Showing posts with label on writing sweet romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label on writing sweet romance. Show all posts

Friday, March 2, 2018

Nancy Lee Badger Presents Author Josie Riviera

Josie Riviera stopped by to share a few intimate details about her new book. Oh Danny Boy is a sweet contemporary novel. Take it away, Josie!
Have you ever tried something you were afraid to try because it mattered so much to you? I did, when I started writing. Take the chance, everyone, and just do something you love. Because my daughter attends university in Ireland, I have had the opportunity to visit this beautiful country many times and wanted to capture the essence and flavor of one of my favorite places in the world.
Blurb for Oh Danny Boy:
This pot of gold could hold more than they bargained for…
Grand. Just grand. Clara Donovan’s failure to keep her brother from going off the rails—again—is a public spectacle. Including a handsome stranger who puts down his guitar case to help her talk Seamus down from Farthing’s tallest bridge.

Everything about Danny Brady reminds Clara how many times she swore she’ll never again be that pathetic, weak woman who got taken in by a good-looking man. Especially when, the next day, she walks into a new coffee shop in her little Irish town and discovers Danny’s secret.

Danny didn’t lie—technically—about his coffee shop chain. He’s just tired of women going after him for his wealth. Clara is a graceful, fiercely loyal, non-Irish Irish damsel in distress, a combination that tugs at his heart. A heart that’s spent its share of time in pieces.

Danny has never hesitated to go after what he wants, but melting Clara’s defenses will take more than hot tea and charm. He’ll have to prove he’s made of stronger stuff—even when her past threatens to tear her carefully reconstructed world to shreds. 

Buy Links:  



Excerpt for Oh Danny Boy, a sweet contemporary novel by Josie Riviera

“Seamus, don’t jump!” Clara Donovan heard her own cries, the shouts resounding through the misty night air. She raced across the sidewalk toward Farthing Bridge, her gaze riveted on a horror she didn’t want to believe. Her older brother Seamus sat on the edge of a tall bridge with his head slumped in his hands, a bottle of whiskey beside him. The arched stone bridge spanned the River Farthing, connecting the town to a once-popular marketplace.
No. It couldn’t be. Her breath burned in her chest as she took in gulps of dampness and drizzle. Don’t stop. Run faster.
When she reached the bridge, she elbowed through a group of late-night revelers. Several pointed up at Seamus. “He’s off the rails!” someone shouted.
Her brother seemed unaware of the gathering crowd. He swung his legs back and forth like an underwound metronome and stared into the ice-cold river below.
She shook off the image of him on her living room floor several days earlier. He’d been passed out drunk. Should she have phoned a treatment center? No. She could fix her brother’s problems. He simply needed encouragement, surrounded by his loving, supportive family.
Seamus. Gentle Seamus. Kind and fiery-haired, quick to temper, quicker to make amends. Her heart squeezed at the scruffy, dejected man he’d become since his wife had died.
Clara put her hands on her knees and took in calm, even breaths. Quickly, she assessed the corroded pedestrian catwalk leading to the top of the bridge, the skull and crossbones sign that warned Danger.
She stared upward at her sweet brother. “Dear saints in heaven, Seamus,” she whispered. “You promised me that you’d never drink again.”
She stuffed her wool gloves into her jacket pockets and bent to lace her weatherproof boots tighter. There was no time to dash around the river to the street that crossed the bridge, and she certainly wouldn’t ask anyone in the crowd to lend a hand.
She yanked off the “Danger” sign and threw it to the ground. That pressing feeling in her chest, like she was running out of air, slowed her movements. Dragging in another breath, she grasped the slippery wet handrails and stepped onto the bottom rung of the catwalk.
“Missus, are you trained for this?” a man from the crowd inquired.
She glanced around. The man stood a hairsbreadth away. He was tall with piercing blue eyes and carried a guitar case. His dark brown hair had a reddish tinge and his navy wool jacket strained against his athletic form.
“Thanks. I can manage on my own.”
Despite her refusal, she hesitated. Was she trained to climb to the top of a rusted bridge when she was crippled with fear and could hardly breathe? Umm, no. But she was desperate, and desperation made people do things they thought they could never do.
“I insist.” The man set his guitar case on the grass and stepped forward. “Who’s sitting on the top of the bridge?”
“My brother!”
“I’ll follow behind you. No worries.”
No worries. Dear saints in heaven, her brother was about to jump off a bridge.

More About the Author
Josie Riviera is a USA TODAY Bestselling Author of contemporary, inspirational, and historical sweet romances that read like Hallmark movies. She lives in the Charlotte, NC, area with her wonderfully supportive husband. They share their home with an adorable Shih Tzu who constantly needs grooming and live in an old house forever needing renovations. 

Social media:
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Connect with her on Facebook and Twitter @josieriviera

Friday, January 22, 2016

Nancy Lee Badger Interviews Author Caroline Lee

Caroline Lee stopped by to share intimate details of her life, and to talk about her book. Where They Belong is a sweet historical romance and was released before Christmas, 2015. Please tell my readers a little bit about your book.  

