Blog by VONNIE DAVIS -- International, Award-Winning Romance Author: Adventurous...Humorous...Amorous.
Showing posts with label romantic comedy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label romantic comedy. Show all posts

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Plus One is a Lucky Number by Teresa F. Morgan

My guest today is Teresa F. Morgan a lovely and talented  young lady from sunny Weston-super-Mare (UK), who is trying to hold onto her Surrey accent where she was born and bred.

For years she persevered with boring jobs, until her two boys joined her nest. In an attempt to find something to work around them, and to ensure she never endured full time boredom again, she found writing.

She's at her happiest baking cakes, putting proper home cooked dinners on the table (whether the kids eat them or not), reading a good romance, or creating a touch of escapism with heroes readers will fall in love with.



I love her already. Don't you? I mean, cakes y'all!!!

 Teresa has agreed to allow me to interview her and I'm thrilled. This is my first author visit from the fabulous group of talented authors from HaperImpulse.
 
1.   What is your life like away from the computer? Tell us something about your household.  

I like to consider myself a full-time mum, but I also have two part-time jobs that work around my sons. I’m a lunchtime supervisor (dinner-lady) at their school three lunchtimes a week – which I love, and I work in a small retail store (for a big retail giant) at the weekend – which I don’t enjoy so much. My two sons are my priority, aged 8 (nearly 9) and 6, and they keep me pretty busy, especially now as I’m a single mum.

I decided I wanted to write professionally in the hope that I could work this around my two children – i.e. I could work from home, and never have to go back to full-time work. At the moment I still can’t give up the part-time jobs, but that would be brilliant if I could concentrate on writing fully one day. (That sort of answers where do I see myself in five years time lol!)
 

2.   What is the story behind your book title?

‘Plus One is A Lucky Number’ started out as ‘The Wedding Favour’ – which was my working title. I entered the Mills and Boon New Voice competition in 2010 and my friend actually came up with the title. A play on words, in the fact you have favours at a wedding, plus Adam is doing Sophie a favour by pretending to be her boyfriend. Harper Impulse wanted the book to have a more chick-lit/rom-com title. At first they come up with ‘Plus One is the Loneliest Number’. I didn’t like it, it felt too long (I’ve got a thing for short titles), so suggested ‘Plus One is a Lonely Number’. Then Harper Impulse decided that was too negative, and to be honest, Sophie’s plus one turns out to be lucky for her. They suggested ‘Plus One is a Lucky Number’ for a more positive spin and I agreed.

After three years of calling the book The Wedding Favour, I’m getting used to the new title – almost!


3.   What are you currently working on?

Book two – Perfect Isn’t An Option, although with reference to the above question, I’m not getting too attached to that title! I was offered a two book contract with Harper Impulse, and luckily I had this second book almost finished. It does need a lot of editing (and additing as I call it), so I’m trying to polish it up to send over to my editor. It’s about a newly found A-list celebrity returning home (UK) from the US wanting to find love, and his sister stripping away his Hollywood star look, to make him appear normal to hopefully find someone who’ll love him for him and not his money. It’s kind of Clark Kent versus Notting Hill.

FAST FIVE:

1.   Heels, sneakers or flip-flops? Flip-flops!

2.   Chocolate, champagne or cheesecake? It’s so close between Champagne and chocolate! I can’t choose!

3.   Any tattoos? No. (I think about having a subtle one, then go off the idea).

4.   Long hair, short hair or weave? Long hair.

5.   Book or eReader? Both.
 
 


 
BOOK BLURB:
  

     Sophie’s going to a wedding where the invite is strictly plus one… but with her single girl status not exactly fitting in with the bridesmaid dress code, and the best man being none other than the ex she would rather forget, Sophie needs a date and she needs one fast!

Luckily for Sophie, her dreamy but distant co-worker Adam Reid owes their mutual friend James big time…and his gorgeousness more than fills the role of the ‘Perfect Boyfriend’!

As they take off to the sunny shores of Cornwall for the wedding weekend, it’s not long before pretence leads to passion and Sophie and Adam must decide; is their relationship real or is it all for show?
 
