Elisabeth Barrett's Blog, page 8

The contest is over, and Allison Anderson is the lucky winner of the Loveswept gift card! Congratulations, Allison. Please email me ejbarrett15 [at] gmail [dot] com so I can get you your prize! Also, for everyone else, please be sure to check the R@R site to see if you’ve won any prizes there.

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Holiday Blog Hop?

I know what you’re thinking. Man, it is way too early to be thinking about the holidays. Well, you’re right (unless you’re talking about Halloween, which is next week). But seriously, it always freaks me out when I get catalogues for Christmas stuff in August (right after the Halloween stuff that comes in July), so I feel you. But there’s something to celebrate, here. Namely Naughty & Nice, a compilation of holiday stories from three of my favorite authors, Ruthie Knox, Molly O’Keefe and Stefanie Sloane, which is to be released on November 5th.

$1.99 for all this goodness? You heard that right! In fact, the cover alone should make it an auto-buy! See for yourself (and if you click on the image, it takes you to Romance @ Random’s main site for the hop:

And of course, this being a blog hop and all, R@R is giving away a ton of goodies:

· 15 Net Galley Preview copy winners of Naughty & Nice

· 5 ABOUT LAST NIGHT paper giveaways (US only)

· Grand Prize of $15 Gift Certificate to eRetailer of choice!!

Note that you must be 18 or older to participate

There are so many other awesome bloggers participating:

1.
Ruthie Knox
2.
Stefanie Sloane


3.
Reading Reality
4.
acting balanced


5.
From the TBR Pile
6.
Coffee Beans & Love Scenes


7.
Manic Readers Guest Blog
8.
Manga Maniac Cafe


9.
Musings from an Addicted reader
10.
Shawntelle Madison


11.
The Book Reading GAls
12.
Seduced By A Book


13.
The Book Tart
14.
herding cats & burning soup


15.
Bea’s Book Nook
16.
Romance Around the Corner


17.
The Bunny’s Review
18.
Books Books and More Books


19.
Lori’s Book Blog
20.
Molly O’Keefe


21.
Full Moon Bites
22.
Delighted Reader


23.
Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews
24.
Eye On Romance


25.
eBookGirl.com
26.
Liz Maverick


27.
Harlie’s Books
28.
BookHounds


29.
Sascha’s Secrets
30.
Romantic Reading Escapes Book Blog


31.
Ramblings From This Chick
32.
Book Lovin’ Mamas


33.
Saucy & Sinful Blog
34.
Book Flame


35.
cupcake’s book cupboard
36.
Storm Goddess Book Reviews & More


37.
Sharon Cullen
38.
Ex Libris


39.
Ahhhhhhhromance
40.
Darkest Addictions Book Reviews


41.
Confessions From Romaholics
42.
What’s On the Bookshelf


43.
StuckInBooks
44.
Blogging by Liza


45.
Read Your Writes Book Reviews
46.
Victoria’s Titallating Tidbits


47.
Guilty Pleasures
48.
Ravishing Romances


49.
Cassandra Carr
50.
The Lucky Ladybug


51.
Romantic Book Affairs
52.
Simply Ali


53.
Elisabeth Barrett
54.
Book Lovers Inc.


55.
SOS Aloha
56.
Socrates’ Book Review Blog


57.
Book-A-Holic Anon
58.
Love To Read For Fun


59.
Romance Junkies
60.
Romancing the Darkside


61.
The Book Nympho
62.
Romantic Reads and Such


63.
GraveTells
64.
Fic Fare


65.
Romance Book Craze
66.
Me and Reading


67.
Blackraven’s Erotic Cafe
68.
Blackraven’s Reviews


69.
AJ’s Readng Nook
70.
The Readers Roundtable


71.
Dark Divas Reviews
72.
HEA Romances with a Little Kick

And you should know by now that I can never get the Rafflecopter thingy to appear on my site, so please click here for the Rafflecopter giveaway.

If you’ve made it this far, congratulations! I’m also giving away one Loveswept gift card, good for one free e-book! All you have to do is to leave a comment below. Here’s a topic for discussion: Christmas catalogues in August: love ‘em or hate ‘em?

One random commenter will be selected. U.S. only, please. Contest ends 10/30 at 9pm PDT.

Happy hopping, and good luck!

Holiday Blog Hop?

I know what you’re thinking. Man, it is way too early to be thinking about the holidays. Well, you’re right (unless you’re talking about Halloween, which is next week). But seriously, it always freaks me out when I get catalogues for Christmas stuff in August (right after the Halloween stuff that comes in July), so I feel you. But there’s something to celebrate, here. Namely Naughty & Nice, a compilation of holiday stories from three of my favorite authors, Ruthie Knox, Molly O’Keefe and Stefanie Sloane, which is to be released on November 5th.

$1.99 for all this goodness? You heard that right! In fact, the cover alone should make it an auto-buy! See for yourself (and if you click on the image, it takes you to Romance @ Random’s main site for the hop:

And of course, this being a blog hop and all, R@R is giving away a ton of goodies:

· 15 Net Galley Preview copy winners of Naughty & Nice

· 5 ABOUT LAST NIGHT paper giveaways (US only)

· Grand Prize of $15 Gift Certificate to eRetailer of choice!!

