Thursday 23 January 2014

Something to Prove and 10 Things about Shannyn Schroeder



Something to Prove
The O’Learys
By: Shannyn Schroeder
eKensington
Releasing January 2014


Blurb
Two ambitious people team up to prove themselves to their families—and find there may be more to their partnership than just business…
Elizabeth Brannigan is determined to show her father she’s capable of running the family business. Saving his struggling Chicago bar seems like the perfect project. But she’ll need a little help dealing with the rough crowd. Who better to assist her than the handsome co-owner of a thriving Irish pub? Of course, with so much work to do, there are bound to be a few late nights…
Colin O’Leary’s father passed away before he could prove to him that he wasn’t a screw-up. Now he wants to show his brother he’s responsible enough to own a bar of his own—and Elizabeth may be able to help him. But when their professional aspirations clash, tempers—and passions—flare. Are they mature enough to mix business with pleasure—or will they have to choose between the two?


Buy Links:



Excerpt
Maybe she’d invite Colin to lunch. She had to be able to work with him. He hadn’t done anything to make her think he wasn’t trustworthy. He’d done nothing wrong. In fact, he’d come up with some good ideas.
            She grabbed her purse and headed back into the bar. He stiffened at the sight of her. Oh, yeah, this was going well. “We missed lunch. I thought maybe you might want to grab something to eat before we have to meet with people.”
 His shoulders relaxed and his mouth quirked. “Is that an invitation?”
“Yes. I’m sorry I snapped at you.”
 “That’s all?”
 What else did he want? She raised her brows, waiting for an explanation.
 “No ‘thank you’?”
“Why should I thank you for doing your job?”
He walked around the bar and stood much too close for her comfort. “I think you owe me a thank-you for rescuing you from the biker.”
She rolled her eyes. “You did not rescue me. I handled myself fine.”
His smile broadened. “From where I stood, he was about to handle you.”
 “I didn’t ask for your help.”
“What would you have done if I wasn’t here?”
She debated telling him that the door wouldn’t have been open. The clientele of this establishment made her uneasy, but she wasn’t about to give him that fuel. “I would’ve called the police.”
“Wrong choice. You need me more than you thought, Legs.” He walked past her toward the door.
“What did you call me?”
“Legs.” He tilted his head and his gaze ran down the length of her. “As in you’re all leg.”
“My name is Elizabeth.”
He smiled, and her heart jumped. A smile should not have that effect.
He continued, oblivious to her condition. “Anyway, if you’d made that call to the cops, he would’ve gone into a rage. You have to be able to read people.”
“That’s why I hired you. So we’re back to you just doing your job and no thanks are necessary.” She turned to the door with her car keys in hand. His laugh echoed in the empty bar behind her and she couldn’t hold her smile back.
 
10 Things About Shannyn Schroeder

1.     I love to bake. I make mostly cookies because they’re easy and they keep well. I bake whenever I’m stressed out because it relaxes me and everyone enjoys the end product.

2.     I think the DVR is one of the best inventions EVER. I’ve always watched a lot of TV. I was one of those latch key kids who did homework in front of the TV. When I really got into writing and taking it seriously enough to work towards publication, I had to give up some TV time, mostly because I was too lazy to set the timer on the VCR or DVD player. Once we got a DVR, though, holy cow did my TV watching increase. I’m more likely to give new shows a try and I watch more because I never watch commercials any more.


3.     I listen to music all the time. The radio is always on in my car and I create a soundtrack or playlist for each book before I start writing. I have the radio on in the kitchen any time I’m in there for more than 5 minutes. I listen to a lot of country music because it often gives me story ideas, but I do listen to the “oldies” station – it really bugs me that the 80s are now considered oldies.

4.     Popcorn is my all-time favorite snack. I eat it 3-4 times a week easily. I have a hot air popper that I’ve had for probably 10 years. Although I like to argue that the hot air popped popcorn is healthy, I do add some real butter and lots of salt. I still think it’s healthier than any other popcorn.


5.     I keep chocolate on my writing desk. Most of the time, it’s a small bowl of M&Ms, but I recently bought a container of dark chocolate sea salt caramels and I’m convinced they’re addictive. Salty and sweet at the same time? Win-win!

6.     When I write, I never really know what’s going to happen. I don’t outline or do a lot of plotting ahead of time. I get to know my characters before I start and I have some basic scenes that I think will happen. I tend to see the book as a movie in my head as I write. Sometimes this works well for me and I’m treated to a wonderful surprise that I hadn’t anticipated. Other times, I end up writing many, many (MANY) words that I end up cutting.


7.     In every other part of my life, I am a total planner. I’m a bit of a control freak. I plan everything out from the best way to get from home to whatever errands I need to get done to how I can juggle getting words in around the kids’ schedules. I’m often surprised that the control freak in me doesn’t take over when I’m writing. I don’t know where she goes to, but I’m glad she’s gone.

8.     I’m a mean mom. It’s a title I hold dearly because it means that I’m strict and have high expectations for my kids. I’ve taught them that there are consequences for their actions and I don’t say things that I don’t mean. I’m far from being a perfect mom, but my kids know what to expect from me.


9.     In addition to being a writer, I juggle many part-time jobs. I’m an editor for an education company that publishes daily on-line current events lessons. I run the office end of my husband’s construction company. I teach college level academic writing. I love the flexibility all of these jobs give me because it means that I’m at home with my kids. I can do everything around their schedules and still have time to spend with them.

