tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8277500137909334222024-03-13T13:29:02.815-04:00Passions on Paper ~ by Gina L. Maxwell ~A romance writer's journey through the peaks and valleys of the Literary World.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04109677382274000163noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827750013790933422.post-46670892812347919872014-04-01T15:15:00.000-04:002014-04-01T15:15:43.479-04:00TRAILER REVEAL for FIGHTING FOR IRISH<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJunuUO99HRb_RMjRpholIuqaVxmc0Yt7fKiBhK5XNW9SxlOI4c4cA4x_yT44s2-gKbv5oSBakSWy8BvT55oRVSg11IXaNI5xaIIov5_31stEElCz9KBDjChX-eOij-711JEoJJXExKLn/s1600/FI_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJunuUO99HRb_RMjRpholIuqaVxmc0Yt7fKiBhK5XNW9SxlOI4c4cA4x_yT44s2-gKbv5oSBakSWy8BvT55oRVSg11IXaNI5xaIIov5_31stEElCz9KBDjChX-eOij-711JEoJJXExKLn/s1600/FI_500.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>USA Today</i> bestselling book, <i>Fighting for Irish</i></td></tr>
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This trailer is one-of-a-kind in that it was shot live using the cover models for <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fighting-Irish-Novel-Entangled-Brazen-ebook/dp/B00G8BHJB8/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396378408&sr=1-2&keywords=gina+l.+maxwell" target="_blank">Fighting for Irish</a></i>, specifically to create this trailer. <a href="http://www.beccathebibliophile.com/" target="_blank">Becca Manuel</a> of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/beccathebibliophile" target="_blank">Bibliophile Productions</a> shot the footage and edited the video.<br />
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I didn't make things easy on her. We had limited resources with only a few hours to get everything shot that we needed, not to mention her Texas blood had to function in the negative temperatures of the frozen tundra we call Wisconsin! But even with all that working against her, she still managed to make me an amazing trailer I'm proud to show the world. She's incredibly talented, and we have lots of plans to work together in the future.<br />
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In addition to the "Official" trailer, Becca also created an alternate (fan-made) version that I love, AND put together a hilarious compilation of outtakes from our day filming. Here's all three videos for your viewing enjoyment. If you love them, I hope you'll share them with your friends. The boys of the Fighting for Love series want to be on every reader's shelf and eReader! ;)<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Check out the first two books in the series!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Seducing-Cinderella-Fighting-Entangled-Brazen-ebook/dp/B00BFQDFG4/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396378408&sr=1-3&keywords=gina+l.+maxwell" target="_blank">Seducing Cinderella</a></i></span></div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLERX9EXO9RMPdBhiNm0kZk9dRFIYH-nY3AS62X32Sd2UUEx21Chw1Z6fyFY5hmAd4SJbIzq3I4mLgS0qyO_WEgIh0BrOSwsTvG4_5I79MmCkF1gJ6kyD9EEbCv1gjzEb9d8RscO9lYwU7/s1600/SC-500px+(2).jpg" height="400" width="266" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rules-Entanglement-Fighting-Entangled-Brazen-ebook/dp/B00C2RXV5K/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396378408&sr=1-1&keywords=gina+l.+maxwell" target="_blank">Rules of Entanglement</a></i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04109677382274000163noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827750013790933422.post-21879442911612676262013-02-26T03:38:00.000-05:002013-02-27T01:02:32.410-05:00The Seducing Cinderella Epic Trailer Reveal & The Parker/Reid World Domination Contest!!!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Raise
your hand if you like hunky, hot romance heroes!</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Do we
have everyone’s attention? Awesome<span style="font-size: large;">!</span> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Now
raise your hand if you remember the game <span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Where’s
Waldo?</i></span> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">You may
be wondering what those two completely different things have in common. Well,
from February 26<sup>th</sup> to March 22<sup>nd</sup>, The Maxwell Mob – the
one and only Romance Mafia for <i>New York
Times</i> bestselling author Gina L. Maxwell – invites you to participate in
what will no doubt be the sexiest game of <i>Where’s
Waldo?</i> to date.</span><b><span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></i></span></b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Seducing Cinderella</span></i></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">, the <i>New York Times</i> and <i>USA Today</i>
bestselling novel from Entangled Publishing, hits store shelves on February 26<sup>th</sup>
for its paperback debut, featuring the one and only Parker Hurley on the cover.
Parker, as you may (or may not) know, was the inspiration for MMA star and
super-hunk Reid Andrews. While the world
– mainly the Mob – is excited about Parker being on the cover, we began to
ponder, <i>where else in the world has this
amazing model been?</i> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Your
mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find Parker! The contest rules
are simple. The prizes? Sizzling. Let’s show the world that the Maxwell Mob
truly does dominate and that Gina L. Maxwell really does bring us<i> <span style="color: #cc0000;">Romance that moves you in more ways than
one!</span></i></span><u><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></b></u></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">World
Domination Contest Rules: </span></b></u></span></div>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">You need to join the <span style="color: #cc0000;">Maxwell Mob</span>. Besides
being the most awesome Romance group in the history of ever, it’s a great deal
of fun, and being a Mobster gives you exclusive access to advance excerpts,
interviews, cover reveals, and you get to hang out with Gina. It’s a win/win. You can join on <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/maxwellmob/" target="_blank">Facebook</a></b> or on <b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/16193286-the-maxwell-mob" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></b> –
although the Facebook group is more active and it allows for all of the
goodies. However, if you don’t have a Facebook account, don’t let that
discourage you. If you are a Goodreads user, let us know. We’ll make sure you
get the goods as well!</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Have a paperback copy<span style="color: #cc0000;">*</span> of <b><span style="color: blue;"><i>Seducing Cinderella</i></span></b>.<br /><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">*In the <span style="font-size: large;">interest of glo<span style="font-size: large;">bal </span>fairness: f</span>or those NOT in the U.S. and unable to receive a paperback version of SC <i>before</i> the end of the contest, <span style="font-size: large;">use a <a href="http://ginalmaxwell.businesscatalyst.com/#books" target="_blank"><b>printed <span style="font-size: large;">copy of the cover image</span></b></a><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: large;">somewhere in the phot<span style="font-size: large;">o <i>in place of</i> the paperback. THEN, attach a picture/<span style="font-size: large;">screenshot of your paperback purchase/receipt to the email entry along with your entry picture. This makes it fair for everyone!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Now here’s where the fun begins.
Find Parker. And you can find him anywhere. Parker Hurley has done cover shoots
for nationwide outlets such as Kohl’s and has modeled for companies like
Dockers. You can really find this fellow anywhere; he’s even been seen on the
back of a city bus. Chances are he may be in your house in a local ad somewhere
right now! If you cannot find him in public, then get creative with collages or
magazines; print out pictures…anything…so long as it’s moderately tasteful. (We
did say moderately.) </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Take a picture with Parker <b><u>and</u></b> your copy of <span style="color: blue;"><b><i>Seducing Cinderella</i></b></span>! We want creativity!
Get crazy with it! Some examples could be dressing up in costumes or duping
your poor significant other into playing the role of Reid to your Lucie (in
things they wore in the book, of course). We stress this part – THE MORE
CREATIVE, THE BETTER. You may enter the contest more than once, but make sure
it’s with a different theme. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Send
your awesome pictures to <a href="mailto:TheMaxwellMob@gmail.com">TheMaxwellMob@gmail.com</a>
with the following: </span></span>
</li>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Name</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Email
</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Location
(store, etc. + city, state, country) </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Blog
name you’re representing (only if applicable) </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Description
(optional)</span></span></li>
</ol>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Contestants
may submit their pictures through March 22<sup>nd</sup>. All pictures will be
posted to <b><a href="http://pinterest.com/ginalmaxwell/parker-reid-world-domination-contest/">this
public Pinterest board</a></b> so you can scope out the competition. Mob Officers
will select the Top Ten finalists, and Parker Hurley will choose the 1<sup>st</sup>,
2<sup>nd</sup>, and 3<sup>rd</sup> place winners. You heard right: <i>the</i> Parker Hurley will be choosing the
winners, so make these entries count!</span></span>
</li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">So what
do you get if you win? Excellent question. Gina has put together prize packages
that we’re sure will tempt anyone to run to the bookstore, pull out a camera,
and get clicking. </span></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Grand Prize</span></u></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Framed
8x10 autographed pic of Parker Hurley</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Paperback
of <b><span style="color: blue;"><i>Seducing Cinderella</i></span></b> autographed by
both Parker Hurley & Gina L. Maxwell </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/105160690/lucies-anklet">Lucie's Anklet</a> –
featured in <span style="color: blue;"><b><i>Seducing Cinderella</i></b></span> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/124737548/vanessas-necklace">Vanessa's
Necklace</a> – featured in the upcoming <b><span style="color: purple;"><i>Rules
of Entanglement</i></span></b> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/thenaughtymafiashop.786814401">Team Reid t-shirt</a></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">eBook
of <b><span style="color: purple;"><i>Rules of</i> <i>Entanglement</i></span></b></span><b><span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></i></span></b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Seducing Cinderella</span></i></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> promo swag</span></span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span><b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">2<sup>nd</sup>
Place</span></u></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/105160690/lucies-anklet">Lucie's Anklet</a>
OR <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/124737548/vanessas-necklace">Vanessa's
Necklace</a> (winner’s choice)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/thenaughtymafiashop.786814401">Team Reid t-shirt</a> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">eBook
of <b><span style="color: purple;"><i>Rules of Entanglement</i></span></b></span><b><span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></i></span></b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Seducing Cinderella</span></i></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> promo swag</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Signed
bookplate</span></span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">3<sup>rd</sup>
Place</span></u></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/thenaughtymafiashop.786814401">Team Reid t-shirt</a></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">eBook
of <span style="color: purple;"><b><i>Rules of Entanglement</i></b></span><b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></i></b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Seducing Cinderella</span></i></b></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> promo swag</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Signed
bookplate</span></span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 6pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Remaining
7 finalists</span></u></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></i></b></span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Seducing Cinderella</span></i></b></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> promo swag</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Signed
bookplate</span></span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Individual
Blog Winners</span></u></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">BEST
CONTESTANT FROM EACH BLOG will win an eBook of <span style="color: purple;"><b><i>Rules of Entanglement</i></b></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">So what
are you waiting for?! Get going! And don’t forget to spread the word and check
the <b><a href="http://pinterest.com/ginalmaxwell/parker-reid-world-domination-contest/">Pinterest
board</a></b> to see what everyone comes up with! Good luck! ;)</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">And now, <span style="font-size: large;">to celebrate the paperback release of <b><span style="color: blue;"><i>Seducing Cinderella</i></span></b> and ki<span style="font-size: large;">ck off this amazing contest, we're revealing the long-awaited and highly<span style="font-size: large;">-anticipated book traile<span style="font-size: large;">r created by Becca Manuel of Bibliophile Productions.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Bec<span style="font-size: large;">ca is an incredibly talent<span style="font-size: large;">ed and ama<span style="font-size: large;">zing <span style="font-size: large;">person</span> who created this <i>solely because she love</i><span style="font-size: large;"><i>s SC</i> and </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>wanted to give <span style="font-size: large;">the world her vision of <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Reid and Lucie's story. I hope you love this as much as I do!<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">After you watch this, <span style="font-size: large;">you can head over <span style="font-size: large;">to <b><a href="http://beccathebibliophile.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Bec<span style="font-size: large;">ca's blog</span></a></b> for another chance to win aut<span style="font-size: large;">ographed paperbacks and see an interview wi<span style="font-size: large;">th the sexy Reid Andre<span style="font-size: large;">ws <span style="font-size: large;">himself!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Now, without further ado<span style="font-size: large;">, the epic SC trailer...</span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KW2nl6DY-yY?rel=0" width="640"></iframe></span></span></span></span>
</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04109677382274000163noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827750013790933422.post-70898110768807882912012-11-16T19:13:00.002-05:002012-11-16T19:13:19.840-05:00Vote for Seducing Cinderella in the Goodreads Choice Awards!!!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> SEDUCING CINDERELLA <span style="font-size: large;">is in <span style="font-size: large;">the semifinal round for Best Romance of 2012 in th<span style="font-size: large;">e<span style="font-size: large;"> Goodreads Choice Awards!</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqKMurBYWeT-Y9jRstvAI-ZxKlu3EQTfblbQqtyWaxCiH12LhIOrWfF1DA753gfC9tWpIhJVS2J7S8cmoVWDXyCzqHlR2_nfg-QuKAAdFjIFDDL_pw5TG1tvUHedmdB2PWcZ-xY48I25Vp/s1600/SC-500px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqKMurBYWeT-Y9jRstvAI-ZxKlu3EQTfblbQqtyWaxCiH12LhIOrWfF1DA753gfC9tWpIhJVS2J7S8cmoVWDXyCzqHlR2_nfg-QuKAAdFjIFDDL_pw5TG1tvUHedmdB2PWcZ-xY48I25Vp/s400/SC-500px.jpg" width="265" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDVhht-CPhZNDuS2EreStIQh4mlgWXAQ1Z0jQYiKQiiPkzXtLVPMWJL-AEkl6-OFP9bTeeA-M_g94FDG47_gz3Tg5LkMLYbUxj0OsgMDzKhnWquWXmPqljEEYh9Ep9NnPBKyFGrqTcmHaH/s1600/28862_4458506195242_351179180_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDVhht-CPhZNDuS2EreStIQh4mlgWXAQ1Z0jQYiKQiiPkzXtLVPMWJL-AEkl6-OFP9bTeeA-M_g94FDG47_gz3Tg5LkMLYbUxj0OsgMDzKhnWquWXmPqljEEYh9Ep9NnPBKyFGrqTcmHaH/s320/28862_4458506195242_351179180_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Watch this video where I make a total fool of myself with cheesy cue cards and shameless begging for votes...</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards" target="_blank"><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">THEN GO VOTE!!!</span></span></b></i></a></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/zBzBtmgMpoo?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe> </div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Thank you for your support!!! </b></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04109677382274000163noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827750013790933422.post-15831820044348558992012-09-07T08:50:00.001-04:002012-09-07T08:50:58.982-04:00Seducing Cinderella Tribute TrailerThis is a trailer my friend, Kim Anguiano, made for me. She kept it a secret and then posted it to my FB page. She's so incredibly talented. I'm definitely hiring her to do the official book trailer for the paperback release! Note the super delicious pics of Parker Hurley who was the inspiration for the hero, Reid Andrews. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_V-OetqqOEo?rel=0" width="640"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04109677382274000163noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827750013790933422.post-56641354259138495502012-08-27T02:06:00.000-04:002012-08-27T02:06:14.021-04:00THE CINDERELLA STORY OF “SEDUCING CINDERELLA”<h4 style="color: #cc0000;">
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Months)</span></i></h4>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
It still blows my mind that I can add that title after my
name. A little over a month ago I couldn’t even claim to be a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">published</i> author, much less a
bestselling one. I went from being aspiring, to contracted, to published, to
bestselling all in a matter of less than six months. I did it without an agent,
without a traditional publisher, and without prior writing experience…and if
you’re an aspiring author, I believe you can, too.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>This is my story.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="color: #990000;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="MsoIntenseReference"> Starting Clueless</span></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I say I had no prior writing experience, I mean that
before I started my journey to publication I’d never tried my hand at fiction
writing other than the short story assignments in school. English had been my
favorite class and I enjoyed writing the stories, but it never entered my mind
to go to college for writing. Writing novels and getting them published is what
“other people” did. Other people who were meant to do big things and be a part
of that big opportunity stadium that someone like me can only hope to tailgate
in the parking lot without getting thrown out for not even having a parking
permit. Even when I started writing, it was only meant to be a hobby; another
way of immersing myself into a story other than reading. But the more I wrote
for fun, the more I started to wonder if I could get published. And so began
the journey.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since I had no formal training I made myself a sponge and
researched every article I could find on Google about writing good fiction and
how to get published. I signed up for newsletters and RSS feeds for writing
advice blogs so I’d get the latest advice sent right to my inbox. I started my
own blog and met other aspiring authors with blogs and we traded snippets and regular
support. I joined online writing groups and learned all the proper writing
vernacular and acronyms like MS (manuscript), WC (word count), CP (critique
partner), POV (point of view), and WIP (work in progress). I tried out several
CPs until I found just the right ones with strengths in the areas I was weak
and learned how to write better with every swap of our MSS (manuscripts). I
networked my butt off and made every connection I possibly could. I researched
literary agents and how to query them properly. And I did all of that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">while</i> writing my first book.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="color: #990000;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="MsoIntenseReference">Ready to Submit…Sort Of</span></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Three years, six CPs, fourteen major rewrites, and hundreds
of smaller revisions later, I finally had a product I felt was ready to be
queried. I actually started querying a little earlier than I should have (I was
a bit of an Eager Beaver), meaning my query letter wasn’t the best it could be,
nor was my manuscript. According to my data (I used QueryTracker.net to keep
track of everything) I queried approximately 30 literary agents between May and
August of 2011. Some requested additional pages, some requested partials, but
in the end, they all rejected my manuscript. Based on the feedback I received,
I took the next three months to tweak things and polish it all up. Again. Then I
started querying again in January of 2012 with a hook-tastic query letter and
shiny manuscript.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While waiting to hear back from several agents, one of whom
had requested a full and shown great interest in my book, I started to hear
buzz through the author grapevine about Entangled Publishing, a new boutique
publisher that accepted submissions from unagented writers. Remember when I
said I networked my butt off? Well, it paid off in several instances, but never
more than this particular one. Along the way I’d made friends with paranormal
romance author, Dawn McClure, who also heads up the Savvy Author newsletters.