Note that you must be 18 or older to participate

There are so many other awesome bloggers participating:

1.
Ruthie Knox
2.
Stefanie Sloane


3.
Reading Reality
4.
acting balanced


5.
From the TBR Pile
6.
Coffee Beans & Love Scenes


7.
Manic Readers Guest Blog
8.
Manga Maniac Cafe


9.
Musings from an Addicted reader
10.
Shawntelle Madison


11.
The Book Reading GAls
12.
Seduced By A Book


13.
The Book Tart
14.
herding cats & burning soup


15.
Bea’s Book Nook
16.
Romance Around the Corner


17.
The Bunny’s Review
18.
Books Books and More Books


19.
Lori’s Book Blog
20.
Molly O’Keefe


21.
Full Moon Bites
22.
Delighted Reader


23.
Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews
24.
Eye On Romance


25.
eBookGirl.com
26.
Liz Maverick


27.
Harlie’s Books
28.
BookHounds


29.
Sascha’s Secrets
30.
Romantic Reading Escapes Book Blog


31.
Ramblings From This Chick
32.
Book Lovin’ Mamas


33.
Saucy & Sinful Blog
34.
Book Flame


35.
cupcake’s book cupboard
36.
Storm Goddess Book Reviews & More


37.
Sharon Cullen
38.
Ex Libris


39.
Ahhhhhhhromance
40.
Darkest Addictions Book Reviews


41.
Confessions From Romaholics
42.
What’s On the Bookshelf


43.
StuckInBooks
44.
Blogging by Liza


45.
Read Your Writes Book Reviews
46.
Victoria’s Titallating Tidbits


47.
Guilty Pleasures
48.
Ravishing Romances


49.
Cassandra Carr
50.
The Lucky Ladybug


51.
Romantic Book Affairs
52.
Simply Ali


53.
Elisabeth Barrett
54.
Book Lovers Inc.


55.
SOS Aloha
56.
Socrates’ Book Review Blog


57.
Book-A-Holic Anon
58.
Love To Read For Fun


59.
Romance Junkies
60.
Romancing the Darkside


61.
The Book Nympho
62.
Romantic Reads and Such


63.
GraveTells
64.
Fic Fare


65.
Romance Book Craze
66.
Me and Reading


67.
Blackraven’s Erotic Cafe
68.
Blackraven’s Reviews


69.
AJ’s Readng Nook
70.
The Readers Roundtable


71.
Dark Divas Reviews
72.
HEA Romances with a Little Kick

And you should know by now that I can never get the Rafflecopter thingy to appear on my site, so please click here for the Rafflecopter giveaway.

If you’ve made it this far, congratulations! I’m also giving away one Loveswept gift card, good for one free e-book! All you have to do is to leave a comment below. Here’s a topic for discussion: Christmas catalogues in August: love ‘em or hate ‘em?

One random commenter will be selected. U.S. only, please.

Happy hopping, and good luck!

The contest is over and the winners are Pat and Melody May! I’ll be contacting you to get you your prizes! 

**************************************************************************

Things at the Barrett house have been crazy, what with work, writing, kids, school projects, my own projects, birthdays, anniversaries, and oh, yes, the release of Blaze of Winter (yay!). It is not a coincidence that today I’m at Romance @ Random with a post entitled De-Stressing in Autumn. In it, I lay out five steps I’m going to take to help me relax. They are:

(1) Set aside some serious reading time.

(2) Take a walk outside in the crisp, fall air.

(3) Bake something autumnal.

(4) Listen to my favorite fall music.

(5) Try not to get wrapped up in the little things.

I think these are good first steps, and I want to start on them immediately because goodness knows things aren’t going to get less stressful as we head into holiday season. In fact, I already began by baking pumpkin bread and banana raisin muffins (which admittedly aren’t the most autumnal, but certainly do smell good). I’d love it if you stopped by here or at R@R to give me your best tips on how to relax!

On the writing front, things are going well, but never as quickly as I would like. I’m about halfway through Slow Summer Burn (Star Harbor #4), and I just got edits back for Long Simmering Spring (Star Harbor #3). I’d like to have everything done by the end of 2012, which is extremely ambitious with my work/family schedule. We shall see how things play out.To make everyone (including myself) a little less stressed out, I’m doing another giveaway! Hooray, a giveaway! (See, I’m less stressed already!) I have tons more book goodies from RWA and one copy of Robyn Carr’s Sunrise Point that went unclaimed during my last giveaway. I’ll give two winners a couple of books each from my awesome romance stash.

Rules:

(1) Winner must be a member of my mailing list. Please sign up for my mailing list here.

(2) In the comments section below, tell me what you do to relax.

(3) TWO random commenters will be selected.

(4) U.S. only, please! (I’ll be shipping paperbacks).

(5) Contest ends 10/21 at 9pm, PDT.

Good luck! I can’t wait to hear from you!

Things at the Barrett house have been crazy, what with work, writing, kids, school projects, my own projects, birthdays, anniversaries, and oh, yes, the release of Blaze of Winter (yay!). It is not a coincidence that today I’m at Romance @ Random with a post entitled De-Stressing in Autumn. In it, I lay out five steps I’m going to take to help me relax. They are:

(1) Set aside some serious reading time.

(2) Take a walk outside in the crisp, fall air.