10.  I suck at housework. I always have. I can’t even blame it on the kids or being consumed by writing. For years we had a housekeeper who came it twice a month. She was worth every penny we spent, but she decided to become a real estate agent. Now, I’ve delegated the housework to the kids who are all old enough to take it on, but it’s never as good as I (or my housekeeper) would do it.
Author Info
Shannyn is a former English teacher, who now works as a part-time editor while raising her three kids.
Even though she wrote from high school through college (mostly poetry), she’d never considered a career as an author. Writing fell by the wayside as she focused her energy on creating lesson plans and new and fabulous ways to torment her teen students. One group in particular dubbed her “The Torture Master,” a title she carried into motherhood.
After the birth of baby number two, Shannyn resigned from teaching and fell in love with reading romance novels. She read so many books so quickly that her husband teased, “If you’re going to read so many damn books, why don’t you just write one?”
So she did.
That first book is safely buried on her hard drive, but the process set Shannyn on the path to where she is today—agented with a debut ebook coming out with Kensington in late 2012.
She is recovering from her Diet Coke addiction, fears putting her foot in her mouth on social media, and has a renewed appreciation for the bad girls of the world.

Author Links

Rafflecopter Giveaway: Nook Simple Touch ($79.00 Value), TWO Digital Copies of Winner’s Choice O’Leary Romance or FIVE Keeper Kase with O’Leary’s cards
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday 21 January 2014

Guest Post: Love and Other Games Anthology



Love and Other Games
By: Ana Blaze, Melinda Dozier, Aria Kane & Kara Leigh Miller


LOVE AND OTHER GAMES is a collection of four sexy new adult stories centered around athletes competing in the Winter Games by Ana Blaze, Melinda Dozier, Aria Kane, and Kara Leigh Miller.

Worth More Than Gold by Ana Blaze
Amy Pierce, the klutzy sister and manager of America’s Skating Sweetheart, is used to being invisible. But when a friend drags her to a party near the Olympic Village, Amy catches the eye of a sexy Norwegian ski jumper. It’s a magical night, but an awkward next morning has her running.

Everyone knows Erik Andresen’s best shot at an individual medal was back in 2010, before an injury pulled him from the competition. He’s there for his team, but a hot night and a remarkable final training session have him wondering if a gorgeous good-luck charm could give him another chance at the podium.

With a little bit of luck, these two might have a shot at something worth more than gold.

Trouble with Gold by Melinda Dozier

US snowboarder and notorious prankster, Ty (Trouble) Madsen is only getting a taste of his own medicine when his Olympic teammates shackle him to a fence wearing nothing but his boxers.

Reception and protocol volunteer, Nadia Hoffman, gets up close and personal with the sexy snowboarder to rescue him, but she's not the kind of girl who lets her hormones get in her way. A professional performance could help her land her dream job at Olympics Committee Headquarters, but her new assignment supervising the rambunctious US Snowboarding Team is making that difficult. Can she see behind the snowman in the community center bathroom and into the warm heart of the man everyone calls Trouble?

The Girl behind the Gold by Aria Kane
Greek aerial skier Lia Milonas’s parents are about to lose the family farm. Saving it means medaling and landing a huge sponsor. While her no-nonsense attitude has her well on her way to a medal, it hasn’t won her a place in fans' hearts.

“Come back with a story that will make readers cry, or don’t come back.” This is what Brandon James’ boss told him before he left New York to cover the Winter Games for Moment Magazine. With a wink and a smile, he can charm his way into any invite-only party, but that career-making story is nowhere to be found – until he meets Lia.

The two strike a deal that should get them both what they want - but neither would have guessed they’d also find what they need.

Ice Gold by Kara Leigh Miller
Colton Campbell thrives on the fast paced, adrenaline rushed lifestyle of being an Olympic hockey player.

Despite Brenna Jessup's abhorrence for the games and the athletes, she's hand-picked as the official photographer for the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team.

When a faux pas by Brenna almost costs Colton his career, she owes him. Too bad for her, Colton doesn't want apologies -- he wants retribution! And he knows just how to get it -- and her -- in the process.


Buy Links



Aria Kane is a recovering mechanical engineer and romance writer. As a military brat, she grew up all over the country, but now lives in sunny Florida with a 60 lb mutt who thinks he's a chihuahua.



Kara Leigh Miller
Born and raised in the small town of Mexico, New York, Kara was an only child who was forced to find ways to entertain herself. Playing make believe with her Barbie dolls and stuffed animals was her first real taste of storytelling before she became old enough to develop a love affair with the written word.
In early 2010, Kara picked up her very first romance novel, and she was instantly hooked. She loves to write contemporary romance, new adult, and young adult romance. Currently she has several full-length novels in the works, a series of novellas, and a handful of short stories. Kara is an active member of the CNY Creative Writers Café and the CNY Romance Writers.
Today, Kara resides in New Haven, New York with her husband, five kids, and three cats. When she's not reading or writing, she's thinking about reading and writing. And when she's not doing that, she's spending time with her family and friends.

Recently, Kara has taken on the position of Managing Editor for the Surge Imprint at
Anaiah Press, LLC -- a Christian fiction press. She's working exclusively in the young adult and new adult line. 


Melinda Dozier lives in Guatemala, Central America, with her husband, three boys and German Shepherd.  She enjoys being the queen of her household and dreams of being pampered fully by her boys once they’re grown. Learn more about her at www.melindadozier.com



Ana Blaze
Ana lives just outside Washington DC with her very supportive husband and three rather demanding cats. She loves the ocean, Indian food, Ikea, and cooking. Ana admits to watching too much television and she swears that someday she’s going to learn how to play the guitar resting on the bookshelf in her office.

https://twitter.com/ana_blaze

https://www.facebook.com/AnaBlazeLove

http://pinterest.com/anablaze/


Rafflecopter Giveaway (Nook Simple Touch (see terms for international) and Swag Pack from Aria Kane (Olympic bracelet, evil eye necklace, bookmarks) (US only)
a Rafflecopter giveaway