(Savvy Authors is a fantastic website run by writers <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">for</i> writers. It’s a veritable font of writerly information. Get
thee to the site straight away.) Early last year she’d mentioned in passing
conversation that her best friend was starting up her own publishing house. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then
early <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">this</i> year I asked her if she’d
heard of this new publishing house called Entangled that everyone was talking
about, which is when she informed me that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that</i>
was the company her best friend had opened. It really can be a small world
sometimes, and the more people you know, the smaller it gets.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After weighing the pros and cons of submitting my manuscript
to Entangled versus holding out for the possibility of selling to New York with
a literary agent—which incidentally also brought about a list of pros and cons
concerning what a traditional publisher could offer me versus a more intimate
publisher—I decided to go for it and submitted directly to Liz Pelletier, founder
and senior editor.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="color: #990000;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="MsoIntenseReference">The “Call”</span></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Before Liz was a third of the way through my ms she sent me
a Direct Message on Twitter telling me how much she loved it and wanted to know
who else she had to beat out in order to acquire it! After I picked my jaw off
the floor and stopped running around my bedroom like a crazed lunatic, I DMed
her something semi-coherent and we continued to discuss for some time about the
book, the trilogy it was a part of, and when we could speak on the phone. By
the end of our stream of 140-character messages, I knew Entangled planned to
contract me for my entire paranormal romance trilogy for digital and mass trade
paperback release, and on March 7<sup>th</sup> I signed on the dotted line and
became a contracted author.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="color: #990000;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="MsoIntenseReference">New Project & New
Heights</span></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since my Prophecy of Souls trilogy isn’t set to release
until Summer 2013, Liz suggested I write a category romance for one of their
digital lines to release this summer. I admit I wasn’t even sure what a category
romance was, nor had I ever heard the word “trope” before, but Liz was great
about encouraging me and answering any questions I had.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I wrote <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seducing
Cinderella</i> in two months—which was mind-blowing to me, considering I’d
spent three years on my first book—and it launched the Brazen line July 20<sup>th</sup>,
marking that one of the happiest days of my life.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
News of SC and its great reviews spread quickly throughout
the romance world and in only seven days it reached the #9 spot on Barnes &
Noble. The week after that it broke the Top 100 on Amazon and made it onto the
extended USA TODAY Bestseller list at #113. Over the course of its third week
it climbed to #13 for Kindle books overall on Amazon, #1 for Kindle Romance
Series, #60 on USA TODAY, and—shockingly—the extended NY Times Bestseller list
at #27!</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OpPSZ5GN8rLHfK5u6-FUV-9gtv1nMbuAengbhgkIzsQw9sTTlQ9aTaHxhH5pQ1OuM5416-P-qC1tHq1J6C-lTGAZSpFtoRjqtOH9URlRi07bA0lb90qJmQX-5wymEFwLC3aWvg5hJFqi/s1600/SC-NYT+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OpPSZ5GN8rLHfK5u6-FUV-9gtv1nMbuAengbhgkIzsQw9sTTlQ9aTaHxhH5pQ1OuM5416-P-qC1tHq1J6C-lTGAZSpFtoRjqtOH9URlRi07bA0lb90qJmQX-5wymEFwLC3aWvg5hJFqi/s400/SC-NYT+cover.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new cover w/the NYT title above my name!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To say that I was blown away by SC’s success every time I
turned around is the understatement of the century.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #990000;">
<span style="font-size: large;">And then this past week I
received the craziest news yet: not only did <i>Seducing Cinderella </i>jump up on the <u>USA TODAY* list to #33</u>, but it
also shot up to <u>#9 (e-books) and #14 (combined) on the NYT** list</u>!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was fortunate enough to be on the phone with Liz when I
received the email from my one of my publicists with that news. There was a lot
of screaming and “Oh my Gods!” for a good ten minutes and then sporadically
throughout the rest of our call.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="color: #990000;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="MsoIntenseReference">Dare to Dream & Bring
Others Along</span></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This might sound strange, but I prefer to say I’m the “author
of the NY Times Bestselling novel, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seducing
Cinderella</i>” instead of the other way around as you see it on the nametag up
there. Sure, I’m the one who wrote the book, but there are so many others who
had a hand in the final product and those who work hard to get it into the
hands of readers. People like my editor, the cover designer, blurb writer,
copyeditor, and my publicists. Without their expertise, my book wouldn’t be where
it is today. I know that for a fact. And before that I have my CPs to thank for
helping me write tighter, better stories. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The last month has been a surreal whirlwind of dreams come
true for me, and if people can be believed, this is only the beginning, and I’m
excited to see what the future holds. I know it’s cliché to say, “If it can
happen to me, it can happen to you,” so I won’t push that down your throat. But
if you come away with anything from my story, let it be this: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">learn everything you can, and immerse
yourself in the world of writers.</i> I don’t think there’s any other industry
in the world where people who are technically your competition are as
supportive as your own mother and will do what they can to help you and lift
you up. Take advantage of that, and in turn, pay it forward whenever you can.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
None of us reaches our dreams on our own. It truly does take
a village to raise a book—even an author—and I’m so incredibly grateful for
mine.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Ciao, bellas!</span></b></i> </div>
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<span class="MsoIntenseReference"><span style="font-variant: normal !important; font-weight: normal;"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;">* The NYT list for ebooks is 1-25, with the extended list going through 35. The combined (print and ebooks together) list is 1-15, with the extended list going through 35.</span></i></span><br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: small;">**The USA TODAY list is 1-100, with the extended list going through 150. You cannot legitimately print that you're a NYT or USA TODAY bestselling author if you remain in either of the extended lists.</span></span></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04109677382274000163noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827750013790933422.post-3774410455487813682012-07-21T05:42:00.002-04:002012-07-22T03:27:01.802-04:00Seducing Cinderella: RELEASE DAY!!!<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-large;">Seducing Cinderella</span></i></h2>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Fighting for Love series, Book One</span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCy-z0f6XMpAP_T4V8NcEgDpXrD9ydKSxNlAhNzhzere41RDpUFOeh5MuLifxTbnwbxtGo6BMgHAhYZb6GLYU2cGE2OYzxU0muH_J2dn2ssDE_-WQCMOirFxy3A3AOHkma7VfaB1Wayht2/s1600/SC+Cover+-+new.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCy-z0f6XMpAP_T4V8NcEgDpXrD9ydKSxNlAhNzhzere41RDpUFOeh5MuLifxTbnwbxtGo6BMgHAhYZb6GLYU2cGE2OYzxU0muH_J2dn2ssDE_-WQCMOirFxy3A3AOHkma7VfaB1Wayht2/s640/SC+Cover+-+new.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My beautiful cover created by Heather Howland at Entangled</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<span style="font-size: 130%;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Entangled Publishing</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Brazen imprint</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Category Romance</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">E-book only</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">65,000 words</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">ISBN: 978-1-62266-949-3</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Available July 20, 2012</span><br />
<br />
<br />
Mixed martial arts fighter Reid Andrews’s chance to reclaim his title as
light heavyweight champ is shattered when he’s injured only months
before the rematch. To make sure he’s healed in time, his trainer sends
him to recuperate under a professional’s care—Reid’s best friend’s
little sister, all grown up.<br />
<br />
Disorganized and bookish Lucie
Miller needs some professional help of her own. She’d do anything to
catch the eye of a doctor she’s crushed on for years, so when Reid
offers seduction lessons in exchange for 24/7 conditioning for the
biggest fight of his career, Lucie jumps at the chance. <br />
<br />
Soon Reid finds himself in the fight of his life...winning Lucie's heart before she gives it to someone else.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhACNh1eNuehBf6enTvsqmATvOYuR3gXsyFOOhv8oAeY_74o97M4osNOEZb4MhuaITBI_0hA_dTc-DtwCTaqsepDb95katz1_pdx3ps975rh_4IG4qw1dYGMFF1pU8oBq0TTCK2Rmw-CHXB/s1600/SC+Bookmark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhACNh1eNuehBf6enTvsqmATvOYuR3gXsyFOOhv8oAeY_74o97M4osNOEZb4MhuaITBI_0hA_dTc-DtwCTaqsepDb95katz1_pdx3ps975rh_4IG4qw1dYGMFF1pU8oBq0TTCK2Rmw-CHXB/s640/SC+Bookmark.jpg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My gorgeous bookmarks created by Su at Earthly Charms </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/MQEdBa" target="_blank">Buy it online at Amazon.com</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seducing-cinderella-gina-l-maxwell/1112180837?ean=2940014977678" target="_blank">Buy it online at Barnes & Noble</a><br />
<br />
<b><i>Enjoy the first two chapters now!</i></b><br />
<br />
© 2012 Gina L. Maxwell<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
Chapter One</div>
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
Lucie Miller didn’t bother looking up when she heard the knock on her
office door. Her next physical therapy patient was early, which irked
her since she hadn’t even completed the paperwork from the previous
appointment. She pushed her glasses back in the proper place. He could
just cool his heels in the hallway for the next ten minutes while she
fini—<br />
The knock came again, a little more insistently this time, and her
resolve to not cater to someone else’s wishes crumbled, as usual.
Dropping her pen to the sheaf of papers in front of her, she called out,
“Come in.”<br />
A head of perfectly styled dark hair popped around the edge of the door. “Hope I’m not disturbing you.”<br />
Before she could order her heart to behave, it skipped a beat at the
mellowy-smooth voice of Dr. Stephen Mann, Director of Sports Medicine
and major hottie at Northern Nevada Medical Center. At warp speed, her
brain performed an unsolicited catalog of her appearance, spitting out
the usual diagnosis of “plain and disheveled.” Holding back a
disappointing sigh and the urge to smooth a hand over the strands of
hair that escaped her ponytail, she gave him her best smile. “Not at
all. I didn’t forget another meeting, did I?”<br />
Twin dimples winked at her. “No, not today.”<br />
He turned to close the door, and her pulse raced. As an orthopedic
surgeon, he’d visited her less-than-impressive office in the Rehab and
Sports Med Center plenty of times to discuss mutual patients. But not
once had he ever closed the door.<br />
Trying hard not to race to conclusions, she gestured in front of her. “Please, have a seat.”<br />
“Uh…”<br />
Lucie glanced to the single visitor chair piled high with file
folders, old newspapers, and research articles. She swore she felt her
cheeks actually change color as she bolted around her desk. “Oh my gosh,
I’m so sorry. Here, let me just—”<br />
“That’s all right, you don’t have to—”<br />
“No, I insist.” She gathered the haphazard paper mountain in her
arms. Not for the first time, or even the hundredth time, she wished she
weren’t so disorganized. Spinning in a quick circle, she searched for a
place to stash the mess. Stacks just like the one she held lined the
walls of her office on the floor and over every square inch of desk and
file cabinet space. Finally she gave up and just plopped the pile into
her chair before turning her attention to her guest. God, why couldn’t
she be smooth and put-together like other women? Like the kind Stephen
dated. “So, what brings you down into the bowels of the hospital this
afternoon?”<br />
He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. Normally, the gorgeous
doctor was the picture of confidence. It was the reason women literally
sighed in his wake. Well, that and his easy charm and Ken-doll good
looks complete with killer smile.<br />
“The hospital’s annual charity dinner and dance is only two months
away, and whereas a guy only has to rent a tux and show up, I’m aware
that a woman needs ample time to shop for a dress and schedule all sorts
of hair and nail appointments and whatever else it is that you women do
to make yourselves beautiful.”<br />
Lucie’s throat closed, and her fingers flew to fidget with her
necklace. This was it. They’d worked together for years, sometimes even
staying hours past their shifts to work on mutual cases, ordering bad
Chinese when their brains refused to quit but their stomachs could no
longer be ignored. They’d always been intellectually compatible, and
their mutual obsession to help patients recover quicker and better
bonded them as nothing else could. She’d loved him for years, but he’d
never asked her out. Never made a move, instead preferring to date
classy businesswomen he met during happy hour at the posh Club Caliente
down the street.<br />
But now he was here. In her office. Talking about the hospital ball.
Dear God, please don’t let her faint. Taking a slow, deep breath, Lucie
tried for casual. “Are you trying to ask me something, Stephen?” And
failed miserably. <i>Damn.</i><br />
A strong hand rubbed at the back of his neck, and he gave her the
cutest look of embarrassment. “Ah, yeah. I’m not doing a very good job
of it, am I?”<br />
“No, you’re doing fine!” <i>Too much enthusiasm. Double damn!</i><br />
“I know I should’ve brought this up before. And I really did want to
ask that night I saw you at Club Caliente last month, but I hesitated
and then you left. I was hoping I’d see you there again because it
doesn’t quite seem appropriate to inquire about a date here at the
office, you know?”<br />
Her mind flashed back to the one night she’d ever stepped foot in the
overcrowded, overpriced club. Her best friend, Vanessa MacGregor, had
just won a really difficult case and wanted to celebrate with a few
drinks and some dancing. Instead of going to their usual hangout,
Fritz’s, Vanessa convinced Lucie to meet her at the much closer meat
market of a club. They’d only been there for an hour tops before
leaving. The club was like a frat house on steroids with a country club
clientele. The rest of their night had been spent downing tap beer and
hustling guys at darts in a proper celebration.<br />
“Oh, don’t worry,” she assured him. “I mean, not down here. The only
person that could possibly hear us right now is Mr. Kramer on the
treadmill out there, but the door is shut and even if it wasn’t, I don’t
think he remembers to turn his hearing aid up very often, so the
chances of him hearing us over the noise of the mach—”<br />
“Lucie.”<br />
“Sorry.” <i>Oh my God, would you shut up already? You’re babbling like an idiot! </i>“You were saying?”<br />
He took a deep breath and exhaled like he was preparing to BASE jump
from the roof of the hospital instead of asking her on a date. “I was
trying to get your friend’s number.”<br />
“My…<i>what</i>?”<br />
“The girl you were with that night. Is she seeing anyone?”<br />
“Vanessa?” Lucie’s mind scrambled as it tried to follow the sharp
turn off the path the conversation had previously been headed. Or where
she’d <i>thought</i> it had been headed. She was such an idiot. “Um, no, she’s not seeing anyone…”<br />
Every muscle in his body visibly relaxed as he stood, his easy smile
returning to hit her with both dimples right between the eyes. “That’s
great! Can I get her number? I don’t want to take the chance of waiting
till the last minute to ask her. I’d like to take her on a few dates
before the big event, too. You know, get to know each other better. Lord
knows you can never have a decent conversation at that charity dinner
without someone interrupting with shoptalk. Lucie? Are you listening?”<br />
“What? No. I mean, yes, I’m listening. Yes, you’re right. It’s
definitely not conducive to first-date discussions.” Lucie dropped her
gaze to the organized disaster on her desk. Vanessa would have a panic
attack if she saw it. Her friend was hyperorganized, always put together
on the inside and out, never a hair out of place or an emotion uncalled
for. Add in the perfect Barbie-doll looks and you had the kind of woman
Stephen Mann was drawn to. The kind of woman she was most definitely
not.<br />
“Soooo… Can I have her number? Or maybe you’re playing the role of
protective friend and would prefer to grill me about my intentions
first,” he teased. “Maybe ask me why I think I’m good enough for her,
something like that?”<br />
She couldn’t help the small lift at the corner of her mouth. “As if
you couldn’t be good enough for someone. You’re charming, smart,
handsome, and successful. How could that amount to ‘not good enough’ by
anyone’s standards?”<br />
He winked. “I am quite the catch, aren’t I? Be sure to tell Vanessa
that when she tells you I called her. That is, if you ever give me her
number.”<br />
“Oh! Right, sorry. Uh…” She looked around for a Post-it note or
scratch piece of paper. She knew she had some, and if she could stop and
think for a minute, she’d know right where they were, but somewhere in
the last five minutes she’d been given a full frontal lobotomy and now
she couldn’t function.<br />
Giving up, she grabbed her pen and his hand and scribbled Vanessa’s
cell number onto his palm. She had to force herself to release him
before she did something stupid like add an exclamation mark and
“accidentally” use too much force for the dot, puncturing his smooth
skin with the tip of her ballpoint. “There you go. All set. Now you’ll
have to excuse me. I, um, have a new patient who should be here any
minute.”<br />
“I won’t take up any more of your time then. Thanks, Lucie.” Using
his ink-free hand he grabbed the knob and opened the door before looking
back and adding, “I owe you one.”<br />
She pasted what she hoped was at least a facsimile of a smile on her face as best she could. “I’ll keep that in mind, doctor.”<br />
As soon as he was gone she sank into her chair, not even bothering to
move the stack of papers before she did so. This wasn’t anything new.
In fact, being overlooked for someone else was typical. By now, she
should be immune to the hurt that came with it. What was that phrase?
Old hat. Yes, that’s it. By now, this should be old hat, and it wasn’t
even the first time a guy she liked was interested in her friend. But it
still hurt. A lot.<br />
There was no fooling herself any longer. She would never be the
object of the doctor’s desire. And though the realist in her said it
didn’t matter—that all she needed was compatibility and companionship
with someone else—as her future came into sharp focus, the dreamer in
her allowed herself to shed the tears that blurred the world in front of
her.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
Chapter Two</div>
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
“Can you point me in the direction of the physical therapy department?” <i>Where some arrogant ass will give me exercises fit for a toddler, essentially castrating me in the process…</i><br />
To say Reid Andrews was in a foul mood was a total understatement,
but that didn’t mean the hospital receptionist deserved his wrath. He
listened as she gave him directions and thanked her as he set off.<br />
The closer he got to his destination, the more his muscles bunched in
irritation. He shouldn’t be here. He should be back in Vegas, working
his injury out with his coach and team doc. Not Sparks, Nevada—which was
practically Reno and way too close for comfort to his hometown of Sun
Valley to the north. Now he would be working with someone who had no
concept of his sport or how important it was for him to get back in the
cage as soon as possible to prep for his rematch.<br />
For as long as he could remember, he’d been fighting. Fighting in the
sport he loved above all else—Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA—to get to the
top, and then fighting his ass off to stay there. Fifteen years later,
he was one of the richest light-heavyweight fighters in the UFC, with a
record of 34-3 and a fanbase of millions. Of course none of that
mattered now because if he couldn’t get healthy in time for the rematch,
his career was over.<br />
A doctor talking on his cell and checking his pager crowded Reid
around a corner and bumped into him. The guy didn’t even look back to
apologize as he continued to clip down the hallway. Reid clenched his
jaw and held his right shoulder as he waited for the pain to subside.