(3) Bake something autumnal.

(4) Listen to my favorite fall music.

(5) Try not to get wrapped up in the little things.

I think these are good first steps, and I want to start on them immediately because goodness knows things aren’t going to get less stressful as we head into holiday season. In fact, I already began by baking pumpkin bread and banana raisin muffins (which admittedly aren’t the most autumnal, but certainly do smell good). I’d love it if you stopped by here or at R@R to give me your best tips on how to relax!

On the writing front, things are going well, but never as quickly as I would like. I’m about halfway through Slow Summer Burn (Star Harbor #4), and I just got edits back for Long Simmering Spring (Star Harbor #3). I’d like to have everything done by the end of 2012, which is extremely ambitious with my work/family schedule. We shall see how things play out.

To make everyone (including myself) a little less stressed out, I’m doing another giveaway! Hooray, a giveaway! (See, I’m less stressed already!) I have tons more book goodies from RWA and one copy of Robyn Carr’s Sunrise Point that went unclaimed during my last giveaway. I’ll give two winners a couple of books each from my awesome romance stash.

Rules:

(1) Winner must be a member of my mailing list. Please sign up for my mailing list here.

(2) In the comments section below, tell me what you do to relax.

(3) TWO random commenters will be selected.

(4) U.S. only, please! (I’ll be shipping paperbacks).

(5) Contest ends 10/21 at 9pm, PDT.

Good luck! I can’t wait to hear from you!

Today, I am thrilled to welcome Jessica Scott to my blog! I’ve been a guest on Jessica’s blog twice, most recently last month, and this is her first time here. I’m very glad to return the favor, because Jessica is what they call “good people.” Have you ever meet someone you know is a complete straight-shooter? Well, that’s Jessica. And regardless of whether we have the same vocabulary, we definitely speak the same language.

Now, a bit about my guest. Jessica made her debut with Loveswept (yay!) with the moving military romance Because of You. The sequel, Until There Was You, comes out on October 8th! Jessica joins us today with exclusive bonus material, a giveaway, and some swearing!  Yes, swearing on my blog!

Welcome, Jessica!

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So when I first met Elisabeth at RWA this year, it became clear like within 5 seconds that she and I were from completely different backgrounds. We’d be having a conversation and while I generally try to keep my jargon to a minimum, she was constantly interjecting with wait, what does that mean. She had me cracking up on multiple occasions because I’d say something like well my duty day starts at six thirty for PT and she’d stop me with something like what’s PT.

It’s kind of a running joke between us but what’s really awesome is that regardless of where we come from, we still both speak the same language when it comes to books.

In all seriousness, when you find fellow writer peeps who get you, who do actually speak the same language, you should hold on to them for everything they’re worth. Elisabeth was there for me through some pretty rough spots when writing this book and I’m incredibly grateful.

In honor of our language barriers, I thought it would be really appropriate to post the deleted first chapter of my next book UNTIL THERE WAS YOU with Elisabeth because, well, I’m quite certain she’ll laugh when she reads this and then send me a bunch of notes asking me what the heck that means (Elisabeth also doesn’t cuss, which leads to much hilarity between us).

(yes something along these lines has happened to me at multiple points in my military career. No, I’ve never burned down a large portion of Fort Hood).

So here goes! Enjoy!

Three years and two deployments later

“What the hell happened, Captain Montoya?”

Claire Montoya stood at the position of attention looking at a point over the top of her brigade commander’s head and the smoke coming out of his ears. Okay maybe that wasn’t exactly true but Claire was trying to distract herself.

Otherwise, she might just piss her pants.

She’d had ass chewing before. Epic ass chewings. But never like this. Never this quiet fury mixed with utter disappointment from a man Claire admired and looked up to. He’d always been hard on her but she’d always performed. Always made him proud of her.

Now? Now she was ashamed. And humiliated because that Evan Loehr stood off to one side, looking completely self-righteous. She could not believe she’d ever thought kissing him was even remotely close to a good idea. The smug bastard had turned her in.

She should know better by now. Three years and two deployments had shown her exactly what Evan Loehr was made of. How could he stand there, looking so smug knowing he turned in one of his former platoon sergeants? Who knew Captain America was such a prick?

He was everything Claire wasn’t and the bastard made sure she knew it every time she walked into the room. He never laughed. He never took risks. He wouldn’t deviate from the plan if it meant he pissed down his own leg instead of veering off to find a latrine. How had the same war taught them both such dramatically different lessons?

Claire took a deep breath and tried to find the words to explain, in very simple sentences, the epic disaster at the weapons range earlier that day. “Sir, I had the wrong ammunition. It was my assessment that it was more important to get the soldiers qualified on their weapons than to worry about some civilian employee shutting us down because of the risk the tracer rounds held.”

There was that smoke again. Accompanied by a dark shade of purple creeping up Colonel Richter’s neck. It would probably be a bad time to ask him if he’s taken his blood pressure medication. Then again, he never really appreciated her sense of humor. Probably better to keep that question to herself.

“So you and the other Wonder Twin set Clear Creek Rifle Alpha machine gun range on fire because your assessment was that the troops needed to fire more than we needed to oh, I don’t know, not burn down Fort Hood?” His voice was deadly calm.

