Christmas.

 

There might also be a mention of my newest release Sugar Plum Kisses:

Twelve days to entice her...

Two years, two missed opportunities and Blaine Tucker refuses to have another chance pass him by. This Christmas he's going to risk it all to have Simone Michelson. Unfortunately the woman of his dreams, his wants and desires ties his tongue into knots. She's kind, sexy and funny as hell. Even if she could see him in a new way, he's not sure if the heartache of her past will stand in their way. There's only one solution: entice her with gifts. The kind of gifts that don't say he's a nice guy. A nice guy who also happens to be her boss.

Who in their right mind would take one look at Mousy Simone and want to leave her seductive gifts and love notes? No one she can think of. She hopes like hell it's Tucker, but if he felt anything for her, he'd have said it by now. The man could smile at any woman and get her to forget her name or morals. He's vibrant and she's drab. He's nice and she's prickly. Even if her Christmas wish came true, how could she trust what he felt was real?
Together they must face their fears and doubts to make this year's Christmas unforgettable.

You can find it here:-
Amazon UK; Amazon US

 

 

 

Cover Pretties: Everything He Dreamed

Have sent off Tony's story for its first round of beatings. Right now I've got nothing better to do with my time than to stare off into space while thinking up the next story.

That's all right. I usually make covers in times like these. Made this one a few weeks back...

 

Hmm. Tony. Can't wait. Can't wait to release this book.

 

But first...

 

A special Christmas story. Unfortunately, it'll only be available at Amazon.

 

There's one more cover, but I'll wait to show ya. I know. I'm cruel. (said in a Stewie accent.)

 

Do You Smell That? Autumn: Blog Hop

Up until a few days ago I despaired about this season ever making it to my side of the world. No, I'm not in some nameless, obscure country. I'm in the US. In CA. But I'm telling you, I could step outside without a jacket and work up a sweat if I stood in the sun too long. This is by far my favorite season. Summer lasts way too long where I live and I'm not a fan of hot. Spring and Winter lasts about a week. But Autumn is just...I don't think there's a word for it. So, as I'm wont to do when I can't encapsulate something in a few words...there's a list:

 

1.      Not quite Christmas, you can still willfully ignore all those damned commercials with happy people who are trying to part you with your money. For things you'll use for less than a week.

2.      I have a thing for fuzzy socks. I actually gasp and make an embarrassing noise when I see fuzzy socks in the store. Now, I'm saying this and I'm not a sock person. Yes, I know ewwww, but that's beside the point. But fuzzy socks, in the cold...hog heaven. They come in a million different colors and styles. They just feel wonderful against my feet. Fuzzy socks are the epitome of living.

3.      The leaves. How can I not talk about the color of leaves when I'm talking about autumn? Once, when I was flirting with the idea of being a photographer, I went out on the town and took pictures of leaves all over town. Red, light green, orange, yellow. Deep wonderful colors that's all nature...And, yeah, I might unleash my inner child to jump into a big pile of leaves every year. What?

4.      Tradition, which is another name for ritual. I don't know, it's so comforting to bring in a time of year with something you do every year. Fuzzy socks, jump into leaves, maybe a cup filled more with marshmallows than hot cocoa—happy sigh.

5.      Last but not least, it's not hotter than Hades or colder than a polar bears—well, I'll leave that to your imagination. It's just perfect weather to find any excuse to snuggle under the covers and read a book. And really, reading is my fav past time.

Tell me about your favorite season.

 

Don't forget to leave a comment with your email to get your name thrown into the Grand Prize hat. What are the prizes? There are  THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 200 times!

Now what are those prizes?

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet

2nd Grand Prize: A $50 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains 10+ paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!

Website to find more blogs in this hop: http://carrieannbloghops.blogspot.com/

******

Out of the comments I'll pick a commenter to win Down With Cupid, the follow up to Weekend Lover.

 

Sebastian Clark and Nicole Harrison hadn't shared details—no last names or what they did for a living during a weekend tryst. Unfortunately, one detail was tantamount—Sebastian Clark is a publicist and now he’s gunning for her job. They’ll have to work side by side and somehow ignore what feels like unfinished business.

Dragged Out of the Archives: Confessions of a Romance Author NaNo Edition 2008

*This post first went live long, long ago. I find it apt just the same.* It’s been, what, a week? I have no grasp on time only word count, since I’ve last confessed. For the I-told-you-so’s in the back *Cynthia*–hush. I’m still able to write sentences.