Even from an impact so small it hurt like a bitch.<br />
He had one of the most aggravating injuries a fighter could have: a
torn rotator cuff. To literally add insult to injury, it hadn’t even
happened in a fight. He’d gotten the damn thing while training for his
title fight. Thirty-four was almost ancient for a fighter, especially
one who’d been at it for as long as he had, and his body was starting to
reflect that, injury by godforsaken injury.<br />
Sidestepping an old lady traveling at the speed of a land snail, Reid cursed his trainer, Butch, for sending him here.<br />
Shortly after Reid had had the surgery to repair his right shoulder,
the camp’s sports medicine doc needed to return home to take care of his
ailing father. Scotty wasn’t expected to be back for a couple of
months, and since Reid was the only injured one in the camp, Butch set
him up with a local PT for the interim. But if Reid kept working with
that guy he wouldn’t be ready to fight until he was fifty, so he’d taken
his therapy into his own hands.<br />
Unfortunately, Butch got hip to what he was doing and balled him out
for not listening to Scotty’s replacement and taking it easy. But Reid
didn’t know the meaning of taking it easy. His mottos were more than
just your average motivational fodder. He lived by things like “give
more than your everything or you’ll amount to nothing” and “if you
didn’t come to win, you should’ve stayed the fuck home.” Shit like that
had been drilled into him since he was old enough to throw a punch at
his old man’s command.<br />
He refused to accept the possibility of not completely healing in the
next two months, thereby losing his shot at ever reclaiming his title.
Every year the sport produced younger and better fighters, and it was
becoming increasingly difficult for the older fighters to compete.
That’s why Reid trained as hard as he did. There would always be some
guy who wanted his belt and was working his ass off for a chance to take
it, so he had to train and prepare that much harder to keep it. He was
pissed as hell Butch had given him an ultimatum: leave camp and do PT
the right way or he was pulling the fight.<br />
Fuck. That.<br />
Fine, whatever. He’d make his coach happy and go to this lame PT
shit. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to treat it any differently
than he did his regular training. He didn’t have time to dick around. He
needed to get back to Vegas a.s.a.p. so he could reclaim what was
rightfully his.<br />
Reid pushed open the double doors and walked through a large room
resembling the inside of a YMCA. Treadmills, ellipticals, weight sets,
and exercise balls. No sparring cage. No floor mats. No punching bags.
However there was an old man of about eighty-plus years walking so slow
on a treadmill that he was practically immobile.<br />
“This blows,” he mumbled as he approached the small office with his
PT’s name, Lucinda Miller, on the partially closed door. He raised his
hand to give a quick rap before announcing himself, but paused when he
heard soft sniffles coming from the bowed head of a brunette sitting
behind the desk. At least he assumed it was a desk. It was hard to tell
what was under the stacks of files and papers. Instead of knocking, he
cleared his throat. “Sorry, this a bad time?”<br />
The woman spun her chair around to face the back wall, hitting her
knee on a file cabinet in the process and muttering an expletive he’d
bet she didn’t use publicly very often. Though he hadn’t seen her face
yet, he couldn’t help but find her clumsiness sort of cute. When she
grabbed a Kleenex from somewhere on her floor and blew her nose he was
reminded that she was in a vulnerable moment. “I can come back.”<br />
“No, no.” She blew her nose and then gestured behind her without
turning around. “If you could just go have a seat in the next room, I’ll
be right with you.”<br />
Sounded good. As much as he hated to see a woman upset, it was bad
enough having to console someone he knew, much less a woman he didn’t.
Finding the room, Reid leaned his hips on the padded table,
absentmindedly cracking his knuckles as he waited. It was only another
minute before she breezed in, eyes on his file, while making a beeline
to the small desk along the wall.<br />
“I’m terribly sorry about that,” she said. “Let me just take a brief moment to look this over and we’ll get down to business.”<br />
“Take your time.” Something about her voice poked at his brain. Almost like he’d heard it before.<br />
“Okay, Mr. Johnson, let’s take a look at—”<br />
They froze as recognition took hold.<br />
“Luce?”<br />
“Reid?”<br />
It had been several years—shit, six, maybe even seven or more, he
couldn’t remember—since the last time he’d seen his best friend’s little
sister. Her face was blotchy with her eyes rimmed in red from crying so
he almost hadn’t realized it was her, but the freckle at the outer
corner of her left eye vaguely shaped like a heart gave her away. It was
just barely visible under the dark-rimmed, rectangular glasses she
wore.<br />
“Oh my gosh,” she said, giving his waist a hard squeeze. It’d been so
long since he’d seen anyone from their hometown, and besides her
brother, she’d be the only person he’d care to see. He returned her hug,
tucking his head down to hers. Her hair smelled like a mix of flowers
and summer, so different from the heavy perfume concoctions he was used
to women wearing.<br />
She released him, taking a seat on the swivel stool in front of the
desk while tucking loose strands of hair behind her ear. “I can’t
believe it’s you. Wait, why does my chart say Randy Johnson?”<br />
Reid chuckled at the ridiculous name he used for anonymity. “It’s an
alias.” Wanting to erase the pained look from whatever had happened
before he arrived, he gave her a wicked smile and added, “And sometimes a
state of being.”<br />
Her brows gathered together for the few seconds it took to sink in,
then her cheeks flushed with color and her eyes grew wide. “Reid!”<br />
He couldn’t have stopped his laugh if he wanted to. The shocked look
on her face was totally worth it. “Come on, Lu-Lu, you can’t still be
that innocent after all these years.”<br />
“My innocence or lack thereof is none of your business, Andrews. And
be forewarned: if anyone hears you call me one of those ridiculous
nicknames, I’ll stab you in the jugular with my pen.”<br />
He held up his hands in mock surrender. “Fair enough, Lubert.” She
rolled her eyes, but he interrupted her before she could get a good mad
on. “Speaking of names, what’s up with Lucinda Miller? I don’t see a
ring. You in the witness protection plan or something?”<br />
She averted her eyes, suddenly finding that her name tag needed repinning. “No. I <i>was</i>
married briefly in college. Jackson probably didn’t tell you about it
because we eloped and it didn’t last very long.” She cleared her throat
and smiled at him, but it barely reached her cheeks, much less her eyes.
“You know how it is. Capricious youth and all that. I just never
bothered to change my name back. But at least I still have the same
initials, right?”<br />
Her attempt at disguising her true feelings reminded him of what he’d
walked in on. Something or someone had hurt her, and it instantly
called on his protective instincts. After all, Lucie wasn’t just any
woman. He’d grown up with her trailing after him and her brother,
Jackson Maris. And since Jax, also a UFC fighter, was in Hawaii with his
training camp and couldn’t help make things right for his little
sister, Reid would gladly step in.<br />
“Why were you crying, Lu?”<br />
“Oh, that?” She waved a hand dismissively. “Nothing. I have terrible
seasonal allergies and sometimes they get so bad I sound like a
blubbering, sniveling mess, that’s all.”<br />
He scoffed. “This is why Jax and I never let you tag along on our
more devious ‘misadventures.’ You’re a terrible liar and wouldn’t have
lasted five seconds under parental interrogation.”<br />
She stood, placing her hands on her hips. “Well according to your
trainer, you’re a terrible patient, so I guess we both have our faults.
Now, unless you want to waste your entire session on pointless chatter, I
suggest you let me assess your injury.”<br />
Reid recognized a brick wall when he ran into one. She wasn’t going
to talk about it…yet. One way or another he’d get it out of her. “Fine.
Assess away, Luey.” Reaching between his shoulder blades with his left
arm, he pulled his T-shirt off over his head, taking care not to jostle
his right arm too much. He tossed the shirt onto the chair in the
corner.<br />
“How much PT have you had since the operation?”<br />
“I don’t know, the usual amount, I guess. A session a day or so. But
it wasn’t enough so I was doing some extra training on the side.”<br />
She paused and arched a brow at him. “In other words, you were overdoing it, which is counterproductive to your recovery.”<br />
“‘Overdoing it’ is such a subjective term.”<br />
“No, it’s not, Reid. Anything more than what your doctor or therapist
instructs is overdoing it. If I’m going to help you, you need to do <i>exactly</i> as I say. If you can manage that, I’ll have you as good as new in about four months.”<br />
“What? Didn’t Butch tell you about my rematch in two months? I need
to fight on that card, Luce. Diaz has my belt, and I’m taking it back.”<br />
Lucie shook her head. “Reid that’s insane. Even if I devoted the
majority of my time to you, I can’t guarantee you’ll be ready to fight
that soon.”<br />
“Bullshit. You have to say that as a professional, but take into
account who your patient is. I’m not like the other people you work on.
I’m not your Average Joe trying to eventually get back to normal. I’m a
highly trained athlete who’s had to recover from more injuries in the
last fifteen years than a hundred Average Joes put together.”<br />
She sighed. “Let’s see what we’re dealing with here, first, okay, hotshot? Sit.”<br />
Reid hopped onto the table and tried not to tense up at the idea of
having his arm manipulated. He had a high tolerance for pain, but that
didn’t mean her exam wouldn’t be enough to set his teeth on edge.<br />
“Extend your arm to the side and try to keep it there as I push it
down.” He lasted only a few seconds before he released the pose with a
muttered curse. She pretended not to notice and put him through a couple
more strength tests where he managed to keep his swearing rants inside
his head. Yay him.<br />
“Okay, last one, Reid. Place your hand in front of your stomach and try to hold it there as I pull it away from your body.”<br />
Clenching his jaw and his left fist he tried thinking of something
other than the sickening pain shooting from his shoulder. But as bad as
the pain was, the fact that he was so weak and couldn’t hide it was much
worse.<br />
“All right, you can relax now.” She made some notes in his file, then
turned back and asked, “On a pain scale of one to ten, with ten being
the worst pain you can imagine, how are you feeling at the moment?”<br />
“A four. Maybe even a three.”<br />
She arched her brow and crossed her arms over her chest. “Spare me
the macho shit, Andrews. I’m not here to challenge your virility. If you
want me to do my job, then you have to be one hundred percent honest
with me.”<br />
He pinned her with a glare that made men twice her size reconsider
stepping into the octagon with him. Lucie didn’t even flinch. He
would’ve commended her for it had he not been so aggravated with the
whole situation. “Fine. A six,” he grumbled. “But some days are better
than others.”<br />
“Don’t worry, that’s normal. Now lay facedown on the table. I want to do a couple more things.”<br />
“You got awfully bossy in your old age, you know that?” He was a tad
disappointed she didn’t rise to the bait, but offered a sarcastic <i>Mm-hmm</i>
instead as he arranged his body on the table. With his left arm up to
cradle the side of his face, he let his eyes close as she began to work
on him.<br />
Her delicate fingertips probed the muscles around his shoulder. He
had no idea what she was looking for, but he hoped she searched for a
while. Her touch felt so much better than how he was usually handled. Of
course Scotty’s hands weren’t as soft, but it was more than that. It
was the technique she used; like he wasn’t just a fighter made of
hardened muscle that could handle rough, prodding fingers, but rather a
man who’d asked for a gentle massage after a long day.<br />
He heard a soft sniffle, and it set his mind to wondering what had
upset her so much. Growing up he’d practically been Lucie’s second older
brother, and it bothered him to know something was wrong.<br />
Whatever it was, she was doing her best to avoid—“Ah, shit!”<br />
“Sorry.”<br />
“Yeah, right,” he said wryly. “That was probably payback for using your floppy bunny as a lawn-dart target.”<br />
He couldn’t see her face, but he heard the smile when she spoke. “I
forgot all about that. Jackson got grounded for three days and my mom
had to sew all the little holes together. She told me he was a war hero
who was going through surgery to get patched up before receiving a medal
from the president.”<br />
“Your mom was always good for a story. Jax and I counted on her to
give us all our background information for our pretend missions as
kids.”<br />
“Mom was something special all right. I still miss her bedtime stories.”<br />
Lucie’s parents had died in a car accident the summer after he and
Jackson graduated high school and she was just thirteen. Jackson chose
to raise Lucie instead of pawning her off on another relative, which is
why he wasn’t as far in his MMA career as Reid. It was an honorable
thing, and it was obvious he’d done a damn fine job, too.<br />
Just then it hit him. “It’s a guy, isn’t it?”<br />
Her hands stilled for only a moment, but it was long enough to give
him the answer he was looking for. “Is it tender when I press here?”<br />
Like bad heartburn, an unfamiliar lividity rose up for the general
male population until he could aim it at the one who deserved it.