Claire felt two inches tall and covered in slime. Next to her, Sergeant First Class Reza Iaconelli, a man who had been her partner in crime since Claire had been a private more than a decade ago, shifted uncomfortably. The movement drew Colonel Richter’s gaze and his anger.

“Sarn’t Iaconelli, I’ve known you a long time and you’ve pulled some stupid stunts in the past but this is pretty much the dumbest thing you’ve ever done. What, were you drunk?” Colonel Richter shook his head and held up a hand. “Don’t answer that.” He took a deep breath. “I can’t believe I’ve got to do this.” He pinched the bridge of his nose then jabbed his index finger in their direction. “You two are going to Fort Carson. And you better not do anything to discredit this brigade or I will hang the both of you.”

Claire opened her mouth to argue. She had plans right here at Fort Hood. Plans that did not involve freezing to death in the dead of winter in Colorado Springs.

Colonel Richter slammed his hand on the desk, cutting off whatever she’d been about to say. “Not a word, Captain. I tolerate your flaws because you’re a natural tactician, but I have had it with your constant cowboy antics. You will go to Colorado and you will get our support company ready to deploy with the Palehorse Brigade and you will adhere to the plan for once in your life or I will personally end your military career. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes sir.” Her voice didn’t waiver but it was a close thing. Next to Colonel Richter, Evan lifted his chin. The only other sign of life was the slight flare of his nostrils as he inhaled slowly. Anger and humiliation wrestled in her belly at being dressed down in front of Evan.

“And you.” Colonel Richter turned his cold blue eyes on Reza. “You’re lucky to still be in the army.”

“Thank you, sir,” Reza said quietly. Claire wanted to punch him. Now was not the time for sarcasm.

Colonel Richter let the comment slide. “There are limits to what I’m willing to overlook. Do I need to say anything else?”

Beside her, Reza stiffened slightly. “No sir.”

“Get out.”

In sync, she and Reza saluted and executed a rigid left face and marched from the office. The door closed quietly behind them.

“Well, that was fun,” she said as they walked down the hallway. “I don’t know about you but I lost about five pounds off my ass.”

“Meh. You’ve taken worse. Remember Iraq?”

Yeah, she remembered. That ass chewing had almost ended in court martial. Battalion commanders didn’t generally approve of captains violating orders in the middle of a battle. Good times. She looked up at Reza. He might not be standing there today if she had obeyed those orders. It was worth it then and it was worth it now.

Reza looked down at her. He’d been her rock her entire career and sure enough, he’d stood by her today. That kind of loyalty was hard to find. Claire didn’t do trust. Not easily anyway. The war had shown her too many people’s true colors.

But Reza had always been stalwart. No matter what.

“So. Looks like we’re going to Fort Carson,” he said.

“Pack your sweater,” Claire muttered. She was going to need more than her cold weather gear. She needed a full blown miracle because if Colonel Richter said he would end her career, he wasn’t kidding. She was like a cat on her last life.

And she was was well and truly screwed because for an officer, Claire was terrible at following instructions.

#

“Has the fire been contained yet, Loehr?” Colonel Richter asked once the door closed behind Claire and Iaconelli.

How had that woman manage to make it through Officer Candidate School, let alone the last two deployments unscathed? If she knew the inside of a single Army regulation, he’d eat his Stetson. She had a mouth that could make an infantryman blush and Evan wondered if he’d ever stop thinking of her mouth on his all those nights ago. The echo of that kiss and the epic mistake it had turned out to be still stung sharply. It was a memory he’d been unable to banish.

He’d never admit to a living soul that seeing her standing there, soot marking her cheek, looking disheveled and defiant aroused a deep longing inside him. One he’d been ignoring since that first – and only – kiss.

Then there was her whole lack of following orders thing. She’d driven him just this side of bat shit crazy when they’d been deployed this last time. She did what she wanted. Evan simply didn’t work that way. He could not fathom disobeying orders. Or lying.

Or burning down half of Fort Hood. Which took a lot considering Fort Hood was the largest military installation in the free world. He could not believe the brigade commander hadn’t fired half the dynamic duo yet. Even after today. But in a private part of his heart, he admired her guts, her willingness to take risks. He simply could not operate the way she did. Full speed ahead and damn the consequences.

There were always consequences.

“Sir, Range Control called right before we came in. They’ve contained the fire.”

“Anyone else hurt?”

“No reports of further casualties.”

Colonel Richter rubbed his hand over his jaw and mouth. “Three months home from combat and we’re still sending troopers to the hospital,” he murmured.

Evan said nothing, the weight of the non combat injuries weighing on him despite not being a company commander any longer. He’d done his time. That didn’t mean he still didn’t miss leading soldiers.

“Sir, what’s going on in Colorado?” he asked after a moment.

As quickly as it had appeared, the thoughtful mood passed and Colonel Richter pinned him with a hard look. “Pack your gear. You’re in charge of this little boondoggle.”

Evan’s guts clenched and he swallowed the sudden dryness in his mouth. He did not want to go to Colorado. Ever again. “Sir?”

“Because our support company was the first group back from our deployment, they’re being attached to Palehorse Brigade. They’re deploying in less than 90 days. You’re going to oversee their training to make sure they’re good to go before they ship out.”

