Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Meet Author Martha O'Sullivan and Her Love Affair with California


 
Today I'm lucky to bring you Martha O'Sullivan. It's always interesting to find out inspires an author
 
And don't forget her excerpt from Second Chance on Saturday!


Thanks Leslie Ann, it's a pleasure to be here, make new friends and talk about one of my passions.

My love affair with California began at the tender age of fifteen and continues today, three decades later. So it should come as no surprise that the book of my heart, which somehow turned into a trilogy, is set there.

Maybe it was the indescribable thrill of a Midwestern girl seeing the ocean for the first time (we have a lake in Chicago, but it's not the same). Or the sight of unapologetically bronzed coeds with movie-star teeth driving silver metallic convertibles and playing volleyball in the sand. Perhaps the towering palm trees swaying against the impossibly blue sky? But that was in Southern Cal; my Chances trilogy takes place in Lake Tahoe and San Francisco, hundreds of miles north.

I was an unassuming only child of the 70's, growing up in a place where a short, precious summer turned into a long, cold winter seemingly overnight. What else was I to do but read (thanks, Carolyn Keene).

In high school, I often opted for the city bus because it stopped in front of the library. Just a branch, mind you, but they had loads of paperback books. And no matter the inventory du jour, I was drawn to the revolving wire rack of romance novels. Harlequin Presents, Danielle Steel and later on, Nora Roberts.

The books took me to places all over the world where effortlessly beautiful, wonderfully flawed heroines were swept off their feet by dynamic, irresistible heroes. I preferred the books to the afternoon soaps because I could imagine the characters in my mind’s eye. And if I found the ending disappointing or abrupt, I would simply continue the story in my head.

Writing such ideas down, however, took another thirty years.

In the interim, I went to college and met my own prince charming. And he took me to San Francisco on our honeymoon.

Lake Tahoe
And, as cliché as it sounds, that’s where I left my heart. Well, part of it anyway. Because eight years and two babies later, he took me to Lake Tahoe for the very first time.

And my frisson with California moved even farther north.

I hope my books will take you there. And you’ll leave a little piece of yours behind too.

Blurb:
When I started writing Second Chance five years ago, a trilogy was the farthest thing from my mind. But as Lindsay and Brian's adventure evolved, I realized there wasn't room in the book to do everyone else justice, not to mention the unrivaled beauty of the Lake Tahoe winter. And since Delaney and Mike's Chance Encounter in San Francisco was dancing relentlessly in my head, I put Moira and Paul's story on hold until Last Chance. I love them all, but Second Chance will always be the book of my heart.

In Second Chance (Chances trilogy book #1), star-crossed lovers Lindsay Foster and Brian Rembrandt keep the rugged, fawn-colored shores of Lake Tahoe blazing hot long after the summer sun has set. In Chance Encounter (Chances trilogy book #2), Delaney Richards and Mike Savoy heat up San Francisco’s chilly days and fog-cloaked nights with white-hot passion and pulse-pounding suspense. In Last Chance (Chances trilogy conclusion) the long-bridled desire of Moira Brody and Paul Webster melt the snowcapped Sierras into torrid puddles despite the single-digit temperatures of the Lake Tahoe winter.


The Chances trilogy is available at: 
Red Sage 
Amazon
Barnes and Noble 


Bio:
Martha O'Sullivan has loved reading romance novels for as long as she can remember. So much so that she would continue the story in her head long after the last chapter was read. Writing her own novels is the realization of a lifelong dream for this stay-at-home mom. She is the author of the Chances trilogy available now from Red Sage Publishing. Martha writes contemporary and erotic romances with traditional couples and happy endings. Her current work-in-progress is a Christmas novel set in Florida. A native Chicagoan, she lives her own happy ending in Tampa with her husband and two daughters.

Find Martha at:
Website 
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest-erotic contemporary romance
Blog
Goodreads


Saturday, March 1, 2014

Excerpt from Kayelle Allen: At The Mercy of Her Pleasure




As promised, today I bring you an excerpt from Kayelle Allen's
At The Mercy of Her Pleasure.
 