Pushing up with his left arm he swung his body around to face her.<br />
“What are you doing? I’m not done.”<br />
“You are until you tell me who he is and what the hell he did,” he growled.<br />
“Reid—”<br />
“Quid pro quo, Lu. You tell me who made you cry and why, and I
promise to not find out on my own, hunt him down, and kick his teeth
down his throat for putting that look on your face.”<br />
He almost regretted throwing down the harsh threat when her face
blanched, but if that was the only way he could get her to open up, then
so be it. “Here, hop up on the table. We’ll switch places,” he said as
he stood. When she opened her mouth to brook an argument he narrowed his
gaze to show her he wasn’t kidding. With a resigned sigh she did as he
wanted, albeit not happily.<br />
“There, now you’re the patient.” Despite the pain it caused in his
shoulder, he braced his hands on either side of her hips, preventing an
escape should she decide it was the better alternative. “So, Miss
Miller,” he said looking into her soft gray eyes, “tell me where it
hurts.”<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRfq_RXVeTbfpSuLtZm3ddmZCbHSZ4fOnaxIQlt24_3rTgwI7kFQ3iQIealZmIsx7yOPvL18bPW9JLeALjJIGkYz24cwSnMvjp68kBFOIpAOZwk4UlW4qdPNynV-L975UFdXtkyf5UL8fg/s1600/giving-it-up-330x480.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRfq_RXVeTbfpSuLtZm3ddmZCbHSZ4fOnaxIQlt24_3rTgwI7kFQ3iQIealZmIsx7yOPvL18bPW9JLeALjJIGkYz24cwSnMvjp68kBFOIpAOZwk4UlW4qdPNynV-L975UFdXtkyf5UL8fg/s400/giving-it-up-330x480.png" width="275" /></a></div>
<b>GIVING IT UP<br />
by Amber Lin</b><br />
Erotic Romance<br />
Loose Id, 2012<br />
ISBN 13: 978-1-61118-843-1<br />
<br />
Allie prowls the club for a man who will use her hard and then ditch
her. Hey, it’s not rape if she wants it. Instead she finds Colin, who
looks tough but treats her tenderly, despite her protests.<br />
<br />
He tempts her, but kindness and a few mind-blowing orgasms aren’t
enough to put her back together again. Allie has no hope for a real
relationship. Two years ago her best friend betrayed her in the worst
possible way – she’d be stupid to trust a man again. Besides, she has
her daughter to think of, the only good thing to have come from that
dark night.<br />
<br />
But when her rapist returns, threatening her sanity and custody of
her daughter, Allie turns to Colin. Under his protection and patient
touch, Allie begins to heal and learns to hope. Colin’s no saint,
though, and his criminal past draws danger of its own. Allie must fight
to protect her child and the man she loves, hoping her newfound power
will be enough to save them all.<br />
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<br /></div>
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* * * * *</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Let me preface my thoughts on Amber's book by saying that I typically do not read books with a darker storyline like this. I use reading as my escape from the real world, so I prefer lighter stories or ones with paranormal elements that are far removed from reality.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
But after reading only 27 pages, I had to stop mid-chapter and email Amber to tell her how enthralled I was with her writing and the story. Here's exactly what I told her...</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><i><span style="color: #990000;">"Your writing is like...whoa. I don't even know how else to say it. I'm
loving this and according to my preferences, I really shouldn't. Allie
is so beautifully damaged. She doesn't come off as a simpering victim
you want to throw some Xanax at and drop her off at a shrink. She just
IS and deals with it. Your metaphors are amazing, your descriptions and how she
feels...all amazing. Nicely done, chica. Very nicely done."</span></i></b></div>
</blockquote>
I meant every word of it, too. I stayed up until 5:30 in the morning reading, and only stopped because my eyes would no longer cooperate with me and stay open. I loved Allie's character. <i style="color: #990000;"><b>The way she deals with the horrible events from her past is believable and, though dark and self-deprecating, even admirable.</b></i> She does what she has to do in order to get through her day-to-day life for the sake of her daughter.<br />
<br />
Colin has dark secrets of his own, but he does his best to keep Allie protected from them. <i style="color: #990000;"><b>From the moment he meets Allie he does his best to take care of her, despite them being virtually strangers. </b></i>Situations throw them together and they're forced to learn how to deal with one another in a capacity neither one have any experience.<br />
<br />
This book is not your typical romance. Though it has the required HEA (Happily Ever After) for any romance, I was unsure how it was going to work, right up until the last minute. <i style="color: #990000;"><b>Lin masterfully created a plot with conflicts that carry through right up until the end.</b></i> Nothing is predictable and there's not a deus ex machina to be found. Just real efforts of real people. <br />
<br />
I don't want to give anything away, because I truly want each and every one of you to buy the book. <b style="color: #990000;"><i>It's gripping, intriguing, and utterly spectacular.</i></b> Amber Lin is a debut author who has instantly made a name for herself with this book, and she's one to keep tabs on for sure.<br />
<br />
<b style="color: #351c75;">To see what others are saying about Giving It Up, watch the book trailer, read an excerpt from the book, and have access to the buy links, go here. ----></b> <a href="http://authoramberlin.com/books/" target="_blank">http://authoramberlin.com/books/</a><br />
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* * * * *</div>
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<br /></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Amber Lin is repped by Jewelann Cone by Cascade Literary Agency. Her
debut novel, Giving It Up, releases from Loose Id on June 19th. She also
has a historical manuscript in the works as well as the sequel to
Giving It Up.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Amber married her high school sweetheart, birthed a kid who’s smarter
than she is, and spends her nights writing down her dirty thoughts. In
other words, life is good. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Visit her at...</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Her website: <a href="http://authoramberlin.com/" target="_blank">http://authoramberlin.com/</a> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/authoramberlin" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/authoramberlin</a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/authoramberlin" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/authoramberlin</a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Goodreads: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5827158.Amber_Lin" target="_blank">http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5827158.Amber_Lin</a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04109677382274000163noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827750013790933422.post-88997017043911954542012-07-04T17:29:00.002-04:002012-07-04T17:41:45.106-04:00Happy July 2012!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello out there! I know it's been a long time since I posted anything, but I've been a busy, busy bee. :) I'll do my best to fight my natural long-winded nature and give you a summary of what I've been up to the last couple of months. I'll use bullet points to ensure I stick to the short-n-sweet thing.<br />
<ul>
<li style="color: #990000;">My editor, Liz, and I came up with the perfect title for my category romance: <i><b>Seducing Cinderella</b></i></li>
<li>It was decided that SC would launch the Brazen line for Entangled, as opposed to being a part of the Indulgence line. Both lines are category romances, but the Brazen imprint is for books with spicier smexin in them. And apparently, yours truly writes things a little too spicy to stay in the Indulgence parameters. LOL</li>
<li style="color: #990000;">Received mind-blowing positive feedback on those who had the opportunity to read SC in advance. This made me both super excited and extremely ill. I've been a jumble of nerves on an emotional roller coaster ever since.</li>
<li>I worked with a friend from college--<b style="color: #990000;"><a href="http://www.lauracoleman.net/" target="_blank">Laura Coleman</a></b>, who is made of awesomesauce--on a new tagline for me as an author: Romance that moves you in more ways than one. <i>(Anyone who needs a copywriter for anything, Laura is definitely your girl.)</i></li>
<li style="color: #990000;">I'm currently working with a friend from high school--Brock Miles, who is totally amazeballs--on designing <b><a href="http://www.ginalmaxwell.com/" target="_blank">my official author website</a></b>. Okay, so <i>he's</i> designing it and I'm just saying, "Yes, I love it!" <i>(Anyone in need of a crazy talented web designer/photographer, let me know and I'll put you in touch with Brock.)</i></li>
<li> I worked with my good friend--<b><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=235856093200733&set=a.179568078829535.36700.139810042805339&type=1&theater" target="_blank">Jamie Burch of Chasing the Moon Creations</a></b>--on designing a unique anklet that is featured in the SC story for a special promotional giveaway, and also for anyone to order it who loves the book and wants a replica of the gift Reid gives to Lucie. <i>(Click on the link to learn more about Lucie's Anklet & Jamie's custom jewelry.)</i></li>
<li style="color: #990000;">I've ordered gorgeous promotional bookmarks in preparation for SC's release.</li>
<li style="color: black;">I've been writing the book that comes after SC, called <i><b>Rules of Entanglement</b></i>, in hopes of selling the idea of a <b>Fighting for Love </b>series that will feature more MMA heroes for the Brazen line.</li>
<li style="color: #990000;">Yesterday, I successfully sold <i><b>Rules of Entanglement</b></i> and two additional books (they don't have titles yet) to Entangled, making the <b>Fighting for Love</b> series 4 books in all so far.</li>
</ul>
So as you can see, it's been a busy, yet wonderful, two months! This is fast shaping up to be my favorite month this year. Not only is my very first published novel, Seducing Cinderella, releasing on the 15th, but the 4th of July is my absolute favorite holiday, plus I'll be celebrating my 13th wedding anniversary on the 16th. Combine all of that with the fact that I'll have finished RoE by the end of next week and my contract sales are now a total of 7 books sold to a single publisher in less than 4 months...I just couldn't be happier.<br />
<br />
So please stick with me as <i style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;">I finally take the leap from unpublished writer to published author</span></i>. You've all been so wonderful to me throughout this entire journey, and I <i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #990000;">thank you from the bottom of my literary soul</span></span></i>.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: blue;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">God bless, and Happy 4th!!!<span style="color: #990000;"><i> </i>Ciao, bellas <3</span></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04109677382274000163noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827750013790933422.post-71302186721439848092012-05-03T18:00:00.001-04:002012-05-03T18:00:31.217-04:00Grandma's AdviceIs anyone still out there? I'm sorry I've been away for so long. I've been trying to figure out how to do this whole "contracted author" thing. The first book I ever completed (<i>Desires of the Soul, </i>scheduled for release June 2013) took me 1 year to write and 2 years after that to get it <i>right</i>. Then I become contracted through my awesomesauce publisher, Entangled Publishing, and suddenly I find myself in a situation where I need to write an entire book in a fraction of the time it took me for DotS.<br />
<br />
I'd wanted to write my As-of-Yet-Untitled Indulgence in less time that it took, but I still finished an entire book in <i><b>less than two months</b></i>!! So, for my first time, I'd say that's not too shabby. Hopefully I'll be a little more present on the interwebz now that the rough draft crunch time is over...you know, until I'm in editing crunch time. ;p<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix3UWQ3BVtTEHVs45l6gAEctYE2RtXGyc2-kl6KBFIPtRW0uQ7Pdqc3q0QYAleB2f76CRjPZxtFhcgSmS7zIjJCJw2YM2KIVRASqJzdjZid6VZ_jx0ReiqtDZBerUZCSpvfY3kSA6qpAPa/s1600/273.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix3UWQ3BVtTEHVs45l6gAEctYE2RtXGyc2-kl6KBFIPtRW0uQ7Pdqc3q0QYAleB2f76CRjPZxtFhcgSmS7zIjJCJw2YM2KIVRASqJzdjZid6VZ_jx0ReiqtDZBerUZCSpvfY3kSA6qpAPa/s320/273.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #674ea7;">But today I want to share something with you I found earlier this week while going through a container of old kid projects and other such things. It's a letter from my grandma, dated October 19, 2004. </span><br />
<br />
She's referring to an email I sent to my family giving the blow-by-blow happenings of when I accompanied my baby sister to the American Idol auditions in Las Vegas. As you all know, short-and-sweet is not my thing. I think it was some 4 pages long detailing the crazy trials and tribulations of our amazing 3-day trip. Since my grandma doesn't have a computer, one of my aunts gave her a copy, and this is the letter she sent me after reading it. I didn't remember this letter, so it was a sweet moment to read it again.<br />
<br />
(I'll leave out all of the impertinent things with ellipses, but the rest of it is just as she wrote it.)<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Gina, Loretta sent me a copy of your experience in Vegas. The way you wrote it I could just see you girls with all the problems you faced. And the humor you faced it with... It is so well written and so much detail that I could <u>see</u> everything as though I had been there. We all agree that you should be a writer. Jerry had that talent too... Anyway, I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your story and I still think you should take up writing. Love, Gramma </span><br />
<br />
Jerry was my father who passed away when I was 10 years old. His brother, Tom, is an incredible writer as well, so the writing bug is definitely in the family. I loved that I found this letter now, eight years later, just as I'm about to embark on my authorial debut.<br />
<br />
When I finally signed my contracts I had called my grandma (who is now 95 years old and has a brain sharp as a tack) to give her the good news. She was ecstatic and told me how proud she was and how she couldn't wait to read my books.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #cc0000;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">O_o</span><span style="font-size: small;"> <---- That was the look on my face when I thought about my sweet, almost-century-old grandmother reading </span>some of the scenes in my books!</div>
<br />
Then my (wonderfully fantastic) Aunt Marlene tells me a couple of days ago that she was discussing my books with my grandma who again mentioned wanting to read them. My aunt told her that some of my romance scene descriptions were "hot and racy" and we weren't sure she'd feel comfortable reading things like that.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #a64d79;">
<span style="font-size: large;">To which she replied, "Oh, well, I'm a big girl. That's not gonna bother me."</span></div>
<br />
(Bwahahahahaaaa! I wonder if dear old Grandma Bisbee has <i>any</i> idea what she's in for. ;) I'll make sure to report back when I get her review.)<br />
<br />
Anyway, thanks, Grandma, for believing in me years before I even knew what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I love you dearly. <3<br />
<br />
Sincerely,<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Jerry's eldest, Gina LeighAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04109677382274000163noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827750013790933422.post-45349613845983532342012-04-13T03:54:00.000-04:002012-04-13T03:54:31.834-04:00Word Count vs. Words That CountAs many of you know, I'm in major crunch mode. <span style="color: #cc0000;">I gave myself a deadline of finishing my first Indulgence category romance by Monday the 16th.</span> As you can see by the handy-dandy word counter in the side bar, I still have a ways to go. BUT, I do my best work when under the gun, so I'm doing a-ok.<br />
<br />
What's really been suffering is this blog! Poor bloggy has been grossly neglected as of late, since I just don't have the time to write epically long posts <span style="color: #cc0000;">(What was that? Write </span><i style="color: #cc0000;">short</i><span style="color: #cc0000;"> posts, you say? *snort* Yeah, right, as </span><i style="color: #cc0000;">if</i><span style="color: #cc0000;">.)</span> while trying to exceed my daily word count goals in order to make my deadline.<br />
<br />
SO...I decided to RE-post one of my oldies-but-goodies <i>(originally posted on 5-25-10)</i> that has a huge relevance to what I'm going through in my writing at the moment. <span style="color: #cc0000;">I haven't edited the original content of this post even though I feel the writing is sub-standard and it's killing me not to make changes to make sure it's up to snuff. </span>However, I think either way, it'll get my point across. Make sure you weigh in on the comments section! I'll take the time to respond and discuss. :)<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #cc0000;">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">Ciao, bellas!</span></i></div>
<br />
P.S. Now that I'm a writer with contractual deadlines, I absolutely and positively understand the need for word count goals. But I still think we need to evaluate our obsession with high counts versus slightly less counts with higher quality. End verbal disclosure. :)<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3FXzQJUiNPxnQvzlVMvewM_T7l2WixP6cthCi5wxg3GZ-9b7tVcbQiPwV5vXhXc2WsbVZHelYu43IBM7lhXUaADbQiOvx-UwjUZ3zhf2Q5qdEwENNwUCvo6yvtdHuu3mvHQlyLqoZUc-V/s1600/number-counter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3FXzQJUiNPxnQvzlVMvewM_T7l2WixP6cthCi5wxg3GZ-9b7tVcbQiPwV5vXhXc2WsbVZHelYu43IBM7lhXUaADbQiOvx-UwjUZ3zhf2Q5qdEwENNwUCvo6yvtdHuu3mvHQlyLqoZUc-V/s1600/number-counter.jpg" /></a>It’s in the progress posts on our blogs. It’s in little widgets in our sidebars. It’s what we obsess over. It’s our Literary Odometer.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;">It’s our <b>WORD COUNT.</b></span> <br />
<br />
<br />
As writers we measure our progress by this term. It’s universally understood in the writing community as the success – or lack thereof – of our daily, weekly, or cumulative progress on our current Works In Progress (WIPs).<br />
<br />
It seems that the majority of writers have a specific goal in mind. Whether it’s 500 words a day or 5000 words a day, it’s a way of keeping oneself motivated and on-point with an estimated date of completion for a rough draft.<br />
<br />
<i><span style="color: #cc0000;">But at what point does that ever-present, ever-looming Word Count goal become counter-productive?</span></i><br />
<br />
If we get wrapped up in how many words we can “put on paper” as opposed to the QUALITY of those words, we’ll officially be hurting ourselves when it comes time for revisions. I can write 2000 words in one day and feel like I accomplished a whole helluva lot, but when I go back to revise that section, if the words weren’t quality to begin with, I bet I’m going to be spending a lot more time trying to fix them than if I would’ve just taken a little more time to make sure they were somewhat decent to begin with.<br />
<br />
I’m not saying that our rough drafts will be all but flawless and revisions will be a piece of cake with this method – the day that happens will be the day I turn down dark chocolate (NEVER). But what I <i>am</i> saying, is that maybe we should find a happy medium.<br />
<br />
If I sit down to work on my WIP and I only have a few hundred more words than when I started, I shouldn’t have to feel that “OMG, I suck” sense of failure. I should be able to look at those few hundred words and say, “That was a really good addition to that section – nice job, Maxwell.”<br />
<br />
So I propose that we change our concerns of a generic <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Word Count</span></b>, to a positive mindset of putting down <b style="color: #cc0000;">Words That Count</b>.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><b>What do you think?</b></span><br />
<br />
Do we have too much emphasis on our Word Count? Do you feel that sometimes a high Word Count compromises the quality? Or do you feel that a strict Word Count goal is the only thing that keeps you moving forward at a steady pace?<br />
<br />
**This post has a word count of 424, and THE shortest post I've ever written, ironically enough.**Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04109677382274000163noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827750013790933422.post-8259673812653413572012-04-02T15:35:00.000-04:002012-04-02T15:35:31.705-04:00Coolest Book Trailer Ever<br />
I'm not a huge fan of book trailers. The fact of the matter is, they're expensive and tricksy and in my honest opinion, they don't do much to sell books because I don't think they do the books justice like a damn good back cover blurb does.<br />