Evan simply stared, unable to give voice to the concerns slamming through his brain. Sadly, it looked like he needed to work on his poker face because Colonel Richter pinned him with a hard look and said, “What’s on your mind, son?”

Evan searched for the right words. “I’m worried about Captain Montoya on the mission, sir.”

Colonel Richter nodded thoughtfully. “Claire is the best officer for evaluating their convoy techniques and you know it. Maybe, instead of talking to her like she’s one of your lieutenants, if you treated her like a peer, you two could stop arguing all the damn time and get some work done.”

Evan opened his mouth to argue the point then snapped it shut abruptly. They may have the same rank on their chest but she was not his peer. No, he did not have dark, primal fantasies about his peer. And he was lying to himself. He didn’t want to talk tactics with her. He wanted something else entirely from Claire Montoya. But he’d never, ever act on that impulse and he kept his thoughts to himself. To argue that with his brigade commander was just…childish. He breathed deeply. “Roger, sir. I’ll get the rest of the order from Major MacLean, sir.”

“Good man, Loehr. I need you to keep the Wonder Twins out of trouble. They’re a damn good team but they need guidance. Keep them from blowing anything up or getting someone hurt. Colonel Bill Danvers is the brigade commander down there and when I say he’s risk averse, I mean he won’t take a piss without a risk assessment.”

Which meant Colonel Danvers was a coward, but Evan didn’t say that out loud either. There were things one simply did not say to full bird colonels.

“Roger, sir.”

From the back cover:

Jessica Scott returns with an all-new contemporary eBook original romance, following last fall’s release of her sizzling debut novel Because of You.

He plays by the rules, she’s not afraid to break them. Now these two strong-willed army captains will prove that opposites attract . . .

A by-the-book captain with a West Point background, Captain Evan Loehr refuses to mix business with pleasure—except for an unguarded instance years ago when he succumbed to the deep sensuality of redheaded beauty Claire Montoya. From that moment on, though, Evan has been at odds with her, through two deployments to Iraq and back again. But when he is asked to train a team prepping for combat alongside Claire, battle-worn Evan is in for the fight of his life.

Strong, gutsy, and loyal, Captain Claire Montoya has worked hard to earn the rank on her chest. In Evan, Claire sees a rigid officer who puts the rules before everything else—including his people. When the mission forces them together, Claire soon discovers that there is more to Evan than meets the eye.

He’s more than the rank on his chest; he’s a man with dark secrets and deep longings. For all their differences, Evan and Claire share two crucial passions: their country and each other.

You can order UNTIL THERE WAS YOU at these ebookstores or wherever ebooks are sold!

B & N | Amazon | Powell’s| iBookstore

BIO:

Jessica Scott is a career army officer, mother of two daughters, three cats, three dogs and two escape-artists hamsters, wife to a career NCO and wrangler of all things stuffed and fluffy. She has commanded two companies, served in Germany, Korea, Fort Hood and Iraq, and been lucky not to get fired. She is a terrible cook and an even worse housekeeper, but she’s a pretty good shot with her assigned weapon. Somehow, her children are pretty well adjusted and her husband still loves her, despite burned water and a messy house.

You can find her online at

Website: http://www.jessicascott.net

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jessicascotta...

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jessicascott09

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

***************************************************************

Jessica is also doing a Rafflecopter giveaway. Prizes include a Kindle Fire or Nook Color, and digital copies of Until There Was You. Click on the link to enter!

The contest is over and the winners of Robyn Carr’s Sunrise Point are Maureen and Danielle B. Thanks for all your comments!

**************************************************************************

Though I live about thirty-five minutes from San Francisco, I actually don’t get into the city all that often. My weekday schedule is kind of insane, and the last thing I want to do on the weekends is drive up to the city, three kids and husband in tow, to go do something far away when there’s plenty of parks, playdates, and pools with walking distance.

But last Friday, I was in the city not once, but twice on the same day–first to see the Cindy Sherman exhibit at SF MoMA (it was mesmerizing), and then to attend a farewell dinner for one of my good friends who’s moving away to take a position at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. I considered it a huge treat because I’d had a really productive week, which culminated in me turning in my completed mansuscript for Long Simmering Spring, Star Harbor #3 (Cole’s story).

Now SF MoMA is in SoMA, the south of Market area that, at this point, consists of tech startups, museums, warehouses and hip restaurants. But dinner was at the center of one of the coolest parts of the city–the Mission. Now, at this time of year, the Mission becomes famous for hosting a very popular Halloween street party (much like its next-door neighborhood, the Castro). And it just happens to be where Theo Grayson, hero of Blaze Of Winter, is living before he returns to Star Harbor.

Inspired by both my city trip and the Halloween holiday, I wrote a scene from Theo’s point of view that takes place about a month before the beginning of Blaze Of Winter, in the time-frame of Deep Autumn Heat.

*******************************************************************************************************************

San Francisco

“Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred.”

Theo Grayson finished his set of crunches and stood up. His large loft seemed emptier than usual, despite the loud laughter and cheering coming from the open window. He walked over to the window overlooking 21st Street. Arms on the sill, he leaned out. Two stories below was a mass of humanity.

The sidewalks were jam-packed with bodies, and people were beginning to spill out onto the street.  It was the same story all the way down to Valencia. Halloween in the Mission was one of the great perks of living in San Francisco. Just one of the many things he’d miss if he were back in Star Harbor.