AND A GIVEAWAY
 
"Thank you for popping in to read today. As my gift, please accept The Tarthian Empire Companion Book, First Edition. This is 23 pages of images and info about Tarth and all the other places in the empire. When you click it, this will either offer you a download, or open in a new window, depending on your settings. To read it, you need Adobe Reader, available free. http://is.gd/seeTarthCity"


Blurb:
At the Mercy of Her Pleasure will be out of print after February 28th, so this is your last chance to grab a copy of the Loose Id edition. It will be re-released with slightly different material in the fall, along with a new sequel, and its previous one.

Antonello Brothers 1: At the Mercy of Her Pleasure

When the mission goes wrong, risking pleasure is the least of her worries, but Captain NarrAy Jorlan can't get professional thief Senth Antonello out of her mind -- or her heart.

Reader warning: This book is about a professional thief. The author claims no liability for items missing once the book is open, including hearts.


Excerpt:
NarrAy returns to her cabin aboard ship after a debriefing. Because she is a Better, an enhanced human, she has become attuned to Senth. She can physically sense when he is in danger.

All People's Liberation Army Ship Vandal
Officers' Quarters

NarrAy unlocked her cabin and entered.

"Senth?" A darkened, empty room greeted her. She set a hand over her chest. Tight. Hard to breathe for a moment. She shook off the feeling. Guess Senth went for chow. She headed back into the corridor.

"Warning. Weight limit exceeded." The gender-neutral, robotic voice sounded as if it had come from inside her cabin.

NarrAy poked her head back inside. The tightness in her chest increased. "Senth?" His bagbot had been activated; its lights were blinking. She entered the room and shut the door behind her. "Lights on full."

Ambient lighting went to bright.

"Warning," the bagbot announced again. "Weight limit exceeded. Please remove items until optimum weight condition achieved."

NarrAy approached the bagbot. "What the..." It swayed like a drunkard.

"Mmmph!"

"Senth!" NarrAy grabbed the retractable doors and forced them apart.

He fell out of the bot and collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath.

She helped Senth to the bed. "Who did this to you? What happened? I'm calling security."

"No!" He clutched her arm. "NarrAy. Sorry." He took shallow breaths. "My fault."

"What happened?" She picked up a booklet from the desk and used it to fan him. "Are you all right?"

He grunted and turned on his side, doubled over.

"I'm calling sick bay. You --"

"No! NarrAy." He shook his head and took a deep breath. "My fault. I was trying...test. To see if...if..." His hand tightened on her arm as he looked away from her. "So stupid."

"I don't understand, Senth. What happened?"

"I was bored, so I…" He pushed his face against the bed, avoiding her gaze. "I break into bagbots all the time. I thought I'd try breaking out of one."

"You did what?" She sank to the floor beside the bed to be at eye level with him. "Senth, you could've been killed!"

"Once I got the doors closed, the bot kept trying to compact itself."

All at once she glimpsed the future she'd have with Senth if she pursued him. Her wild missions paled compared to the thought of a life full of stunts like this one. Finding him locked inside some bagbot or cabinet or safe. Having him risk his freedom for the sake of a few rare coins or an old locket like the one he'd stolen for her. Thievery commonplace in her life? Her parents would never, ever have approved.

Which was why she had to give that future a chance.
 
Find at:
Loose Id
Amazon
Amazon (Print)
Powells (Print)
Barnes and Noble
iTunes
Books-A-Million
ARe



Bio:

Kayelle Allen is a multi-published, award-winning Science Fiction Romance author. Her unstoppable heroes and heroines include contemporary characters, role-playing immortal gamers, warriors who purr, and agents who find the unfindable.

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Romance Lives Forever Newsletter http://eepurl.com/G3YND
Homeworld http://kayelleallen.com
Unstoppable Heroes Blog http://kayelleallen.com/blog