<br />
<br />
HOWEVER...<br />
<br />
Tara Fuller, a fellow Entangled author, has COMPLETELY changed my mind. I'm not ashamed to admit (well, maybe a little) that I'm strictly an adult romance reader. I don't read YA because I prefer to read about adult relationships with all of the adult facets (if you know what I mean). But I will BUY this book. And I will READ this book. Because of THIS book trailer.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wzHbedl5gq8?rel=0" width="640"></iframe><br />
<br />
Isn't it amazing? I love how it's told from the male character's POV. It's so incredibly compelling, so romantic. The thing that sets this book trailer apart from 99% of other book trailers I've seen? The video action of the characters. Usually stock photos are used which isn't as interesting for obvious reasons and also causes a problem with the subjects in the photos not being the same people, but merely people with similar traits (i.e. dark hair).<br />
<br />
Congrats, Tara. This is phenomenal.<br />
<br />
Here's the info for Tara's book, INBETWEEN, releasing 8-14-12 from Entangled Teen.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHWXYPNhtbhErCBrV0w5YbL2D87f0F3zXkTOpJuy22VWVAqn4hXTeAceIj1w55erJxIH3yM0CA4Df_ol86z05S1SyQvz8rlSYjq2-uopOTV-E5gnnMBSOxoMSNyEIQYrkeJnHaxFQaTW4/s1600/inbetween-rgb-500px-415x6401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHWXYPNhtbhErCBrV0w5YbL2D87f0F3zXkTOpJuy22VWVAqn4hXTeAceIj1w55erJxIH3yM0CA4Df_ol86z05S1SyQvz8rlSYjq2-uopOTV-E5gnnMBSOxoMSNyEIQYrkeJnHaxFQaTW4/s320/inbetween-rgb-500px-415x6401.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
Since the car crash that took her father’s life three years ago, Emma’s life has been a
freaky—and unending—lesson in caution. Surviving “accidents” has taken
priority over being a normal seventeen-year-old, so Emma spends her days
taking pictures of life instead of living it. Falling in love with a
boy was never part of the plan. Falling for a reaper who makes her chest
ache and her head spin? Not an option.<br />
<br />
It’s not easy being dead, especially for a reaper in love with a girl
fate has put on his list not once, but twice. Finn’s fellow reapers give
him hell about spending time with Emma, but Finn couldn’t let her die
before, and he’s not about to let her die now. He will protect the girl
he loves from the evil he accidentally unleashed, even if it means
sacrificing the only thing he has left…his soul.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04109677382274000163noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827750013790933422.post-85637763476835768342012-03-29T04:14:00.001-04:002012-04-02T23:45:57.803-04:00For your viewing pleasure...Parker Hurley covered in grease. You're welcome.My girl, Ruthie Knox, and I are a bit of what you might call Parker Hurley fans. You might also call us Parker Hurley obsessive, but we don't like to label things. Anyway, since we have slightly different tastes in men, adoring Parker works out perfectly for us because he's clearly two people rolled into one, amazing guy. And although I think I can safely say that Ruthie and I love both sides, we each favor one over the other.<br />
<br />
Ruthie prefers Parker with his longer, wavy hair and a his brilliant boyish smile.<br />
<br />
I prefer Parker with short hair and his serious, brooding, don't eff with me look. (I also kind of have a thing for guys covered in grease, if the title of this post didn't give that away. Which is probably why the hero of my 3rd PoS book is a mechanic and spends ungodly amounts of time, well, covered in grease. *sigh*)<br />
<br />
That's why this video of a recent photo shoot of his is absotively, posolutely the best of both worlds for the both of us. It's simply Parker, in all his amazing glory. Enjoy.<br />
<br />
P.S. Parker is the character inspiration for my debut novel for Entangled's Indulgence line, which is as-of-yet untitled, but you can check out the character image and the book blurb on my Project Pipeline page at the tippy top up there.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/39154224?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/39154224">Parker Hurley</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user8245063">INVTmedia</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Update</u>: </span></b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Damn "the man" always tryin' to bring us down! Apparently they didn't like the video going viral & password protected it. Oh well. At least it's etched into my grey matter!</span></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04109677382274000163noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827750013790933422.post-32536471309168337942012-03-21T16:22:00.000-04:002012-03-21T16:22:21.357-04:00Wee-Bit Wednesday: Lucky 7 Edition<a href="http://serenitywoods.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Faye Robertson/Serenity Woods</a> tagged me in this fun little thing making the rounds on the writing circuit.<br />
<br />
Here are the rules:<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;">1. Go to page 77 of your current MS</span><br style="color: #cc0000;" /><span style="color: #cc0000;">
2. Go to line 7</span><br style="color: #cc0000;" /><span style="color: #cc0000;">
3. Copy down the next 7 lines – sentences or paragraphs – and post them as they’re written. No cheating.</span><br style="color: #cc0000;" /><span style="color: #cc0000;">
4. Tag 7 other authors</span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRFs1SvrkMbwNI9UyCaAM-p-dXbzlBklFvPy6wsv3Uk5WA94FK3v3ep35Dt-K3iy3yO4JXFeA5sip6KeW1AuSbJWBdAb0MDqrOwVjLXe_YL-KePTkilsi5nq_4JsnfbeEhisA1G4p0lx5b/s1600/Ultimate+Dom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRFs1SvrkMbwNI9UyCaAM-p-dXbzlBklFvPy6wsv3Uk5WA94FK3v3ep35Dt-K3iy3yO4JXFeA5sip6KeW1AuSbJWBdAb0MDqrOwVjLXe_YL-KePTkilsi5nq_4JsnfbeEhisA1G4p0lx5b/s200/Ultimate+Dom.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
For starters, both of my WIPs at the moment haven't reached 77 pages, so I had to go back to <i>Desires of the Soul</i>, which is technically still a WIP because it still needs to be edited by Liz and then fixed by yours truly (probably several more times) before it's considered a done deal.<br />
<br />
I lucked out; this tiny snippet gives you a great snapshot of Dom's charm that Angelica brings out in him.<br />
<br />
So, here's my 7, I hope you enjoy. :)<br />
<br />
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</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<br />
“So what are these powers you have?” he asked. “Just so you know, if they’re greater than mine I’ll probably suffer from severe emasculation issues.”<br /><br />
Angelica laughed. “I have no intentions of ever emasculating you. With my powers or otherwise.”<br /><br />
Suddenly his eyes turned smoky, and he leaned into her. “Good,” he rumbled, just before cupping her face and kissing her breathless. Hours later—no, it was probably only minutes…seconds?—Dominic pulled back and gave her a wicked grin. “You were saying?”<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
*******************************************</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #cc0000; text-align: left;">
Now I tag:</div>
<ol>
<li>Jessa Slade</li>
<li>Abby Niles</li>
<li>Charlotte Stein</li>
<li>Chloe Jacobs</li>
<li>Rachel Harris</li>
<li>Kate Douglas </li>
<li>Cari Quinn</li>
</ol>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04109677382274000163noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827750013790933422.post-73893775187328827962012-03-16T15:20:00.000-04:002012-03-16T15:20:19.075-04:00So there's this guy who reads romance novels...No, this is not the set up to a joke...although I'm sure if I thought about it long enough I could make one up...but that would take away from the fact that there's <i><b style="color: #cc0000;">ACTUALLY A GUY WHO READS ROMANCE NOVELS!</b></i> And I'm proud to say I now call him "friend." And sometimes "fucking nutjob." But mostly the former.<br />
<br />
<b style="color: #cc0000;">His name is Romance Man, or RM for short.</b> But if you're like me and you're not real fond of calling people by initials <i>(like with my friend Lea Ann who also went by LA, but it made me think of the city and it didn't roll off the tongue properly, so I decided to pronounce it Ella, which is how she got her pen name--yay me!)</i> <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">you can call him Remy</span></b>. I'm now 2 for 2 on creating successful nicknames. Let me know if you're in need of a new identity. Apparently I rock at giving them out.<br />
<br />
Anyhoo...<br />
<br />
I found Remy when he did a <a href="http://www.theromanceman.net/reviews/2012/2/15/ride-with-me-by-ruthie-knox.html" style="color: #cc0000;" target="_blank">review of my BFF, Ruthie Knox's debut novel RIDE WITH ME</a>. He totally loved it, by the way, and loved the heroine so much that his wife now goes by the online personality of Lexie, which is the heroine's name in Ruthie's book.<br />
<br />
At any rate, Remy is a total hero in the romance world (pun intended). He's not a literary buff in touch with his feminine side who can relate to the female psychosis. <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">He's ex-Navy, swears like the sailor he is, and is just as naturally insensitive as the next guy.</span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">What I mean to say is, <i>HE'S A REGULAR DUDE</i>!</span><br />
<br />
So why would a regular dude read romance novels? Excellent freaking question. But I'd rather you get <b><a href="http://www.theromanceman.net/about/" style="color: #cc0000;" target="_blank">the story from him here</a></b> because he tells it better than I ever could paraphrasing him. Since he began this strange journey of discovering that romance novels are indeed worth their weight in gold when it comes to understanding the opposite sex, he's blogged almost daily and accrued a group of women followers who eventually named themselves the BBL--Braless Bawdy Ladies.<br />
<br />
Remy has accomplished with his blog something I've only seen with one other blog, ever. <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">He averages over 100 comments per blog post! </span></b>But whereas that other blog I'm referring to has thousands of followers with hundreds of regular commenters, Remy has a lot of lurkers but only about 15 regular commenters. But his topics spur conversations, like an open forum. So these women go back again and again to read the latest comments from the other BBLs and then put in another two cents themselves.<br />
<br />
But these are not boring conversations, nor are they for the timid and meek. Besides the obvious cursing, words like pussy and cock are thrown around occasionally. Okay, maybe more than just occasionally. <b style="color: #cc0000;">And a lot of these women are my mother's age who are discussing things like sex, blow jobs, and bedazzled vaginas.</b> They're fearless in their candid openness with the rest of the online group. It's a place where they can remain anonymous or take on an identity like Lady Godiva, Vibrating Vixen, or New York Girl, and discuss things that are normally too taboo to ask even their closest friends without getting strange looks.<br />
<br />
And the best part? <i><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Getting a guy's point of view in the mix!</span></b></i> And what's even better than that? Getting the guy's <i>wife's</i> point of view on things! Lexie doesn't pop in often (we're trying to change that), but when she does, it's a real treat. One night she gave her husband the acronym nickname of NGL, which stood for Not Getting Laid because he was in the doghouse for something. We all thought it was hysterical. Him? Not so much. LOL<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>To give you an idea of his topics, here are some post titles:</b></i></span><br />
<ul>
<li style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://www.theromanceman.net/blog/2012/2/12/why-cant-i-stare-at-your-breasts.html">WHY CAN'T I STARE AT YOUR BREASTS</a></li>
<li style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://www.theromanceman.net/blog/2012/2/18/things-my-wife-has-said-to-me-during-sex.html">THINGS MY WIFE HAS SAID TO ME DURING SEX</a></li>
<li style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://www.theromanceman.net/blog/2012/2/22/how-to-please-your-woman-every-time-and-get-laid-whenever-yo.html">HOW TO PLEASE YOUR WOMAN EVERY TIME AND GET LAID WHENEVER YOU WANT</a></li>
<li style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://www.theromanceman.net/blog/2012/2/25/how-not-to-be-romantic.html">HOW NOT TO BE ROMANTIC</a></li>
<li style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://www.theromanceman.net/blog/2012/2/28/blow-jobs-and-things-that-keep-me-up-at-night.html">BLOW JOBS AND THINGS THAT KEEP ME UP AT NIGHT</a></li>
<li style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://www.theromanceman.net/blog/2012/3/2/women-who-read-romance-novels-arent-stupid-except-for-one-i.html">WOMEN WHO READ ROMANCE NOVELS AREN'T STUPID, EXCEPT FOR ONE I MET YESTERDAY</a></li>
<li style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://www.theromanceman.net/blog/2012/3/9/the-road-to-no-orgasms-is-paved-with-fake-orgasms.html">THE ROAD TO NO ORGASMS IS PAVED WITH FAKE ORGASMS</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.theromanceman.net/blog/2012/3/5/an-old-book-a-new-friend-a-new-book-and-a-possible-mistake.html" style="color: #cc0000;">AN OLD BOOK, A NEW FRIEND, A NEW BOOK AND A POSSIBLE MISTAKE</a><span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span><i>(this one is about me and my book, Desires of the Soul) </i></li>
</ul>
<br />
And those are only a handful of the posts he has in his <b style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://www.theromanceman.net/blog-archive/" target="_blank">BLOG ARCHIVES</a></b>. I highly recommend you go and check some of them out. And if you're really brave--and have literally hours with nothing better to do--you can read through the comments as well. Sometimes they're just as funny as the post itself.<br />
<br />
For those who are interested in Remy's specific thoughts on the books he and his wife read (they now read together at night, which has brought them closer together both in and out of the bedroom), he has a <b><a href="http://www.theromanceman.net/reviews/" style="color: #cc0000;" target="_blank">REVIEW PAGE</a></b>.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">What Remy is doing is nothing short of amazing for those of us in the romance world, whether we're readers or writers.</span></b> I, for one, am extremely thankful to have found him and gained his (and Lexie's) friendship. I predict it won't be long before he goes completely viral. His readership grows every week. Pretty soon me and the rest of the BBL will have to share him with the rest of the world. But for right now, we're enjoying the hell out of our little group. I guarantee if you read his stuff, you'll be wanting BBL membership in no time. So come on over and join the party. We'd love to have you. :)<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj33GN5BlpPVVUAaEJ_A487La3at2412hR3f3y3EF4Y4ucPcG-C_3ABbX5izoBO8N7jWppzviI9ygZXNWOZXzCJrEkySmsr_I1NVbRvA5oZ95tKyb26Vrcn0K4L5R0AQHGVhAr4Iu01w7zC/s1600/SUP.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj33GN5BlpPVVUAaEJ_A487La3at2412hR3f3y3EF4Y4ucPcG-C_3ABbX5izoBO8N7jWppzviI9ygZXNWOZXzCJrEkySmsr_I1NVbRvA5oZ95tKyb26Vrcn0K4L5R0AQHGVhAr4Iu01w7zC/s320/SUP.JPG" style="color: #cc0000;" width="258" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: red;">Romance Man... </span></span></b></i></span><br />
<br />
<div style="color: blue;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span>Able to read an entire book without turning the page (I have an e-reader). </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="color: red;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span>Can easily identify cheesy romance
cliches, such as "they hate each other so much that they end up ripping
each other's clothes off."</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="color: blue;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span>Understands the phrase "throbbing love muscle."</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="color: red;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span>Manly enough to admit he reads romance novels and has an anonymous blog to prove it</span>.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04109677382274000163noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827750013790933422.post-56018099883776548362012-03-07T12:47:00.001-05:002012-03-08T02:44:16.307-05:00IT FINALLY HAPPENED: I'M A CONTRACTED AUTHOR!!!<div style="color: #cc0000; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-size: x-large;">That's right, friends, your eyes doth not deceive you!</span> </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(Why did I switch to Shakespearean?)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The amazing and taking-the-industry-by-storm publishing house,<br /><a href="http://www.entangledpublishing.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Entangled Publishing</span></b></a>, has contracted me for a 3-BOOK DEAL with my<br />paranormal romance trilogy, <a href="http://gina-maxwell.blogspot.com/p/quickie-updates.html" target="_blank"><i style="color: #cc0000;">Prophesy of Souls</i></a>! SQUEEEEE!!</span></div>
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Liz Pelletier, co-founder of and senior editor at Entangled Publishing is my new editor. <i>(OMG, I have "an editor!")</i> She's one of the best in the business and when I <strike>interrogated</strike> politely questioned several of her authors, they had nothing but glowing remarks of both Liz and her company. I'm so confident I found the right home for my books, as well as myself, with Entangled. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">And though writing is my passion, and now my livelihood, I cannot properly<br />articulate how incredibly <u><i>blissed-out</i></u> I am right now.</span></b></span></div>
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The first book in the trilogy, <b style="color: #cc0000;">Desires of the Soul</b>, will be part of their Entangled Select line, targeted for release in June 2013 in both digital format and MASS MARKET PAPERBACK!!! Sorry, I had to put that in all caps because I truly thought I'd never see my books on the shelf of a Barnes & Noble (my favorite store in all the world), and now I've been handed that dream in triplicate wrapped in a very pretty contract. :)</div>
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But wait! The Good News Train doesn't stop there! <b style="color: #cc0000;">Liz has asked me to write a contemporary romance for their Indulgence line to be released in digital format THIS SUMMER!</b> I'm so excited about this. Yesterday I brainstormed with one of my BFFs and favorite authors, <a href="http://www.ruthieknox.com/" target="_blank">Ruthie Knox</a>, and I think we came up with a premise that totally rocks! Incidentally, when I emailed the "back cover blurb" to Liz, she was freaking ecstatic and actually put "Gimme gimme gimme gimme!" in her response. LOL</div>
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I will keep all of you apprised of any news as it happens. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to those of you who have been with me on this blog from the beginning. And also sincere thanks to those of you who have just found me and plan on sticking around to follow me on this fantastic journey. Until next time...</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Ciao, bellas!</b></i></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04109677382274000163noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827750013790933422.post-67886309454494023192012-02-29T01:40:00.000-05:002012-02-29T01:40:18.051-05:00A Writer's Guide to Avoiding Salesman Molestation: Part I<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxjUg8PrFZiB4-ED-TPulSnjXpVdbhiVMVPpnP4qo_SPdWww3G7F_6TR66BAKi86utCxKAp4eD9L10rDaLoLZnjcmxKzZpawCgyyH2H69ePRLUaFwgQI_QRl9vQ46BzrjVWTYTx3AJ3_LH/s1600/salesman-cartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="449" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxjUg8PrFZiB4-ED-TPulSnjXpVdbhiVMVPpnP4qo_SPdWww3G7F_6TR66BAKi86utCxKAp4eD9L10rDaLoLZnjcmxKzZpawCgyyH2H69ePRLUaFwgQI_QRl9vQ46BzrjVWTYTx3AJ3_LH/s640/salesman-cartoon.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">Today I was in Walmart when a young gentleman still ten yards away looked at me and said in an overly friendly voice, "Hello, ma'am, how are you today?"<br />To which I sighed and mumbled, "Aw, shit."</span></i></b></div>
<br />
It's true the people down here in Texas are way friendlier than those in the north, but they're not <i>that</i> damn friendly. I wasn't even in his Social Zone yet, which can only mean one thing: he wants something, and that something is invariably going to take up my time and his, and we're both going to be disappointed in the end. These salespeople work on commission, making them like pit bulls with their jaws clamped on your meaty calf.<br />