Though he wouldn’t miss the weather. It was chilly—about fifty-five degrees—but scantily-clad beauties were out in full force. One woman walked by in a glittery push-up bra and some skimpy shorts—a sight he’d never see in Star Harbor this time of year.

“Come on down, honey,” someone yelled. “We want to see the rest of you.” When he saw a buff guy waving madly, Theo realized he was the object of the man’s attention. Some women joined in the fun, hooting and hollering. Theo had forgotten that he wasn’t wearing a shirt. Realizing the way he must look—a big guy with a bare chest…and maybe nothing on underneath—he simply smiled down at the throngs, shook his head, and shut the window.

He gave a heavy sigh. His brother Cole was right—Theo needed to get out of town, return to his roots, and get started on his latest novel.  He wasn’t making any progress by staying in SF.  He’d hit a brick wall, and none of his usual tricks to jumpstart his writing were working.

Even tonight—on Halloween of all nights—he’d chosen to skip a friend’s party because he had a glimmer of an idea for his book. But when he’d sat down to write, the idea had disappeared. He’d been at it for hours before he’d given up and decided to work out. His Jack Sparrow costume hung in his closet, unworn. He’d thought he was so clever—the author of swashbuckling adventure stories dressing as a pirate for Halloween. He’d hoped the costume would provide him with some writing inspiration. Instead, it had just made him depressed that he hadn’t written a sentence. He couldn’t bear to put it on.

Pathetic.

He had thought he was wasting his time in SF. Now, he was certain. He needed to return to Massachusetts. To the crisp autumn air and the gorgeous fall foliage, the briny waters of the Cape and the smell of wood-burning fires. God, he missed it, no more so than when he was alone and feeling sorry for himself. This was the kick in the pants he needed to get back in the right mindset. And now he needed a game plan to get out of SF and back to Star Harbor.

First things first. He’d map out a timeline for his departure, arrange to rent out his apartment, book his flights…the list quickly grew exponentially.

He glanced over at the costume in his closet. Forget about pretend pirates. Soon, he’d be face-to-face with the real thing.

*******************************************************************************************************************

Let me know what you think of my bonus material and I’ll see what I can dig up for the release of Long Simmering Spring this coming May! I have a few deleted scenes you might enjoy…..

Also, I’m happy to be doing another giveaway! I have two copies of Robyn Carr’s excellent Sunrise Point that I’m giving away to two random commenters. Just leave a comment  below letting me know about a time when you thought about making a change. U.S. entries only, please, since I’ll be shipping books. Also, winners must be members of my mailing list (sign up here). Contest ends October 6 at 9pm Pacific time.

Though I live about thirty-five minutes from San Francisco, I actually don’t get into the city all that often. My weekday schedule is kind of insane, and the last thing I want to do on the weekends is drive up to the city, three kids and husband in tow, to go do something far away when there’s plenty of parks, playdates, and pools with walking distance.

But last Friday, I was in the city not once, but twice on the same day–first to see the Cindy Sherman exhibit at SF MoMA (it was mesmerizing), and then to attend a farewell dinner for one of my good friends who’s moving away to take a position at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. I considered it a huge treat because I’d had a really productive week, which culminated in me turning in my completed mansuscript for Long Simmering Spring, Star Harbor #3 (Cole’s story).

Now SF MoMA is in SoMA, the south of Mission area that, at this point, mostly consists of museums, warehouses and hip restaurants. But dinner was at the center of one of the coolest parts of the city–the Mission. Now, at this time of year, the Mission becomes famous for hosting a very cool Halloween street party (much like its next-door neighborhood, the Castro). And it just happens to be where Theo Grayson, hero of Blaze Of Winter, is living before he returns to Star Harbor.

Inspired by both my city trip and the Halloween holiday, I wrote a scene from Theo’s point of view that takes place about a month before the beginning of Blaze Of Winter, in the time-frame of Deep Autumn Heat.

*******************************************************************************************************************

San Francisco

“Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred.”

Theo Grayson finished his set of crunches and stood up. His large loft seemed emptier than usual, despite the loud laughter and cheering coming from the open window. He walked over to the window overlooking 21st Street. Arms on the sill, he leaned out. Two stories below was a mass of humanity.

The sidewalks were jam-packed with bodies, and people were beginning to spill out onto the street.  It was the same story all the way down to Valencia. Halloween in the Mission was one of the great perks of living in San Francisco. Just one of the many things he’d miss if he were back in Star Harbor.

Though he wouldn’t miss the weather. It was chilly—about fifty-five degrees—but scantily-clad beauties were out in full force. One woman walked by in a glittery push-up bra and some skimpy shorts—a sight he’d never see in Star Harbor this time of year.

“Come on down, honey,” someone yelled. “We want to see the rest of you.” When he saw a buff guy waving madly, Theo realized he was the object of the man’s attention. Some women joined in the fun, hooting and hollering. Theo had forgotten that he wasn’t wearing a shirt. Realizing the way he must look—a big guy with a bare chest…and maybe nothing on underneath—he simply smiled down at the throngs, shook his head, and shut the window.