Caroline- The Sweet Cheyenne Quartet is my Western holiday series. It follows the Barker/Murray family and their friends, as each finds love in unexpected places. In A Cheyenne Thanksgiving, for instance, family friend and neighbor Cam McLeod rescues a beautiful Chinese woman wandering across the Wyoming plains—talk about unexpected! But this book (it’s really a long novella) is a particularly special holiday story; it’s the story of the youngest Murray sister, Annie, who is deaf. Since the very first book, I had readers asking me when Annie was going to get her story, but I hesitated, because I was concerned about how to build a relationship (in 1890) when one character couldn’t hear. It took me a while to write, but I think I did her (and the relationship) justice. Both Annie and Reggie (who was introduced as the wastrel younger brother in A Cheyenne Celebration) are struggling to choose between two worlds and two futures. It’s a Christmas story about finding one’s place, and about figuring out Where They Belong. Reviewers tell me that they’ve laughed and cried multiple times while reading it, which is a grand compliment to an author.

Want to know a secret? I wrote the story, and I still cry every single time I read the big “grovel” in the final scene. Reggie is such a sweetheart, and I love how he really “gets” her.

Nancy- Readers do not understand that authors love their characters, and how much their stories affect even them. Describe the genre of this particular title, and is it the only genre you write in?  

Caroline- I have a Master’s Degree in social history, with a focus on the history of marriage. When my colleagues asked me if I was going on to get my doctorate, I laughed and showed them my first book. I love putting my degree to use this way! I only write historical romance, but I’m not limited to sweet western holiday stories. I’ve got a wonderful book out (Brothers of Baird’s Cove: Renegade) set on an island off the coast of Charleston, SC during Reconstruction, and I’ve been working on the other two books in that series.

Nancy- I love the Charleston area. I am originally from New York, raised a family and started writing in New Hampshire, and have now fallen in love with my new home in the southern United States. When did you start writing toward publication?

Caroline- In 2013 I answered a prompt from Avon for Christmas romances. My story didn’t get into that anthology, but I thought that it was pretty good, so I decided to share it online. Amazon was obviously the best choice for distribution, and I had to choose a nominal fee to publish. I didn’t even realize that what I was doing was called “Independent Publishing”, but I loved it. The next year I did it again, and The Sweet Cheyenne Quartet was born.

I’m a huge proponent of self—or independent—publishing (and I’m happy to chat with anyone about it!). There’s nothing a publisher can do for me that I can’t do myself (or hire someone to do, rather). That’s really liberating… but it can be lonely too. A publisher offers a support network and a marketing team that, while I can hire, I can’t really match. So there are real benefits to both routes to publication, but I’m still firmly in the independent camp. I love the control!

Nancy- Will you share some encouraging words for authors still struggling for that first contract? 

Caroline- Write. Write write write. Write because you love it, because you have a story in you that needs to be told. After that one has been told, tell another and another. Then join a writing organization (I’m a member of my local Romance Writers of America chapter) that will help you become a better writer, through workshops and seminar and critiquing. Even joining a local group that meets at the nearest Starbucks is helpful; the support and accountability will do wonders for your word count and your skills. Then write some more. And remember that a contract with a publisher isn’t the only path to publication. We think of it as validation, to receive that contract… but your first monthly paycheck from Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publication will be just as validating, I promise.

Please Share three fun facts about you that most people don’t know.
1) I cry/laugh/sigh romantically over my own work. Even my old stories.
2) My youngest son inherited my collection of stuffed hedgehogs, which all have “H” names.
3) I work for George Mason University’s LIFE Program, a post-secondary program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Nancy- What’s next for you?

Caroline- I have three different series I’m working on write now (get it?). Two new (secret) ones and the Brothers of Baird’s Cove Trilogy. You’ll see some of those later this year! And of course, there’s going to be a Sweet Cheyenne Christmas story in 2016, and probably an Easter one in 2017.

BOOK BLURB   
Where They Belong: A Sweet Cheyenne Christmas Novella
Small-town girl Annie Murray is excited about the adventure of a grand coming-out season in New York City over the holidays, but it doesn’t take long to realize that the offer isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Annie is deaf, and has spent years changing herself—how she communicates—to fit in with “proper” society. She’s even learned to speak, for goodness’ sake! But the only thing these people seem to care about is how different she sounds, and it’s darned galling to know that she is still not acceptable. In fact, the only person in New York who tries to make her feel comfortable at all is Dr. Reginald Carderock.

Reggie knows what it’s like to feel like you don’t belong someplace. He was born and raised among the Fifth Avenue elite, but is only barely tolerated these days. His friends and family don’t understand how he can spend all of his time treating the city’s poor at his clinic, or what he could possibly see in his brother’s little deaf student. But the more time he spends in Annie’s company, the more intrigued he is by her strength, determination, and compassion.