<br />
Here's how the rest of the conversation went, and picture me slowly pushing my cart away from him as I try my best to shake the dog loose in the nicest of ways.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Him: May I ask if you have satellite or cable TV?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Me: [glancing at the table behind him with a DirecTV sign on it & becoming instantly optimistic I can get out of this quickly] Oh, sorry, we rent our house so we can't get satellite TV.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Him: The owners won't let you mount a dish?</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Me: Nope! Sorry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Him: Well, that's okay, because we can just use a tripod.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Me: Well, my husband makes all the decisions on things like this, so you'd have to talk to him. (I use this excuse all the time.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Him: That's not a problem, we can call him right now and talk to him.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Me: [now walking backward as I continue to push my cart away from him] Can't. He's at work. [shoulder shrug that says <i>Whaddaya gonna do?</i>]</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Him: Okay, what time does he get off of work?</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Me: Next...year? (Yes, I phrased it as a question.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Him: Next--Oh, I see. Have a good day then.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Me: [apologetic smile] You too.</span><br />
<br />
Was that not ridiculous? Sometimes I hate that I can't just ignore them and walk away guilt free. I even let telemarketers go through their schpiel before telling them no. After all, I understand that it's their job to be annoying. I can't bring myself to say "kiss off" when they're just trying to make a living. <span style="color: #cc0000;">(Plus, what if I'm super mean to a telemarketer and they're already in a really volatile position in their life and my rudeness and lack of respect is the last straw and they end up on a fast downward spiral until they end up going completely postal and taking out a bunch of innocent people kind of like Michael Douglas in that movie Falling Down?! I don't want that on my record when I have my chat with Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates.)</span><br />
<br />
Later I was thinking of all the things I could've said right off the bat to shut him down quicker, still without being rude. I mean, I'm a writer for chrissakes, I should be able to spin a tiny yarn or two to get me out of uncomfortable situations, shouldn't I? The problem is, I'm the least witty person off the top of my head. Unless I can think about it and rehearse ahead of time, I'm useless when it comes to lying.<br />
<br />
So, I've decided to come up with a few elaborate lies that will hopefully stop these people in their tracks. They're trained on how to come back from almost anything (as you can see from the above conversation) so <span style="color: #cc0000;">I need to do one of two things: say something that covers every possible base so they don't have anything else to toss back at me, or say something so outrageous that it stuns them for at least a good two seconds so I can make my getaway.</span><br />
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In Part II I'm going to let you know a few that I come up with. What about you? Do you have a funny or crazy story about being molested by a salesman? Have you ever told them something crazy to get them to leave you alone? Share it in the comments!<br />
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<i><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Ciao, bellas!</span></span></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04109677382274000163noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827750013790933422.post-42933475382320701152012-02-22T11:13:00.001-05:002012-02-22T11:14:25.512-05:00Wee-Bit Wednesday: Pizza & Beer Edition<div style="text-align: left;">
Hello, faithful followers and newcomers alike! Welcome to <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Wee-Bit Wednesday</span></b> where I share just a wee-bit of my current WIP (work in progress), which according to that super obnoxious heart on the right is the third book in my <i style="color: #cc0000;">Prophecy of Souls</i> trilogy, <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">SOUL SEDUCTION</span></b>. I'm pretty much giving you snippets from each scene, which is like getting snapshots of the whole book!</div>
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If you'd like to get caught up with how Gabriel and Ava met (and how she drives him crazy) check out these past WBWs:</div>
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<li><b><a href="http://gina-maxwell.blogspot.com/2011/07/wee-bit-wednesdays-are-back.html" target="_blank">Desert Walker Edition</a></b></li>
<li><b><a href="http://gina-maxwell.blogspot.com/2012/01/wee-bit-wednesday-calendar-guy-edition.html" target="_blank">Calendar Guy Edition</a></b></li>
<li><b><a href="http://gina-maxwell.blogspot.com/2012/01/wee-bit-wednesday-eye-orgasm-edition.html" target="_blank">Eye Orgasm Edition</a></b></li>
<li><b><a href="http://gina-maxwell.blogspot.com/2012/02/wee-bit-wednesday-pussy-cat-edition.html" target="_blank">Pussy Cat Edition</a></b></li>
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And now for this week's edition! </div>
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<b style="color: #351c75;"># # # </b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHz_VNVlF6IG4fcR_Qc0xHsWe-ObFqb-Hf3hquNe95oSfmiLZUtVr3D7hxiYg3S8I3MRI2R-0V2FNRbJkk2CwZQr8h95e2iAP8eVj3MZdfkcqz7W07p9G5Tlyu3Td7_-wn20J4Q5RSdezC/s1600/Maxine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHz_VNVlF6IG4fcR_Qc0xHsWe-ObFqb-Hf3hquNe95oSfmiLZUtVr3D7hxiYg3S8I3MRI2R-0V2FNRbJkk2CwZQr8h95e2iAP8eVj3MZdfkcqz7W07p9G5Tlyu3Td7_-wn20J4Q5RSdezC/s320/Maxine.jpg" width="250" /></a>A half hour later, Gabriel and Ava were eating frozen pizzas in his living room. When they’d arrived back at the shop, he’d been about to show her to her room for the night when her stomach growled. Against his better judgment, he invited her in for a quick meal. Apparently his guilt from earlier hadn’t been assuaged with taking on her lodging and mechanical problems <i>pro bono</i>.<br />
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“Oh, wow,” she mumbled around a mouth full of cheese and sausage. “This is so fantastic. Seriously. Like, the best food ever.”<br />
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Gabriel lifted his bottle of beer and took a swig before setting it back on the coffee table. “Considering you’re eating generic frozen pizza that I damn near burned, I think it’s safe to say you have very low standards.”<br />
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A saucy grin curved up one corner of her mouth. “Low standards are one of my best qualities, Gabe.”<br />
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He watched in amazement as she picked up her fifth piece and tucked into it with all the appreciation of a starving food critic at a five-star restaurant. The subsequent moans, however, reminded him of an entirely different activity and had him leaning forward in his seat to hide the reaction between his legs.<br />
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“So,” she said between bites, “how long have you been out here? You did a really great job with this place. I was surprised when we walked in.”<br />
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“Ava,” he said as a warning.<br />
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“I know, you don’t want to get personal, but come on. After my car’s fixed tomorrow you’ll never have to see me again.”<br />
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“It’s not a good idea. You don’t want to get mixed up in my world.”<br />
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“Yeah, the world of Isolated Desert Mechanic seems really treacherous,” she snorted. When he didn’t take the opportunity to explain, she added more seriously, “Come on, I’m not trying to get mixed up in anything. I’m just looking for some friendly conversation and short-term companionship.”<br />
Companionship. Did he even know what that was anymore? Just the thought made him drain the rest of his beer.<br />
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Ava placed what was left of her pizza on the cardboard circle and looked him in the eye. There was a certain vulnerability in those golden eyes he hadn’t seen before. “Believe it or not, I don’t usually get the opportunity to make friends either. As you’ve already guessed, most of my relationships with people are based on lies in order to get out of them what I need to keep going. I don’t like it, but it’s a necessary evil for me, and I’ve come to accept that.<br />
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“But it would be really nice, if for one night, I could get to know someone simply because I find him interesting and good company.” A half-smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “Despite his surly tendencies.”<br />
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That had him grinning, just a little, and Gabriel knew he could no longer deny her this small slice of normalcy. Hell, maybe he couldn’t deny himself either. He nodded once then said, “On one condition. We keep any information that would be on a birth certificate or legal record of any kind out of it.”<br />
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Ava winked and gave him a smile worthy of a Miss America pageant. “So, how long did you say you’ve been here?”<br />
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You gotta love Ava. The way she manipulates Gabriel is so much fun to watch. Tune in next week when things start to heat up in the desert. ;)</div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Ciao, bellas!</span></b></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04109677382274000163noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827750013790933422.post-81328357134725099872012-02-14T07:35:00.001-05:002012-02-24T14:23:03.737-05:00V-Day Review: DOUBLED by Charlotte Stein ~ 5 of 5 stars!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;">Book Stats:</span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><br />
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<li><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Genre: Erotic Romance</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Steam Level: </span></span>Ménage<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"> (m/f/m) </span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Length: Short Novel (88 pgs)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Publisher: Ellora's Cave</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Publisher Line: Moderne </span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Book Type: Ebook</span> </li>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;">Book Blurb:</span><br />
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<div class="productDescriptionWrapper">
Bobbi has been friends with the Hoffman twins for one long, glorious
year. They’re sweet, funny and kind, but there’s a problem…they’re also
hotness personified. Times two. And when they lure her into a kinky
little game involving a blindfold and some rather unexpected fondling,
she finds them much harder to resist than she’d imagined.It seems they
want to be something other than just good friends. They want a hot,
steamy ménage, and all Bobbi has to do is decide if she’s up to the
challenge. One big, gorgeous guy is enough for her.Two might be more
than she can handle…</div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">My Review:</span></span><br />
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Before I begin, can we just gush about this cover for a second? The more I look at it, the more I love it. <span style="font-size: small;"><i></i></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-size: small;">I love the font of the title and how its mirror-image is below it, playing on the word's meaning.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">The female model is a total Doppelganger for Christina Ricci and just has a classic beauty to her that makes her sexy and alluring.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">The twins in the book are swimmers</span>--as in, swim team swimmers--and I really appreciate that Ellora's Cave kept that in mind and went with these two "hotties with the swimmer bodies" and not the typical "beefy-boys" gracing most of the genre's covers <i><span style="font-size: small;">(Note: I am NOT knocking the "beefy-boys." I happen to love them just as much as the toned and streamlined.)</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></i></li>
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">The cover alone gets 4.5 stars of 5!</span></b> <span style="font-size: small;"><i>(The
only reason I've deducted a half-point is because I'd prefer for the
one twin to be mostly-headless like the other one. That's how I like my
cover models because the eyes make a man too specific, so I like them
shown only from the nose down.) </i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">So I say "Bravo, Ellora's Cave" on a great cover, which we all know is so crucial to our stories.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And now on to the review!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">I think my favorite part about this book is Bobbi's internal dialogue. Stein does such an amazing job making Bobbi a down-to-earth character we can love and adding in an awesome sense of humor. The book grabs you immediately with Bobbi guessing correctly--and very nonchalantly--which twin is which after they've secretly switched clothes and hairstyles during their weekly poker game. She's the only one who can <i>always </i>tell them apart, and it both intrigues and baffles them.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">"I think you could come out of there naked with Twizzlers up your<br /> asses and I'd still know who is who." ~ Bobbi to a frustrated Sebastian</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: black;">But it also frustrates the hell out of Sebastian and as he <i>hates </i>losing at anything, insists on trying things to see if she can still tell, until it eventually leads to Bobbi being blindfolded to see if she can guess when she only has her sense of touch to rely on...which is when things get interesting real quick. ;)</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">In any book with twins, the personalities are going to be vastly different. Only an idiot would write about two people who are essentially the same person. <b style="color: #0b5394;">But what I absolutely loved about these boys is how their personalities completely reverse in the bedroom.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Ordinarily, Sebastian is the twin who takes center stage with Tobias following comfortably behind. Not that Tobe is a wuss who needs his brother to forge ahead for him. Not at all. He just prefers to hang back and observe, until such time he needs to step in and check his brother when Seb gets a little too blunt or over-eager (which Tobe feels is often).</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><i><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: large;">"We want to make love your brains out." ~ Sebastian to<br />Bobbi after Tobias tells him not to 'fuck-talk' her.</span></span></i> </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">However, once they get into the bedroom, Bobbi discovers new things about her best friends that she'd never known. Like how Sebastian loves to draw things out and tease his lovers until they're ready to explode, whereas Tobias is more hungry and aggressive like a starved tiger who's just been thrown a steak.</span></div>
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<div style="color: #cc0000; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black;">But this is not only a book with amazingly great sex in it. It also brings a new dynamic to the male/female/male menage scenario that's very real and very <i>human</i>. <b><span style="color: #0b5394;">This relationship is NOT formed out of some base need to get college-kinky, or a crazy bet or experiment gone wonderful.</span></b> In fact, of all the m/f/m books I've read (and I've read a LOT) this is the ONLY story where the guys haven't done a threesome before. In every other book (of the ones I've personally read) threesomes are old hat to the guys. There are of course different reasons as to why (which could be an entire post all on its own), but the point is, they've done it more times than they can count.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;">Their first night of fooling around is a result of the number two reason people hook up spontaneously: classic Heat of the Moment</span> (with the number one reason being alcohol)* We've all been there. <b><span style="color: #0b5394;">You reach that place where Reality takes a back seat in the stretch limo (cuz it's waaaaaaaay back there) and oh, looky, Fantasy is riding shotgun and he's throwing Rules right out the damn window. </span></b><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: black;">Stein is great at showing Bobbi's conscience pop up often to poke her and basically say, "</span></span>Girl, what in the eff are you thinking?!" which adds that humor I mentioned earlier.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Of course she'd occasionally thought of them since, in a halfhearted </span></span></i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">wouldn't it be nice if they accidentally rammed into one of my boobs</span></span><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"> sort of way, but nothing with this intensity. ~ Bobbi on her feelings for the twins</span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #cc0000; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">Steamy sex aside, I adored the inside look we get of Bobbi's struggle with coming to terms of what a permanent relationship with the twins means and how she'll handle it when people find out about their unconventional trio. <b style="color: #0b5394;">And even though the book is told strictly from Bobbi's POV, Stein does an excellent job at showing us where the twins are coming from and what motivates them to take a chance on starting the whole shebang in the first place.</b> It absolutely broke my heart when Tobias quietly states, "I wish we were one person," during one of the glimpses we get of their predicament of being so identical and yet so different, causing them to put the woman they love in an uncomfortable situation within society.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">In conclusion, <b style="color: #cc0000;">I read this book twice and eagerly give it 5 of 5 stars.</b> It has all the usual qualities of a great read--relateable </span></span>characters, realistic motivation, internal conflict, and steamy sex--plus a snarky heroine, witty twin banter, and rev-your-engine dirty talk. Run, don't walk, and get your very own copy. I guarantee you won't be sorry.**</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.jasminejade.com/p-9858-doubled.aspx" target="_blank">Click here to buy it at Ellora's Cave and view awesome excerpt!</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">or</span></span></div>
<div style="color: #cc0000; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Doubled-ebook/dp/B006X0JUNO/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1326478833&sr=1-2" style="color: #cc0000;" target="_blank">Click here to buy it at Amazon and shoot it straight to your Kindle!</a></span> </span></div>
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</div>
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* This is not based on actual facts, but rather a quick assumption made at 4am as I write this.</div>
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** This guarantee is not actually backed up by anything. If for some insane reason you <i>are </i>sorry you purchased your own copy of DOUBLED, we probably can't be friends anymore. (Just sayin') </div>
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3PM1a2R0Guenuy-6kBk-bxSszizt3WhOwMmVYnrIrWGkmOmPR8VI8hHXi2mYT9gMzvl5e6yEMtHr7DnPl_TB3oY5YmZaSig_zBvoliPfZ-7gFiXMmE1WT3rS_n9G5h_SIVqte7r7ilQLm/s1600/Char.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="76" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3PM1a2R0Guenuy-6kBk-bxSszizt3WhOwMmVYnrIrWGkmOmPR8VI8hHXi2mYT9gMzvl5e6yEMtHr7DnPl_TB3oY5YmZaSig_zBvoliPfZ-7gFiXMmE1WT3rS_n9G5h_SIVqte7r7ilQLm/s200/Char.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="color: black; text-align: left;">
Charlotte Stein has written over thirty short stories, novellas and
novels, including entries in The Mammoth Book of Hot Romance and Best
New Erotica 10. Her collection of short stories was named one of the
best erotic romances of 2009 by Michelle Buonfiglio, and her first
novel, Control, was recently called "...a non-stop crazy hot sex book".