He gave a heavy sigh. His brother Cole was right—Theo needed to get out of town, return to his roots, and get started on his latest novel.  He wasn’t making any progress by staying in SF.  He’d hit a brick wall, and none of his usual tricks to jumpstart his writing were working.

Even tonight—on Halloween of all nights—he’d chosen to skip a friend’s party because he had a glimmer of an idea for his book. But when he’d sat down to write, the idea had disappeared. He’d been at it for hours before he’d given up and decided to work out. His Jack Sparrow costume hung in his closet, unworn. He’d thought he was so clever—the author of swashbuckling adventure stories dressing as a pirate for Halloween. He’d hoped the costume would provide him with some writing inspiration. Instead, it had just made him depressed that he hadn’t written a sentence. He couldn’t bear to put it on.

Pathetic.

He had thought he was wasting his time in SF. Now, he was certain. He needed to return to Massachusetts. To the crisp autumn air and the gorgeous fall foliage, the briny waters of the Cape and the smell of wood-burning fires. God, he missed it, no more so than when he was alone and feeling sorry for himself. This was the kick in the pants he needed to get back in the right mindset. And now he needed a game plan to get out of SF and back to Star Harbor.

First things first. He’d map out a timeline for his departure, arrange to rent out his apartment, book his flights…the list quickly grew exponentially.

He glanced over at the costume in his closet. Forget about pretend pirates. Soon, he’d be face-to-face with the real thing.

*******************************************************************************************************************

Let me know what you think of my bonus material and I’ll see what I can dig up for the release of Long Simmering Spring this coming May! I have a few deleted scenes you might enjoy…..

Also, I’m happy to be doing another giveaway! I have two copies of Robyn Carr’s excellent Sunrise Point that I’m giving away to two random commenters. Just leave a comment  below letting me know about a time when you thought about making a change. U.S. entries only, please, since I’ll be shipping books. Also, winners must be members of my mailing list (sign up here). Contest ends October 6 at 9pm Pacific time.

The love for Star Harbor is still going strong! The second book, Blaze Of Winter (featuring Theo and Avery) released on September 10th, and since then I’ve been busy visiting lots of sites on my blog tour. Two weeks out, and there’s more!

Today, I am the featured interview on Modokker Book Picks! Random House is also sponsoring a Star Harbor scavenger hunt, where the winner gets a tote with free books! Finally, tonight at 5:30pm Pacific, I’m being interviewed on Canned Laughter and Coffee, so tune in to check me out.

And if you’re in the California Bay Area, on October 3rd, I will be signing paper copies of Blaze Of Winter at Barnes and Noble at the Pruneyard in Campbell. Check out my appearances page for more details!

I’ve really been enjoying hearing what everyone has had to say about Blaze Of Winter, so please, keep the comments coming!

 

Blaze Of Winter comes out today! Hooray! I absolutely loved going back to Star Harbor to write Theo and Avery’s story. And because it’s Star Harbor, their tale is really romantic with a whole lot of sexy thrown in!

Here’s the official copy:

Frustrated with her job in Boston, social worker Avery Newbridge welcomes the opportunity to reassess her life when family asks her to help manage the Star Harbor Inn. Trying to figure out her future is overwhelming enough, but she doesn’t count on distraction in the form of one Theo Grayson, the gorgeous, green-eyed author who she knows is trouble from the moment he saunters into the inn.

Not only does he have a talent for writing swashbuckling adventures, but Theo also has a soft spot for big-hearted damsels in distress, especially a woman who’s great at helping everyone—except herself. Avery’s demons challenge him, but for desire this hot, he isn’t backing down. With every kiss and heated whisper Theo promises her his heart . . . if only Avery is willing to open up and accept it.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who preordered or reviewed an advanced copy! As always, it’s been wonderful to hear what you’ve thought about the book! If you haven’t already ordered your own copy, here are the links:

ORDER Blaze Of Winter from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or the iBookstore (Apple)!

Also, I’d be thrilled if you’d:

FRIEND or LIKE me on Facebook

SIGN UP for my Newsletter

FOLLOW me on Twitter

LIKE me (and the books!) on Amazon

VISIT my website

JOIN me on my blog tour

And if you’d like to start from the beginning of the Star Harbor series, my debut novel, Deep Autumn Heat is also available from all the major e-tailers: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBookstore (Apple) | Other Places.

The Random House blog hop is over, and so is my contest. I have chosen three winners for the Blaze Of Winter ARCs (randomly, using one of those random picker things), and they are: Gale D. Sroelov, Karen Phillips and Donna Sing. Thank you to everyone who left a comment, and please stay tuned for more contests!

********************************************************************

Oh, Labor Day! When I was really young, the first day of school was always the Wednesday after Labor Day.  As I got a bit older, the district moved up the start date to just before Labor Day weekend…this made no sense to me but I guess it let the kids get acclimated to school before taking a breather. I always marched proudly in our town’s Labor Day parade wearing my Girl Scout uniform (is anyone surprised that I was a Girl Scout? No?). Regardless, Labor Day was always bittersweet for me, and not just because it was the last day (until May of the following year) that I was allowed to wear white. Or seersucker. All kidding aside, I always thought of Labor Day as summer’s last hurrah—the last barbeque, last long walk on the beach, and the last lazy day to lie in the grass before fall would sweep me up in school, events, and crisp, brisk weather.