It’s been 30, 874 words since I last confessed….

I’m thinking in scene sequence though. So guard your loins and read on. It won’t be pretty…It has a Joss Whedon ending….

*Melissa wakes up and makes tea.*

*Melissa writes more dreck and calls herself triumph when she makes morning word goal of 600 words. Only 8k more to go.*

*Melissa notices wet substance coming out of her left ear. Fear sinks it’s teeth into her gut. It has happened*

*Brain leakage!*

Scene two:

*Melissa makes it to work with a different pair of shoes on each foot, a shirt stained with more brain leakage, and a zombie like smile*

*Melissa locks office door. “Must get to THE END.” Her motivation is simple in this scene: Hopes boss doesn’t come in while she’s typing. And not to ruin keyboard with the riptide coming out of both ears now*

*Sometime during lunch, heroine takes a break. Puts cotton in her ears. By now her eyes have a zombie like glaze to them. “Must Get To THE END!!!”*

*Twitter’s word count. Doesn’t realize she’s only typed “#*$($#(!*#&$” Melina and Karen become concerned.*

Segue into next day…

Scene Three…

* Heroine wakes up. Her hair looks like something a bird lives in. Her children whisper behind their hands, “Mommy, looks strange. Let’s not fight today. She has the look.”*

*By lunch time Melissa is sobbing over keyboard “There is no end in sight. All I wanted to do was finish a book for NANO. I wanted to win. I didn’t want egg on my face this year. The YA idea was incredible. I had to write it. But WHY, OH, WHY THE HUMANITY.*

*Children are now hidden safely in the room*

*Twitters “All…most…done…must..finish…”

*With no brain left for coherent thought, heroine finishes story. Goes back to read the first chapter.*

Segue to next day…

Narrative voice sounds over novel pages: Melissa Blue was fine until she read her novel. She ran out into the streets screaming “THE HORROR!” Her writing friend *Cynthia* predicted her head explosion. Melissa Blue will be remembered for her foolhardy feat. And taught as a tale of caution for all those who NaNo.

Good Times To Look Forward To

I wrote a series that consists of three books that will be rolling out in 2013. There's no overarching plot. These books are contemporary romances that are connected. They standalone, but if you read all three your reading experience will definitely be enhanced. Because of this they were easy to write. The only thing I had to get right were the facts of who they were and what they looked like. Because I wrote them in succession that killed most of the headache.

Right now I'm gearing up for NaNo. I am determined to put out this YA paranormal I've had sitting on my harddrive for eons sometimes next year too. (I'll be busy just like this year.) I keep going back to it because there's magic in the story. In a literal sense in the worldbuilding and the story in general. That's the hardest thing to get right in a book. I've pounded on this first book and am getting it ready for another round of betas and crits. I'm starting the second one and writing it for NaNo.

And, I'm in a bit of a pickle. I don't think this YA series can stand alone. I personally hate cliffhangers. SPOILER! It's why Weekend Lover's ending is the way it is. I wanted people to walk away from that short with a sense that the story, that characters experience had the promise of more but could end the way it was.

Will you be able to understand the world walking in on the second book? Yes. Will you be able to get a satisfying ending with each book? Yes. Will the story be complete at the end of each book? Yes and no. That's the pickle. A trilogy, a true trilogy has an overarching plot. The main story's question won't be answered until the last book, which at this point I have a very vague idea what it's about. What's really at stake won't be fully realized until the end of the second book though there are hints in the first.

So, the pickle...what the hell was I thinking? The pickle is that once I've invested in characters I have to know how it ends for them. I am compelled to find out their HEA whatever that is. I have no idea how things end in a concrete way for this trilogy. I have a vague sense that's becoming clearer the more I plot book 2. And every once in a while I'm hit with the fact I'm writing a true trilogy.

What the hell was I thinking?

I have no idea.

Yes, that's the gist of this post. Thrilling, isn't it?

So, what you can look forward to? Next year I'm rolling out a contemporary series that's full of uberly good romance that are vaguely, VAGUELY based on Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The heroines are best friends. The heroes are hawt. There's an epic HEA to be had by all six characters.

And, there's also some YA paranormals. Maybe. Under a different name that will have me rocking in a corner wondering what the hell I was thinking.

Good times to look forward to.

P.S. There's also Tony's story. First draft is complete and I have to say it's good. Really good.