When not writing non-stop crazy hot sex books, she can be found eating
jelly turtles, watching terrible sitcoms and occasionally lusting after
hunks. She lives in West Yorkshire with her husband and their imaginary
dog, and can be found here: <a href="http://www.themightycharlottestein.blogspot.com/">www.themightycharlottestein.blogspot.com</a></div>
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04109677382274000163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827750013790933422.post-66744683946777687792012-02-13T00:01:00.000-05:002012-02-13T00:01:02.524-05:00Happy Release Day, Ruthie Knox!!!<div style="color: #cc0000; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">I cannot tell you how <i><b>excited</b></i> I am to promote the<br />debut release of one my all-time favorite people, Ruthie Knox.</span></div>
<br />
I met Ruthie early last year in the Romance Junkies writing contest we had both entered. After reading her entry, <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">I totally fan-girled her</span></b> on my comment sheet (the first round was judged by romance readers and the other contestants) and gave her my email address in case she ever wanted to chat about writing.<br />
<br />
Imagine my surprise when she actually emailed me as opposed to thinking I was a total nut job! <i>(I totally fooled her. heh heh heh)</i> I'm happy to say we became fast friends. I've done some beta reading for her (mostly I just gush about how great her stuff is) and she's taught me so much, like:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;">How to use "urtext" in a sentence</span></li>
<li style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: large;">How to properly place a comma</span></li>
<li style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: large;">How to cut 10K+ words from my manuscript.</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="color: #cc0000; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div style="color: #cc0000; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">In short, she's a genius.</span></div>
<br />
But the real purpose of this post is not for me to go on and on about how totally orsum she is. It's to <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">give you a taste of her contemporary romance, </span><i style="color: #cc0000;">Ride with Me</i></b>. This is the book that she entered the RJ contest with (and won 1st place, btw) which made me all ga-ga for her. Below you can read the first chapter and at the end you can click on one of the icons to <u>purchase your very own copy for a mere $2.99. </u><br />
<br />
<div style="color: #cc0000; text-align: center;">
<b>That's less than a Happy Meal, and <i>Ride with Me</i> won't clog your arteries. Such a deal!</b></div>
<br />
If you missed my interview with Tom, the hero from this book, you can check it out <b style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://gina-maxwell.blogspot.com/2012/01/interview-with-hot-biker.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></b>. I absolutely love Tom. He's grouchy and supah-haht. LOL<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #cc0000;">
<b>Okay, without further ado, I give you <i>Ride with Me</i>, by the wonderful Ruthie Knox...</b> </div>
<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/77961504/Scribd-Ride-With-Me-Excerpt-by-author-Ruthie-Knox" style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px auto; text-decoration: underline;" title="View Scribd.Ride With Me Excerpt - by author Ruthie Knox on Scribd">Scribd.Ride With Me Excerpt - by author Ruthie Knox</a><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.772727272727273" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_28530" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/77961504/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list&access_key=key-14gp54p53r667mvvx12m" width="100%"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">
(function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "http://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })();
</script><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i style="color: #cc0000;">Happy Release Day, Ruthie!</i><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">(I totes love you!</span></span>)</i></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04109677382274000163noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827750013790933422.post-64389263967799407742012-02-08T10:26:00.002-05:002012-02-12T21:15:54.315-05:00Wee-Bit Wednesday: Pussy Cat EditionHi everyone! Sorry I've been a tad M.I.A. lately, but I've been busy moving across the country. <b style="color: #0b5394;">I now reside in sunny San Antonio, Texas!</b> So, I might a little discombobulated for a while <i>(how long can I get away with using the move as an excuse for being flighty?)</i> as I try to get us settled in and back to a routine.<br />
<br />
I debated on whether to post a Wee-Bit today, but my Twitter friend, <b><a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/serenabellbooks" style="color: #cc0000;" target="_blank">Serena Bell</a></b>, encouraged me to share, so here it is. (You can catch the previous snippets of my WIPs <b><a href="http://gina-maxwell.blogspot.com/search/label/Wee-Bit%20Wednesday" style="color: #cc0000;" target="_blank">here</a></b>.) In this excerpt, Gabriel has driven Ava to her broken-down 1970 Barracuda on a stretch of desert road. She fell asleep on the ride over, and when they get there, Gabriel sees a gigantic cat lounging inside her car. Ruh-roh!<br />
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# # #</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNRgbkJhTsY1qnIaZgVJgR2vVmZez0xaQ1P_BxcRsm-QP1PcX7MTecbf4OvSPTtOGAs2xPbNah2CstmxvIhJKrEDLNkj0PbLtUNii_zUyKy2fIveqpjin5fjhTvwfW6SFtXy3VNIiNe7aA/s1600/Uma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNRgbkJhTsY1qnIaZgVJgR2vVmZez0xaQ1P_BxcRsm-QP1PcX7MTecbf4OvSPTtOGAs2xPbNah2CstmxvIhJKrEDLNkj0PbLtUNii_zUyKy2fIveqpjin5fjhTvwfW6SFtXy3VNIiNe7aA/s320/Uma.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uma Purrman: Ava's pet kitty</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
“Here kitty, kitty, kitty,” he called. “Be a good boy and get out of the car. It’d be a shame to ruin something as beautiful as that.” Adrenaline raced through his veins and his heart beat a rapid tattoo as the big cat leapt through the open window and landed soundlessly in the dirt.<br />
<br />
“Gabe, what’s going on?”<br />
<br />
Trying not to react to Ava’s sexy sleep-induced voice, he gave her a soft order. “Ava, don’t move. Stay right where you are.”<br />
<br />
As expected, she didn’t listen to a damn thing he said, choosing to sit up in her seat instead. Great, that’s all he needed: a hysterical woman. He hoped she didn’t scream.<br />
<br />
“Gabe,” she said in a careful tone, like she was trying to talk him down from a ledge. “Put the gun down. You’re going to make him mad.”<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
On cue, the cougar growled low in his throat and lowered its body several inches. Fuck. “No offense, but I’ve dealt with them before. Most of the time they’ll run off, but in case he decides I’m dinner, I think I’ll leave my gun right where it is.”<br />
<br />
“No,” she said more forcefully, “you won’t. Put it down, or I step in front of it.”<br />
<br />
He’d heard of animal activists doing some crazy shit, but putting yourself in the line of fire to protect something that would eat you as soon as look at you was insanity. He cut his eyes over to hers, trying to gauge just how serious she was. Damn. Real serious if the fire in those golden eyes told him anything.<br />
<br />
“Gabriel!”<br />
<br />
That got his attention. He swiveled his head to look her dead in the eye. “He was in your car. He probably ate your cat.”<br />
<br />
Ava set her jaw and clenched her fists. “That <i>is </i>my cat, and if you kill him, it’s going to put a serious strain on this new friendship of ours, so put the damn gun <i>down</i>.”<br />
<br />
Dumbfounded, Gabriel lowered the rifle to his side and swung a finger in the cat’s direction. “<i>That</i> is Uma Purrman? That gigantic man-eater is your pet?”<br />
<br />
She climbed over the driver’s seat and hopped out of the truck smiling up at him. A few seconds ago, she’d been almost shaking with her frustration toward him, but lowering the gun as she’d asked had acted like a breeze blowing over footprints in the sand, erasing her anger as if it never existed. “Isn’t he gorgeous?”<br />
<br />
“He’s a <i>cougar</i>.”<br />
<br />
“Yes, also known as a mountain lion, mountain cat, catamount, panther, or <i>puma</i>,” she said with a look of pride before walking toward the two hundred pound beast. “C’mere, Uma, baby.”<br />
<br />
Gabriel watched with mouth slightly agape as the woman dropped to her haunches to welcome the advancing cat in her arms. Uma the puma—and didn’t that just figure that’s what she’d named it—rubbed his face on hers as he purred his contentment at Ava’s return. But his keen eyes never left Gabriel’s, nor did Gabriel take his gaze off the cat. It was as though they were both wary of the other harming the female between them at any moment.<br />
<br />
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Thanks for stopping by, kids! I hope you'll come back soon. :)</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-large;">Ciao, bellas! </span></i></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04109677382274000163noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827750013790933422.post-8019843182533420962012-01-31T11:21:00.000-05:002012-02-12T21:14:57.845-05:00Interview with a Hot Biker<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDKrCaSqKJOGD3J2Ow5qp2hwait4Ve65U3aCRL8c8MDGcNIhsYBeMjEq8acAuk1jTi1xPBQATVW4AUaNqQYXwSVcZk1BoT9wneuI7BLWM3N_3p5368ieZcL9zD_GyAjcaVmgfvImxteekH/s1600/RWMCover.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDKrCaSqKJOGD3J2Ow5qp2hwait4Ve65U3aCRL8c8MDGcNIhsYBeMjEq8acAuk1jTi1xPBQATVW4AUaNqQYXwSVcZk1BoT9wneuI7BLWM3N_3p5368ieZcL9zD_GyAjcaVmgfvImxteekH/s320/RWMCover.png" width="219" /></a></div>
I am so excited to share my interview with the smokin' hot bicyclist extraordinaire, Tom Geiger. Tom is the hero in <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/book/218035/ride-with-me-by-ruthie-knox" target="_blank"><i>Ride with Me</i></a>, an original romance by the incomparable Ruthie Knox, about a cross-country bike adventure that takes a detour into unexplored passion. As readers will discover, <i>Ride with Me </i>is NOT about the bike!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I hope you enjoy this sneak peek at Tom's amazing <strike>abs</strike> personality.</span><span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;">**Make sure you read all the way to the end to find out how you can win your very own copy of </span><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Ride with Me.**</span> </i><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">GLM: Tom, thank you so much for taking the time to
join us here at Passions on Paper. I know you're busy with your new bike tour
business up in Oregon, and I'm sure things are crazier than usual with all the
publicity your story is getting due to Ruthie's book coming out next month.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">TG: Thanks, Gina. Yeah, it's been
intense. I never really expected the book to be that, ah, lewd. Probably
wouldn't have agreed to it if Ruthie had told me what she had in mind. I
figured she was just doing a piece for some bike magazine.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">GLM: Believe me, we're all extremely glad for your
ignorance. RIDE WITH ME is as hot as they come! I should know. I've read it
several times already, and I'm sure those won't be the last. There's just
something about all that hot tent sex...[fans face & clears throat] But I'm
getting ahead of myself. In the beginning, your relationship with Lexie didn't
start out with much heat, did it?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">TG: No, and that was my fault. I
was pretty much a dick to her. She didn't talk to me for three days. [Tom
smiles.] Stubborn woman. She came around, though. I just had to apply some
heat.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">GLM: Speaking of heat, my favorite scene in the
whole book is the hot sauce contest, which Lexie instigates in an attempt
to win the days-long silent treatment war. What was going through your head
when you figured out what she was doing?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">TG: At first I was just shocked.
I'd been riding with the woman for three days, and this was the first sign I'd
seen that she had a humorous bone in her body.<br />
<br />
After that . . . well, she was something to watch. I've never seen anybody so
completely determined to win. I got a huge kick out of watching her struggle
not to show how bad some of those hot sauces were killing her. And I guess that
was the first time I realized, "Christ, if that woman weren't already
somebody's wife, she could cause you some serious trouble." [Tom chuckles
and rubs the back of his hand over his mouth.]</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">GLM: [mutters under breath...] I'd sure like to cause you
some serious trouble...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">TG: What was that?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">GLM: Hm? Oh, um, I was saying that you mentioned Lexie
being someone's wife, but she was never actually married, was she? Tell us why
you thought otherwise and how that affected you as the days went on in the
tour.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">TG: She told me she was married. That was my
fault, too, actually. [Tom shakes his head] Man, I really got off on the wrong
foot with her that first morning in Seaside. I'm not even going to tell you
what I said. It was that bad. Let's just agree that the lie had good justification
-- for the first thousand miles or so.<br />
<br />
How did it affect me? I'd love to tell you I kept my distance and kept my hands
off her. I sure as hell tried. For the most part, I succeeded, but after a
while I just had to get away from the woman. I found her somebody else to ride
with and took off like a shot.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">GLM: Don't feel too bad, Tom. You ended up making things
right, and your morals are one of the things that make you so attractive. You
know, morals and...[rakes gaze over mega-hot body clad in cargo shorts and
faded black Nirvana t-shirt]...other stuff.<br />
<br />
Okay, so let's get to know a little more about you. How do you unwind after a
hard day on the trails?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">TG: The usual stuff. You know, get
cleaned up, drink a beer, read a book. Tinker with the bikes, if they need
cleaning or adjusting. When Lexie and I are touring, one of us has to set up
the tents and cook dinner, and there's laundry to do, so there's not a ton of
down time. But what we've got, we just spend hanging out. Talking, looking at
the stars. Sometimes we go to bed a little early. [Tom winks.]</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">GLM: Ohdearlord. [blushes at Tom's throaty chuckle] Uh,
where was I...[looks at notes] Ah, okay. Tell us where your dream place to tour
with Lexie would be and one thing you'd love to experience while there.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">TG: Oh, man. Good question. There's so
many good places. I think Mongolia would be cool. I read this article once by a
woman who flew to Siberia with her bike and rode all the way through Mongolia,
China, and Vietnam. Mongolia sounds amazing -- lots of wide-open space, riding
through open country. No roads, even, so we're talking really remote. And in
the book, this woman stayed with a different Mongolian family in their yurt
every night. It's a hospitality culture, you know? So the Mongolian people
considered it an honor, and they'd roll out the red carpet and share what they
had. I think something like that would be incredible, just getting that deep
into a culture that was so different from ours.<br />
<br />
[scratches his head]<br />
<br />
Come to think of it, Lexie will probably nip that fantasy right in the bud.
Let's say Italy instead. I bet I could talk her into Italy, easy. Tuscany in
the summertime would be pretty incredible.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">GLM: As interesting as a trip through Mongolia sounds,
I'd have to side with Lexie on your idea of biking through Tuscany in the
summertime. And if that trip should ever come to pass, I sincerely hope you'll
let Ruthie write about your adventures. She's certainly done your first saga
justice, as the rest of the world will soon find out! I have no doubt your
little start-up operation in Oregon will gain a surge in customers after the
release of Ride With Me. I hope Lexie's prepared for her man to have drooling,
spandex-clad groupies biking after him.<br />
<br />
[laughs at Tom's brief deer-in-the-headlights look]<br />
<br />
Tom, it's been an absolute pleasure meeting you. Thank you so much for stopping
by. Lexie is one lucky lady.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">TG: Thank you, Gina. It's been my
pleasure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Isn’t he just totally scrumptious?! *sigh* Yeah, I
know. Believe me, I’ve had the pleasure of reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ride with Me</i> and it’s a MUST READ, people! If that interview with
Tom wasn’t enough for you, here’s the back cover blurb:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">When Lexie Marshall places an ad for a
cycling companion, she hopes to find someone friendly and fun to cross the
TransAmerica Trail with. Instead, she gets Tom Geiger — a lean, sexy loner
whose bad attitude threatens to spoil the adventure she’s spent years planning.</span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Roped into the cycling equivalent of a
blind date by his sister, Tom doesn’t want to ride with a chatty, go-by-the-map
kind of woman, and he certainly doesn’t want to want her. Too bad the sight of
Lexie with a bike between her thighs really turns his crank.</span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Even Tom’s stubborn determination to keep Lexie at a distance
can’t stop a kiss from leading to endless nights of hotter-than-hot sex. But
when the wild ride ends, where will they go next?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Don’t miss this debut novel, folks! I guarantee you’ll join me
on <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Team Ruthie</span></b> as we follow her sure-to-be prolific career in the romance genre. So do yourselves a favor and <b style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/book/218035/ride-with-me-by-ruthie-knox" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a></span></b> to pre-order your copy for its February 13th release!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: large;">And now for the GIVEAWAY! </span></i><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">One lucky commenter will be randomly chosen to win a digital copy of <i>Ride with Me</i>. Winners will pick up their copy through Net Galley. All you have to do is answer this question:</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #741b47;">If you could tour anywhere on bike, where it would it be and why?</span> </span></span><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span></span></span></div>
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Ruthie Knox figured out how to
walk and read at the same time in the second grade, and she hasn’t looked up
since. She spent her formative years hiding romance novels in her bedroom
closet to avoid the merciless teasing of her brothers and imagining scenarios
in which someone who looked remarkably like Daniel Day Lewis recognized her
well-hidden sex appeal and rescued her from middle-class Midwestern obscurity.
After graduating from Grinnell College with an English and history double
major, she earned a Ph.D. in modern British history that she’s put to
remarkably little use.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">These
days, she writes contemporary romance in which witty, down-to- earth characters
find each other irresistible in their pajamas, though she freely admits this
has yet to happen to her. Perhaps she needs more exciting pajamas. Ruthie
abhors an epilogue and insists a decent romance requires at least three good
sex scenes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04109677382274000163noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827750013790933422.post-73534301215033477882012-01-18T09:12:00.000-05:002012-02-12T21:15:28.215-05:00Wee-Bit Wednesday: Eye Orgasm Edition<a href="http://gina-maxwell.blogspot.com/2012/01/wee-bit-wednesday-calendar-guy-edition.html" target="_blank">Last week's Calendar Guy Edition</a> showed us Ava's first impression on our surly mechanic, Gabriel. This next bit is after Ava agrees to sweep the shop floor in exchange for Gabriel's services <i style="color: #cc0000;">(not </i><span style="color: #cc0000;">those</span><i style="color: #cc0000;"> kinds of services, get your minds out of the gutter!)</i>. I hope you enjoy this brief look at Ava's personality. I have so much fun with her; she's an absolute blast to watch as she drive's Gabriel nuts. (P.S. This is perhaps a bit more than a "wee-bit," but I couldn't bring myself to cut off Ava's mini-interrogation. Sorry!)<br />
<br />
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# # #</div>
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</div>
<br />
<br />
Ava grabbed a seat on the cushioned stool in front of the tool chest near Gabriel and took advantage of his distracted state to study him. He must be out here alone, she thought. It had taken her probably an hour to sweep the entire shop and no one had come around that entire time to see if he was thirsty or hungry or just to say hey. Unless he did have someone, like a girlfriend or wife, who worked in a nearby town somewhere. She canted her head to the side and tried to picture what the girl might be like, but came up with nothing. He just didn’t seem the type to be open with anyone enough to be in a relationship. Of any kind. Standoffish was probably his middle name. She chuckled aloud at that one. Gabriel Standoffish…<br />
<br />
“What’s your last name?” she yelled over the music. He didn’t even flinch in acknowledgement. Ava rolled her eyes and hopped off the stool. She loved Metallica—their collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra on their S&M album was nothing short of genius—but listening to it at twenty decibels wasn’t conducive for conversation. And Ava was a conversationalist by nature.<br />