To commemorate the holiday (which honors the economic contributions of workers in our country), I’m very happy to be participating in this blog hop, which also commemorates the release of my second novel, Blaze of Winter. This book was one of my favorites to write because it features a sexy-as-hell author of swashbuckling adventure novels named Theo Grayson. When he takes a room at the Star Harbor Inn, Theo thinks he’s going to get some peace and quiet. He finds something else entirely—a gorgeous, guarded social worker who seems to be hiding out. Slowly, Theo breaks down Avery’s defenses until she has no choice but to fall in love with him.

*Sigh*

If you’re interested in reading an excerpt of Blaze of Winter, click here. You can also buy it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBookstore (Apple)

So, back to the goodies! Random House is giving away some great prizes, including:

10 Free romance books
1 Grand Prize $25 Book eGift Certificate
5 President Winner Prizes – Author Elisabeth Barrett will create a personalized promo prize pack

Sixteen prizes in total, and yes, you read that right! I’m preparing a personalized promo prize pack for five of the lucky winners! The contest ends on 9/15, so get hopping!

How do you enter?

Since I can’t, for the life of me, get the Rafflecopter entry form to appear on this site, please use this link to get to the Rafflecopter entry form.

Also, visit the other sites to get more chances to win!

1.
Romance At Random
2.
Ruthie Knox


3.
Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews
4.
Reading Reality


5.
Storm Goddess Book Reviews
6.
Manga Maniac Cafe


7.
Full Moon Bites
8.
Reading with Holly


9.
Bookie’s Book Reviews
10.
All Things Books


11.
Good Choice Reading
12.
The Write to Make a Living


13.
The Book Diva
14.
Bea’s Book Nook


15.
Shawntelle Madison
16.
Elisabeth Barrett


17.
Socrates’ Book Review Blog
18.
Shelley Munro


19.
Insane Hussein Reviews
20.
Books R Us


21.
Jessica Scott
22.
Book Flame


23.
Manic Readers Guest Blog
24.
My Book Addiction and More


25.
SOS Aloha
26.
Pump Up Your Book


27.
Sharon Cullen
28.
Under the Covers Book Blog


29.
Musing Of A Bookworm
30.
The Book Tart


31.
Reviews by Molly
32.
Laurie’s Thoughts & Reviews


33.
Seductive Musings
34.
Romance Junkies


35.
Love To Read For Fun
36.
Cassandra Carr


37.
BookHounds
38.
Otterwise


39.
From the TBR Pile
40.
Love Saves the World (INT)


41.
Sharon Cullen
42.
So You Think You Can Write


43.
Babbles From Scott Eagan
44.
Bronwyn’s Writing


45.
TE Garden of Book Bloggers
46.
Bookshelf Confessions


47.
Review From Here
48.
Celticlady’s Reviews


49.
Labor Day Hop
50.
Romantic Reads and Such


51.
In Love with Romance
52.
The Bookpushers


53.
Reviewing Romance
54.
Queen of The Night Reviews


55.
Queen of All she Reads
56.
Romantic Crush Junkie Reviews


57.
Saucy & Sinful Reviews
58.
Romancing the Book


59.
Book Faery
60.
Harlies Books


61.
Love, Laughter, Friendship
62.
Ramblings From This Chick


63.
My Secret Romance
64.
Rambling Reads


65.
Delighted Readers
66.
suzy henderson


67.
Romancing Rakes For The Love of Romance
68.
Blackraven’s Erotic Cafe


69.
HEA Romances With a Little Kick
70.
AJ’s Reading Nook


71.
Blackraven’s Reviews
72.
The Readers Roundtable


73.
Dark Divas Reviews
74.
T B R


75.
Romance Book Club
76.
Seaside Book Nook


77.
Cheeky Reads
78.
Mimmi’s Musings


79.
Kindle Fever
80.
Not Now…Mommy’s Reading


81.
herding cats & burning soup
82.
Kindles and Wine


83.
Harlequin Junkie
84.
Caribbean Accent Book Reviews


85.
Sara Jane’s Eclectic Reading Blog
86.
Sharon Hamilton Author


87.
Coffey Brown Books
88.
From the Bootheel Cotton Patch


89.
Teena in Toronto
90.
Me and Reading


91.
The Romance Dish
92.
All Things Books


93.
Amber Kallyn
94.
Book Review Diva


95.
Leigh Ellwood
96.
Me Want Food


97.
Captain marketing
98.
One Word At A Time, Joan Swan, Author


99.
You’ve Been Hooked
100.
The Things You Can Read


101.
The Autumn Review

But wait, there’s more!

In addition to the prizes Random House is offering through the hop, I’m personally giving away 3 signed ARC copies of Blaze of Winter by Elisabeth Barrett. For your chance to win, in the comments section, please tell me the greatest thing you did this summer.

And because this is official, here are the rules for my giveaway (for Random House’s giveaway rules, go to their official blog hop page):

Rules:

(1) Winner must be a member of my mailing list. Please sign up for my mailing list here.

(2) In the comments section below, tell me the greatest thing you did this summer.

(3) Three random commenters will be selected.

(4) U.S. only, please! (I’ll be shipping paperbacks).

(5) Contest ends 9/15 at midnight, PDT.