 EXCERPT:

 
 
                  “No, Adam.” Sophie placed her arm across his chest to stop him entering the room. “I can’t do it.”
“Of course you can.”
“No, I can’t. This is ridiculous. No one will believe it,” Sophie replied, her voice low. He could barely hear her. “Let’s drive home.”
Adam’s jaw clenched. There was no way in hell he was driving home. He needed a drink. Strong one, too. He softened his mood, and touching her chin, made her look at him. “I promise, I’ll be convincing. I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
“Adam, I don’t doubt you can charm the spots off cheetahs.” She nervously fiddled with an earring. “But I don’t think they’ll believe I’m seeing a guy like you.”
Adam chuckled and wrapped his arm firmly around her waist to pull her closer, liking the way she felt against him. Soft. Warm.
“Of course they will.”
“It’s a big lie we are trying to pull off so I can save face,” Sophie whispered. She tried to step away, but he kept her held firm against him, so they looked close – like lovers? That’s what she wanted, wasn’t it?
She hesitantly put her arm around his waist. “I can’t believe James talked me into this.”
“Look, at first I wasn’t too sure about this either, but James is right. We can do this. Hey, we might even have fun.” Adam even liked the idea of the challenge.
“But it’s foolish. More on my part than anything. I’m lying to my friends and family.”
“Sophie, I promised James I wouldn’t let you down and I won’t. They will never know.” He held her hand, and tugged gently. “Now let’s get that drink. You may not want one, but I do.”
Sophie took two hesitant steps, stopped, bit her lip, and looked him in the eye. “Adam, I’m still not sure about this.”
Adam, trying to keep a lid on his impatience, caught someone heading towards them out the corner of his eye, and pulled Sophie even closer. His hand pushed back her hair, his thumb brushing her neck, as he whispered into her ear, “Too late.”
He breathed, taking in the scent of her hair – coconut, reminding him of Caribbean beaches and the sun. Before he could register the sensation it provoked Sophie had released from his hold, allowing an older woman in her sixties to hug her.
“Sophie! Sweetheart, so glad you could make it,” the woman said loudly, her voice echoing through the bar. She kissed Sophie’s cheek. “How was the drive down? Not too much traffic I hope.”
“Aunt Veronica, lovely to see you.” Sophie’s smile stiffened. Adam swallowed. “This is my boyfriend, Adam.” 


 

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Rachel Brimble and 16 Marsden Place


Hi, my lovelies, have I got a treat for you. One of my Critique Partners--the British one--is visiting today. Her name is Rachel Brimble and her writing career is taking off big time. She's agreed to let me be nosy and interview her. Whoot!
1.   What is the story behind your book title?

16 Marsden Place is my heroine’s home address and where most of the book takes place. It is also the property that is the center of the book’s entire controversy. Sienna (my heroine) runs a sexy lingerie shop and at the opening of the book, it is likely to foreclose due to an astronomical rent increase. She takes the decision to move the business to her home address…next door to hunky single parent, Jack Beaton. This is when the fun really begins! ;)

Oh, do tell!!! I'm intrigued already. Now, what part of the writing process brings you the most pleasure? The most angst?

This changes daily depending on my mood, lol! If things are going well, nothing give me more pleasure than writing a scene that lifts the little hairs on my neck, or has me grinning or crying along with my characters. I also know that I’m in the minority of writers who LOVE tackling the revisions and/or edits that come back from my editors. I really enjoy seeing and appreciating their take on my creation. I never disregard a comment or suggestion they make - ever!

The process that gives me the most angst is plotting or those times I get bogged down in the technicalities. Have I ‘upped the stakes’/’concentrated on character arc/written a significant ‘black moment’. Once I start to doubt I’ve got all the supposed elements in my book rather than writing instinctively, things ground to a horrible halt. I sometimes wonder if that will ever change… sigh

What are you currently working on?

I’m currently working on book four of my ongoing Templeton Cove series with Harlequin Superromance. This will be a Christmas 2014 book and features two brand new characters to the Cove for the hero and heroine, alongside some of my most favorite secondary characters who have featured in each book. Finding Justice was released in February, A Man Like Him is out in August and What Belongs to Her will be available in March 2014. SO excited!

If your new release were being made into a movie who would you cast to play your heroine and hero?
16 Marsden Place is my first romantic comedy since 2010 and was so much fun to write! Many readers and reviewers have asked me if I’ll be writing a sequel for two of the secondary characters, so watch this space! I’m a very visual writer and the two images I used for Sienna and Jack while writing are two actors from Grey’s Anatomy. Kate Walsh for Sienna and Eric Dane for Jack.