Reaching the stereo on the back wall, she turned the dial sharply to the left, instantly taking the metal band down to the same volume level as elevator music before making her way back to her stool.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Noz3s5DEkLZhxx-LEpPG5LW9e2wugXZ9BJq-aJwfiDf9Re4NFLdLENp9Wr_VqY3bdXqANLx8bBLyaxXJKcOiIvl6H4fvz6kvxI3QtUsnJ3AlNn0bCE_6QYpr9zYUE7zROLygwLOFdG4h/s1600/Shirtless+Hunk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Noz3s5DEkLZhxx-LEpPG5LW9e2wugXZ9BJq-aJwfiDf9Re4NFLdLENp9Wr_VqY3bdXqANLx8bBLyaxXJKcOiIvl6H4fvz6kvxI3QtUsnJ3AlNn0bCE_6QYpr9zYUE7zROLygwLOFdG4h/s320/Shirtless+Hunk.jpg" width="320" /></a>“Hasn’t anyone ever told you not to touch a man’s stereo?” he grumbled as he worked to tighten a hose.<br />
<br />
“Hasn’t anyone ever told you it’s impolite not to answer a lady when she asks you a question?”<br />
<br />
At that, Gabriel turned only his head to give her a slow once-over before returning to his current task. “When I find a lady, I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”<br />
<br />
He meant it to sound rude, but Ava heard the slight tilt of a grin framing his words, so it didn’t have the affect he was going for. “I asked you what your last name is.”<br />
<br />
“No last name.”<br />
<br />
“Who are you, Cher? Of course you have a last name.”<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
“I meant I’m not telling you my last name, and I don’t want to know yours.”<br />
<br />
Ava hopped off her stool again to place herself next to him, sensing he hated his personal space invaded. “Why not?”<br />
<br />
Gabriel sighed and pulled his socket wrench out of the depths of the car so he could stand and meet her gaze. Which was exactly what she’d hoped he would do. It’d been too long since she’d seen his strong features and those amazing-as-all-get-out eyes. Seriously, those had to be contacts. No mortal being had eyes that color.<br />
<br />
“The less we know about each other the better,” he said as he shoved his wrench in his back pocket and strode over to the icebox in the back. The muscles in his back and shoulders rippled underneath the thin cotton. The thought of feeling them move like that beneath her hands almost made her drool. He grabbed two beers, disposed of their tops and carried them back in one hand by the necks. With the other hand, he found the cigarette behind his ear and stuck it between his lips.<br />
<br />
Ick. She hated the smell and taste of smoke. But whatevs. It’s not like she was going to be kissing the guy. <i>Damn, that’s a shame. </i>Ava ogled his full lips and nearly sighed, but kept her lust in-check enough to accept the beer he handed her and take several long pulls from the bottle.<br />
<br />
Then she watched as Gabriel made drinking beer look like a spectator sport. He held the bottle casually with the fingertips of his right hand. His left hand was hooked lazily onto his front jeans pocket by his thumb and couldn’t even be bothered to remove the cigarette from his lips. His first two fingers holding the beer lifted and pinched the butt between them before he rotated the bottle, pressed its mouth to his lips and let ounce after ounce of the amber liquid drain into his throat. The bobbing of his Adam’s apple underneath streaks of grease and dirt was a total eye orgasm.<br />
<br />
Several seconds passed before she was able to blink. Or think.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04109677382274000163noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827750013790933422.post-71119094727880600722012-01-17T10:59:00.003-05:002012-01-17T21:30:17.082-05:00Authors Gone Wild! (wherein they act like boobs instead of flashing them)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMdyzNf2G9mszmKwHEI0xvF7NxiBH40jeduC-shnkq80PRmhq0YfxPlWeINvvYfcFLOKa1_xw1qagw9ULpLPHGXUDTERB9QdQHKAAuC9Gag-h2g15y7ypj5_sbJbAMRjtlfG561WfFNMBP/s1600/large-breasted-woman-proposal-cartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMdyzNf2G9mszmKwHEI0xvF7NxiBH40jeduC-shnkq80PRmhq0YfxPlWeINvvYfcFLOKa1_xw1qagw9ULpLPHGXUDTERB9QdQHKAAuC9Gag-h2g15y7ypj5_sbJbAMRjtlfG561WfFNMBP/s320/large-breasted-woman-proposal-cartoon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />By now I'm sure most of you have seen at least a few examples of Authors Behaving Badly in regards to reviews they've found to be less than favorable. No? Well, <b style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://theselfpublishingreview.wordpress.com/2011/09/07/flight-to-paradise-by-mike-coe/" target="_blank">here's the worst example I've seen.</a></b> And if that isn't enough for you, simply <b style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="https://www.google.com/#hl=en&sugexp=pfwl&tok=KfYhrUUQSlzF-e8aXmMF-A&cp=11&gs_id=7a&xhr=t&q=authors+behaving+badly&pf=p&sclient=psy-ab&source=hp&pbx=1&oq=authors+beh&aq=0&aqi=g1g-v3&aql=&gs_sm=&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.,cf.osb&fp=8ff945c0140abb62&biw=1366&bih=602" target="_blank">Google "authors behaving badly"</a></b> and you can spend days getting lost in the muckety-muck.<br />
<br />
I haven't gotten too wrapped up in this whole blowup, but it seems like it's turned into an <span style="color: #0b5394;">Interwebz Civil War</span>...only without any civility whatsoever. Authors and Reviewers are choosing sides, sometimes pitting friend against friend, as everyone weighs in--rather heavily--on the subject of authors and reviewers mixing it up.<br />
<br />
<b style="color: #0b5394;">Everyone has the right to speak their piece.</b><b><span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span></b>That's a given. In an ideal world, people would take others' feelings into consideration and refrain from being total jagdishes. Unfortunately, our precious world is far from ideal and there are a lot of assholes out there who couldn't give a damn about anyone's feelings. Such is life.<br />
<br />
My author friend, Jessa Slade, <b><a href="http://jessaslade.wordpress.com/2012/01/17/authors-reviewers-twain-or-taint/#comment-661" style="color: #cc0000;" target="_blank">wrote a post about this whole debacle</a></b> and used a great analogy, comparing authors and reviewers to unwed parents. I like that analogy, especially since authors are wont to view their stories as their "precious babies."<br />
<br />
So, following that line of thinking, I believe the parents in Jessa's analogy should stay far away from one another. <span style="color: #0b5394;">You know, all that "and never the twain shall meet" kind of thing.</span> <span style="color: black;">Authors should view it as having a restraining order against them once someone has reviewed their book. At most, a polite nod from across the street to acknowledge the reviewer's presence would be appropriate. And that's <i>even if the review is wonderful</i>!</span><span style="color: #660000;"> </span><span style="color: #741b47;">Just like you don't want to hurt your image by bashing the reviewer</span> if they found your book to be less than cookie-dough-wonderful, I think <span style="color: #741b47;">it would seem just as unprofessional to publicly gush your appreciation for a glowing review</span>.<br />
<br />
This recent 'splosion of shite is a perfect example of a few bad apples spoiling the whole bunch (<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/2543252-ridley?shelf=bratty-authors-to-avoid" style="color: #cc0000;" target="_blank">here's a Goodreads shelf listing a whole bushel of those bad apples</a>). But with the internet's permanency and lightning-quick ability to make anything viral in a matter of minutes, the spoilage spreads faster and farther than ever before.<br />
<br />
The best we can do as authors is write a book to the best of our ability. But once we hand it off to the masses, we can't control how they'll receive it. <span style="color: #0b5394;">Hopefully they'll love it, <i>but not everyone will</i></span>. It's an absolute and unequivocal certainty.<br />
<br />
Authors, do yourself a favor, and <i style="color: #0b5394;">stop the review-stalking madness</i>. If you must say anything at all, please leave it at, "Thank you for your time," and then go write another book.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">Ciao, bellas!</span></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04109677382274000163noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827750013790933422.post-56892771660713637902012-01-11T15:40:00.000-05:002012-01-11T15:41:33.420-05:00Wee-Bit Wednesday: Calendar Guy EditionHooray for my first Wee-Bit Wednesday of 2012! Now that I'm working on the third book in the Prophecy of Souls trilogy, SOUL SEDUCTION, all of my WBWs for the next couple of months will be from this one. (BTW, yes, I realize I haven't written the second one yet, but #2 isn't being nearly as cooperative as #3 so I have to go with the flow.)<br />
<br />
In the first WBW I did for SS (if you didn't see it, you can find it <b><u><a href="http://gina-maxwell.blogspot.com/2011/07/wee-bit-wednesdays-are-back.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">here</span></a></u></b>) we're introduced to the hero, Gabriel, and his German shepherd, Czar, as they watch a woman walk toward them on the lonely stretch of desert road.<br />
<br />
In this edition we switch to said woman's point of view as she gets her first good look at the handsome, if not a little surly, shop mechanic who's agreed to help her.<br />
<br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><b>For those who love a good visual, Ava is modeled physically after the Latin pop-star, Shakira.</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_Nj_LikfiL_-BstIVxZbGZhBfmN2VHUReK3QfqNOYNeGbcBiwLPZFi56LBGhU8SoRbWmzj2jnre3mUMUSQc0yQkggPQo2yo4q4lkyeUc_X2yMcZ60bg9KoL2KkyiR_x-e94_7vH6OEE4/s1600/shakira25mk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_Nj_LikfiL_-BstIVxZbGZhBfmN2VHUReK3QfqNOYNeGbcBiwLPZFi56LBGhU8SoRbWmzj2jnre3mUMUSQc0yQkggPQo2yo4q4lkyeUc_X2yMcZ60bg9KoL2KkyiR_x-e94_7vH6OEE4/s320/shakira25mk.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
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<b style="color: #a64d79;">Playing our calendar boy in this clip is, Gabriel, also known in real life as model Marco Dapper. </b><i>(Go <a href="http://gina-maxwell.blogspot.com/2011/11/meet-my-characters-gabriel.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">HERE</span></b></a> for more pics and stats of Gabriel...you can thank me later)</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrxIk8LPD3DndnUhXSfFqkB7vHUEcCZT9StSpV88INV55Tx004VUeShHEYMEoTwMKbiOVFdfWyTE3-S0jJZ4wMKi1r9JHVkcOuFMm_p7UlKgGaHVDJSabvzY5X3_Bw8ddubqKK2Fbl5Dqg/s1600/Wifebeater+Cutie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrxIk8LPD3DndnUhXSfFqkB7vHUEcCZT9StSpV88INV55Tx004VUeShHEYMEoTwMKbiOVFdfWyTE3-S0jJZ4wMKi1r9JHVkcOuFMm_p7UlKgGaHVDJSabvzY5X3_Bw8ddubqKK2Fbl5Dqg/s320/Wifebeater+Cutie.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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Aaaaaaaaand, <i>ACTION!</i></div>
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He grabbed a gallon of antifreeze from his meager stock and repeated, “Name’s Gabriel. Not Gabe.”</div>
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Ava smirked at his back and decided to ignore his surly attitude. As he walked over to the counter in the back corner, she followed and took another moment to admire him. His black hair was a few months overdue for a cut, the ends brushing his eyebrows that arched perfectly over the most killer aqua eyes she’d ever seen. A white cigarette peeked from behind his right ear, but oddly enough, she couldn’t smell the stale stench of smoked tobacco, nor had she noticed any butts lying around. He had to be almost six-and-a-half feet tall with the body of a Navy SEAL in his prime. Wearing nothing but biker boots, faded jeans, a leather cuff on his right wrist, and a grease-smudged wife-beater, the man was calendar material from head to toe. All he needed was a bucket of soapy water to pour over his body, which her vivid imagination happily supplied.</div>
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“That’ll be thirty-five dollars.”</div>
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The mention of money killed her calendar fantasy and breathed new life into the reality of her situation. “I don’t mean to look a gift mechanic in the mouth, Gabe, but how in the hell do you get off selling a gallon of antifreeze for thirty-five bucks?”</div>
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“Antifreeze is fifteen. The ride to your truck is twenty.”</div>
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“What?” she cried. “That’s outrageous!”</div>
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He shrugged one large shoulder. “That’s business.”</div>
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Isn't he adorable, folks? Okay, well, "adorable" probably isn't the best word, but you know what I mean. Thanks for stopping by and make sure you<b><span style="color: #cc0000;"> tune in next Wednesday when Ava tries to con Gabriel and it backfires on her, big time</span></b>. ;)</div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><i>Ciao, bellas!</i></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04109677382274000163noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-827750013790933422.post-27098313779390125302012-01-09T11:00:00.002-05:002012-01-09T11:01:11.221-05:00Top Ten Reasons I Suck at Blogging (Part Deux)I realized this morning that I should probably get a post up on the ol' blog. I mean, we're already over a week into 2012 and I don't have anything ringing in the new year or saying farewell to the old one. <i>(Although, last month I already posted <a href="http://gina-maxwell.blogspot.com/2011/12/power-of-projection-or-stuff-i-want-to.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">my predictions for what will happen to me in 2012</span></b></a>, which should sort of count.)</i><br />
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Out of sheer laziness, I started checking out my archives, seeing if there's anything in there I could re-post and give new life to. In my quest, I came upon <a href="http://gina-maxwell.blogspot.com/2010/03/top-ten-reasons-i-suck-at-blogging.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">this post</span></b></a> wherein I state all the reasons I suck at blogging (with only a little over half of them being actually true). It was then I realized, "Man, I <i>still </i>suck at blogging!" However, the reasons from my first list no longer apply.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">So, in the spirit of being honest, I thought I'd rattle off a quick list of CURRENT reasons I suck at blogging, avec pictures. And those reasons are...</span></b><i>*drumroll*</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFKSNlD569RX1zAeV7OoU5QuWA_dVybdoFF60PnhCoLqLQUW-Vc5LbPY3rY0Cio7DWS8wRbJ2q5kimi3PyNjGI4Xvsn1GuITNHLXLCQeemefSFseUGGBQIKCvLNTUKELtETNua5S12BHN/s1600/Happy+Dance+Puppy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFKSNlD569RX1zAeV7OoU5QuWA_dVybdoFF60PnhCoLqLQUW-Vc5LbPY3rY0Cio7DWS8wRbJ2q5kimi3PyNjGI4Xvsn1GuITNHLXLCQeemefSFseUGGBQIKCvLNTUKELtETNua5S12BHN/s200/Happy+Dance+Puppy.jpeg" width="157" /></a></div>
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<b style="color: #cc0000;">10. The last several months I've been spending an inordinate amount of time cutting, revising, rewriting, and tightening my first novel, DESIRES OF THE SOUL, in preparation for my agent query campaign. </b><span style="color: #cc0000;">But the hard work paid off because as of last week, I'm finally done with it. It's now as good as I can get it until I'm lucky enough for an agent or editor to rip it to shreds--er, I mean, <i>gently offer new suggestions</i>--to make it even better.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtDVNHJJUk_NfczVZLvj65RiK3t0OXK3RK7s7sRBtvnJnwa2qTkbImOPA6nHuAuEY1vlN1DfIyIr4zIzcnpxSQrvmDFqAwvCj5WvF3E7cnXSq7Ym6SIowaUBkadkVwWfMDlVdGqdBdKSUF/s1600/Tigger+%2526+Hooch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtDVNHJJUk_NfczVZLvj65RiK3t0OXK3RK7s7sRBtvnJnwa2qTkbImOPA6nHuAuEY1vlN1DfIyIr4zIzcnpxSQrvmDFqAwvCj5WvF3E7cnXSq7Ym6SIowaUBkadkVwWfMDlVdGqdBdKSUF/s200/Tigger+%2526+Hooch.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>9. I've been dedicating three hours every day to training my cats, Tigger and Hooch, to do circus-type tricks for a street act as a lucrative side business on the weekends. </b>I saw a guy do it in the Florida Keys so I know it's possible, but they don't seem to be catching on as quickly as I'd hoped. I'm sure it'll be any day now, though.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzVejHM7KoaME-iiJK9PDovffoKvk_jh8G12cQv3g9wS5hTURPwhveMlC0_eBZRo0njECW9xVxLAUJGtPpW2yvORIIBSeSkrvvD6PNBX6XKAp9CUcxvD7yMd6iZRP__aiKiAxIBL4NHms/s1600/Hot+cowboy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzVejHM7KoaME-iiJK9PDovffoKvk_jh8G12cQv3g9wS5hTURPwhveMlC0_eBZRo0njECW9xVxLAUJGtPpW2yvORIIBSeSkrvvD6PNBX6XKAp9CUcxvD7yMd6iZRP__aiKiAxIBL4NHms/s200/Hot+cowboy.jpeg" width="133" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>8. At the end of January my family is moving from our current location in Pittsburgh, PA to San Antonio, TX and there are a lot of details to iron out in a cross-country move, including a week-long trip to San An for fun and house hunting. </b>This is our second big move--the first being from our home state of WI to PA two and a half years ago. This should be our last move though and I'm so excited to finally be able to put down some roots! Sadly, I think romance novels may have skewed my image of the Deep South, because no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find anyone who looked like this guy. More's the pity.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>7. Poodle Painting is one of my new favorite hobbies. Obnoxious you say? Why, yes...yes, it is. </b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7x7dQWOjp41Rqdx2lDVsWGBtjA5bfJWm6XtmBpjvu6yDwvDuzd0TXAU3tYVMmsDrk3Qb2NUM4ytCR9DN2hrRjCrwNg9wd9MfaZahV6FZCxmIXDNPJdbixjf34TcqiGRdtu_vD8ArA4_jv/s1600/Pink+Poodle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7x7dQWOjp41Rqdx2lDVsWGBtjA5bfJWm6XtmBpjvu6yDwvDuzd0TXAU3tYVMmsDrk3Qb2NUM4ytCR9DN2hrRjCrwNg9wd9MfaZahV6FZCxmIXDNPJdbixjf34TcqiGRdtu_vD8ArA4_jv/s200/Pink+Poodle.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">6. After hoping and wishing for over a year, I finally got a NOOK Color for Christmas (thanks hubby!) and proceeded to download and read an obscene amount of books and novellas, forsaking all other things such as writing, blogging, tweeting, and showering.</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0LJ4y8Pv5pr0vzqCSiexd6Xg0jtfrTTxgkuvrGzgjBvOt48XkROg6OBC0DNKlU3Lu3-zwRQesCdGZvAYCTV8U7kzt6wizG8WqYl59Jawf-Ly-2hyg6xkUOIGOaOI4tHffbkR5yIaBub_c/s1600/Lazy+Kangy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0LJ4y8Pv5pr0vzqCSiexd6Xg0jtfrTTxgkuvrGzgjBvOt48XkROg6OBC0DNKlU3Lu3-zwRQesCdGZvAYCTV8U7kzt6wizG8WqYl59Jawf-Ly-2hyg6xkUOIGOaOI4tHffbkR5yIaBub_c/s200/Lazy+Kangy.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b style="color: #0b5394;">5. Wanting to do my part in the world to help understand new species, I traveled to Australia as a part of a group who studied the new species of Kangaroo, called the Lazy Kangy. </b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Unlike typical Kangaroos, these adorable creatures are content lazing in the sun, striking Playboy-esque poses to attract their potential mates.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>4. I wasted a good two weeks stalking my inbox waiting for an email telling me how I placed in the <a href="http://gina-maxwell.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-golden-rose-achievment.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">RCRW Golden Rose contest</span></a>. </b>I was so ecstatic when the email finally came and I learned I'd placed first in the Contemporary Series category and the agent judge requested a full from me. My first real contest was a complete success!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>3. I was acting as a CP and Beta for a couple of good friends. </b>I take that job very seriously and make sure to give them as much feedback as possible. It takes a long time, but what we both get out of the experience is worth it. Not to mention the gift of reciprocity when it's my turn who needs them.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpWZqqf08bUb-aCz1L8qlSuAkC93hL0LRqXAWwSFzddLuAPLtWcHs0vIhyphenhyphen_7kX9vNkJ67SrZocXec00BLthkgOEF7ONr_bjc8pIU12lmoua34bJVH6_8ELGRN_r8KvIcC8u_D7L15tt_md/s1600/Bumblebee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpWZqqf08bUb-aCz1L8qlSuAkC93hL0LRqXAWwSFzddLuAPLtWcHs0vIhyphenhyphen_7kX9vNkJ67SrZocXec00BLthkgOEF7ONr_bjc8pIU12lmoua34bJVH6_8ELGRN_r8KvIcC8u_D7L15tt_md/s400/Bumblebee.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<b style="color: #cc0000;">2. I'm a HUGE Transformers fan, so when I spotted THE Bumblebee in the parking lot of the movie theater, I had to stop and schmooze with him. </b><span style="color: #cc0000;">I acted like a total bumbling fool, but he was very sweet and grounded. He let me take this picture of him and we've been pen pals ever since. Come on, if you could be friends with an Autobot, wouldn't you?</span><br />
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<b>And the number one reason I <i>still</i> suck at blogging is...</b><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>1. Honestly, I just don't think of it! I don't have near the audience I used to before I went off-grid for a while, so I no longer feel that sense of urgency to put up fresh content. </b>I know, it's a crappy reason. But I just said I had ten of them, not that they were all good ones (or even real, for that matter).</span><br />
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<b><i>So one of my goals this year is to post once a week.</i></b> I think that's a reasonable expectation of myself. And because I have a different audience now than I did when I started, perhaps I'll revive an archived post once a month too. Oh, and because I'll be working on writing the sequels to DotS this year, I should have plenty of content to bring back <a href="http://gina-maxwell.blogspot.com/search/label/Wee-Bit%20Wednesday" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Wee-Bit Wednesdays</span></a>. Those don't take any time at all. Just a quick copy and paste of a snippet, and <i>voila</i>!<br />
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<b>Feel free to berate me if I don't</b><b> stick to the plan</b><b>. I respond well to peer pressure. :)</b><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><i>Ciao, bellas!</i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04109677382274000163noreply@blogger.com14