Just when the two of them figure they’ve reached an understanding, they get the worst possible news from Annie’s family in Cheyenne. Now they’re stuck together in a mad dash across the country, dreading what they’ll find at the end. It’s a crummy way to spend Christmas Eve, and Reggie knows that he might lose her forever when they reach their destination. He’ll need to figure out a way to show her that he can see her for who she truly is.

Which is good, because all she wants for Christmas is for him to hear the words she’s not saying.

Buy Link:  AMAZON

Contact Caroline HERE




More About the Author



Caroline Lee is what George R.R. Martin once described as a "gardener author"; she delights in creating interesting and lovable characters, and allowing them to lead their own stories. Often they draw the story along to completely unexpected--and wonderful!--places. She considers a story a success if she can re-read it and sigh dreamily... and she wishes the same for you.

A love of historical romance prompted Caroline to pursue her degrees in social history; her Master's Degree is in Comparative World History, which is the study of themes across history (for instance, 'domestication of animals throughout the world,' or 'childhood through history'). Her theme? You guessed it: Marriage throughout world history. Her favorite focus was periods of history that brought two disparate peoples together to marry, like marriage in the Levant during the Kingdom of Jerusalem, or marriage between convicts in colonial New South Wales. She hopes that she's able to bring this love of history-- and this history of love-- to her novels.

Each one of the books in her Sweet Cheyenne Quartet has reached the Best-Sellers list on Amazon, and all are available in e-book and paperback formats. Caroline is living her own little Happily Ever After with her husband and sons in North Carolina. 

Friday, November 7, 2014

Long Live Sweet Romance by Kristy Tate

LONG LIVE SWEET ROMANCE!

Nancy: I am intrigued with your article's title. Explain?

Kristy: I had an uncomfortable experience a number of years ago when I attended a workshop where a writer brought in pages and pages of sex scenes to be critiqued. She read one steamy passage and then said, now, skip 70 pages and then she’d read another libido boosting scene. After the workshop, after I stopped blushing, I asked her why she’d saved and clustered her sex scenes just for us. Her answer, my agent said the reason my novels aren’t selling is because they need the sex scenes so I’m adding them. Since then, this writer is self-publishing her novels, sweet romances, sans sex scenes, and she’s sold thousands of her books. I think she’s financially doing much better than she would have had she published within the traditional romance industry AND she’s able to look her grandmother in the eye.

Nancy: I hear you. My mom reads my nearly complete draft, which is why the sexual tension and somewhat spicy lovemaking in my books is not what I would call erotic or graphic. My characters don't curse very much, either.

Kristy: This reaffirms my belief that there’s a giant gaping hole in the publishing industry. I believe in the power of words. I believe in the power of stories and I also believe not every story has to be powerful. Entertainment is as valuable as enlightenment. Sometimes we just need to get away. Go somewhere else--take our mind off of the nitty-gritty of everyday. And even if we can’t afford an African safari or romp in the Amazon, those experiences are available to us, FOR FREE, at the public library. We can have romance, mystery and intrigue if we possess a library card.

I’ll admit I cried when the Border’s Bookstore closed. Whenever I felt sad I’d go to Borders and buy a book and a chocolate. It didn’t happen often, I’m usually upbeat, but when I’d feel trampled upon and world weary, I knew that I could be lifted up just by going to the closest bookstore. Chocolates and books were there, waiting. 

Nancy: I feel this way, too! There was a lovely Borders near my house, and I miss it very much.

Kristy: My son couldn’t understand my loss. You made your choice when you bought your I-pad, he said. I want libraries, bookstores AND books in the clouds, I replied.

I want books with romance, mystery and intrigue, but I don’t want books with titillation, excessive violence or gore. And that’s the genius of anthologies like 

Autumn's Kiss: Ten Contemporary & Historical Sweet Romances.
Ten sweet stories of love. Ten great authors. Ten ways to celebrate Autumn.
Falling in love is timeless. From a sexy medieval stonemason to a small town shopkeeper - Regency England to Napa Vineyards, this selection of Historical, Contemporary, Paranormal and Time-Travel short romance stories is sure to capture your heart. 
Featuring my novella, The Witching Well

THE WITCHING WELL. KristyTate. Time Travel
Celia Quinn holds Jason West responsible for the demise of her grandmother's dress shop, so when she takes a sip of water from the witching well and is transported back to Regency England, Jason West is the last person she wants to see--or kiss.

Now available on Amazon for only $2.99. 

More About the Author
Kristy Tate is the mom of six incredibly brilliant and beautiful children, and the author of several novels. Although many of her novels have won awards and have ranked on Amazon's top 100 list,
Kristy has yet to realize her lifelong dream of owning a Schnauzer farm. Kristy studied English literature at Brigham Young University and at BYU's International Center in London.
For updates on Kristy's upcoming novels, please visit her BLOG