Now, let's do a FAST FIVE:
1.   Heels, sneakers or flip-flops?
Flip flops – used to be heels all the way until I hit 37, lol!
     2.   Chocolate, champagne or cheesecake?
Oooh, tough one! Can I have champagne with cheesecake??
3.   Any tattoos?
No
     4.   Long hair, short hair or weave?
Long hair – and very, very curly! Hasn’t been cut professionally since my wedding day, 15 years ago.
     5.   Straight stick or automatic?
Stick – as I’m in the UK, stick is a lot more common than in the US.

 
There isn't a situation that can't be fixed by a coat of chocolate body paint or a liberal smear of Champagne Lick, right? Wrong!

Ever since her father was murdered by a gang of youths, Sienna Lloyd has named herself Potterford's protector--her sexy lingerie shop is a place where the town's women can visit and feel safe. But when that shop is in danger of closing, Sienna needs a solution that will keep her in Potterford, where she can always look out for her mother, friends, and clients.

The answer? Move the shop to her home at 16 Marsden Place. The problem? Her new neighbor, the delicious but seriously uptight Jack Beaton. Oh, and his four-year-old twin girls.

Jack has just moved to the tiny town of Potterford in a bid to start over. To build a new life that keeps his children safe from his alcoholic ex-wife. So when he discovers his neighbor intends to open a sex shop right next door, Jack will do anything to ensure it doesn't happen... including fighting every ounce of his attraction to the shop's owner and his innate need to trust again.

Excerpt:
       Sienna pulled into her driveway feeling a million times more optimistic than she had before she’d met with Kelsey. She’d only just cut the engine when an ear-splitting scream came from outside the car. She sat bolt upright.
The sight that greeted her didn’t bode well for the quiet night she hankered for.
Yet a traitorous smile tugged at her lips. Why did those twins have to be so cute? Sienna watched Holly and Katy run back and forth across the front yard, and a burst of laughter bubbled in her throat. If her guess was right as to which twin was which, it was Katy who screamed hysterically in one continual stream of terror while Holly chased her with what looked suspiciously like dog poo on the end of a stick.
“You’re a little firecracker, my girl,” Sienna said, laughing. She then turned to see Blue Eyes was also in the yard, and she groaned. Now that was just cruel.
Clearly, Jack Beaton possessed the same unfathomable gift all parents of young kids seem to have—the innate ability to completely zone out to the chaos that erupts all around them and walk about as though they’re alone in a silent meadow. But it wasn’t the way Jack calmly steered a wheelbarrow around the lawn that made Sienna’s heart race, nor the way he stopped and held up a rather raggedy-looking tulip bulb and smelled it, as though checking what it was.
What injected lust into her loins like liquid aphrodisiac would be his half-naked state of undress. His back made a perfect triangle, tapering down to a hard, buff ass encased in what had to surely be tailor-made Levi’s. A film of perspiration glinted along the length of his naked, golden spine as muscles rippled beneath the skin in all their sinewy glory.
Sienna sighed. It was pointless denying he caused sensations in her that hadn’t been stirred for a mighty long time. She ran the tip of her tongue over dry lips and squeezed her thighs together to stem the throbbing. Why did a man who looked like that have to move in next door when she had so many problems? Damn, if she hadn’t already felt as though her entire existence teetered on a precipice, she might have tried to get used to the idea of kids for some up-close and personal time with a guy like that.
Buy Links:



Rachel lives with her husband and two young daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK.  After having several novels published by small US presses, she secured agent representation in 2011. In 2012, she sold two books to Harlequin Superromance. She also writes Victorian romance for Kensington--her debut was released in April 2013.

She has just recently signed a further three-book contract with Harlequin Superromance, continuing her ongoing series set in the fictional UK seaside town of Templeton Cove.

Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family and beloved black Lab, Max. Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England…although she hopes a dream visit to Canada might just change her mind!

She likes nothing more than connecting and chatting with her readers and fellow romance writers. Rachel would love to hear from you!
Links:
Facebook

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Elise Marion brings CAKE!

I've got Elise Marion at Vintage Vonnie. Don't you love her sunbeam smile? Elise brings us CAKE today. A new release I've had the pleasure of reading and, ladies, it's a delight. An emotional page-turning romance that will seduce all of your emotions. Sigh...just one word, y'all...SIGH. Taylor loves two men, you see. The one who protected her during their teen years in a foster home and who has been there for her all of her adult life--and she for him, too, by the way. Unfortunately, she's kept her love for him a secret and he's about to marry someone else. Enter a sensual man who wants her for her, who cherishes her, and who doesn't take kindly to being number two on her priority list. Skillfully written, strong characters, crisp description and believable conflict. And the men...oh the men...SIGH...

Elise Marion is a lover books and has a special place in her heart for sweet and sensual romance. Writing about love across all walks of life is her passion, as is reaching people through the written word. The Army wife and stay-at-home mother of two spends most of her time taking care of her children. Her second job includes writing stories about characters that people can fall in love with. When the Texas native isn’t caring for her family or writing, you can usually find her with her nose in a book, singing loudly, or cooking up something new in the kitchen.


ELISE WILL BE GIVING AWAY TO TWO lucky commenters a prize package including a paperback copy of Cake, a beaded bookmark w/ cupcake charm, and 1/2 dozen vanilla cake pops courtesy of Austin Avenue Cakes. To increase your chances, follow the tour and comment. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. Her tour dates can be found here: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/07/vbrt-cake-by-elise-marion.html.

BLURB:  
Wedding planner Taylor Vaughn specializes in magical moments. So when her best friend asks her to plan his wedding, the task should have come as simply to her as all the others. There’s only one problem……she is desperately in love with the groom.

Caleb has always been Taylor’s best friend as well as her deepest and most secret desire. Her hopes that he will someday come to love her back are dashed on the day he brings his new fiancĂ© into their lives. While the misery of losing the man she loves to another woman looms over her, she doesn’t expect to find her head turned by the most unlikely of strangers.

Ethan Young, cake decorator, is everything a woman could want in a man: handsome, charismatic, and has a way with icing! When she finds herself feeling more than simple attraction for the sexy baker, her heart is torn in two between the man she’s always loved and the man who’s slowly stealing her heart.



EXCERPT:

“So, you and Caleb must be really close.” 

I instantly felt my defenses coming up at the mention of Caleb’s name. Most of the guys I’d dated knew that Caleb came as part of the package. Some were fine with it, but others not so much. Those guys had been dumped promptly. 

“He’s my best friend,” I snapped, turning to watch the night sky as it flew by through the window.  

“He’s obviously very protective of you,” he continued. “If I hadn’t seen him with Kimberly tonight, I might have thought you two were a couple.” 

I sighed, turning back to face him again. “Look, why don’t you just ask what you want to ask! If you want to know so badly, don’t beat around the bush.” 

Ethan’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline. Instead of the frown I’d been expecting, a smile spread across his face just before he laughed.  

“All right,” he chuckled. “I can see you’re a no-nonsense kind of girl Taylor. I just wanted to make sure you’re really available before I make my next move.” 

He steered the truck toward our exit ramp, his eyes now focused on the road as he crossed lanes to turn onto the street where we both lived. I gave him a few directions before sitting back against the leather seat and falling silent.  

Before I make my next move. 

As he pulled into a parking space in the lot in front of my apartment complex, I unbuckled my seatbelt. 

“Caleb and I grew up together,” I said. “He was my foster brother at a group home and he looked out for me. He’s been taking care of me ever since.” 

Ethan nodded his understanding and reached across the truck’s front seat to touch my shoulder. “I can’t say I blame him,” he murmured. “If I had a treasure like you in my life I’d want to guard it too.” 

My eyes widened and my knees took on a state of weakness that might just become permanent if he continued to say things like that to me. Thankfully I was still sitting. My hand was resting somewhere on the door handle, but I couldn’t make a move beyond that point, not with his melted-chocolate eyes fixed on mine or his arm resting over the back of my seat. I faintly felt his fingers toying with my hair. 

“Why…” I swallowed, trying to catch my breath and slow my racing heart. “Why would you say something like that?” 

He smiled again and my insides melted as he leaned across the center console toward me. His masculine scent mingled with spicy cologne combined with the smell of leather to create an intoxicating haze of maleness. I leaned toward him as if drawn in by forces beyond my control. 

“Because it’s true,” he whispered as those thick fingers came up to my jaw line. 

My breath hitched in my throat and lodged itself there, choking me with the anticipation of his lips on mine as he closed the distance between us.  

“Ethan,” I whispered just before his lips touched mine, “I think—“ 

“Don’t,” he murmured, his open mouth caressing mine with aching tenderness. “Don’t think.”

LINKS: 


AllRomance Ebooks                 http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-cake-857412-149.html

YouTube video trailer:      http://youtu.be/B-9USGhHpe8