Her Knight in Black Leather by JM Stewart

 

Her Knight in Black Leather is today’s Kindle Daily Deal!

 

That means for TODAY ONLY, January 23rd, it’s just 99 cents on Amazon!

 

Ladies, we all love a bargain. Right?

 

 Blurb:

Cat Edwards has spent her life playing the wallflower in an effort to escape the repressive weight of her mother’s tarnished name. Dragged to a bar by her best friend in an effort to forget a broken heart, the shy bookworm is determined to be someone else for the night, but quickly gets in over her head. She discovers chivalry isn’t dead after all when a mysterious stranger comes to her rescue. He’s wearing black leather and a mischievous smile that promises to be exactly what she needs. 

When his terminally ill father suffers a setback, Michael Brant returns to the town he swore ten years ago he’d never return to. He’s come back this time determined to make peace with the past, but being home brings up memories he doesn’t want to remember anymore. His first night in town, he’s captured by a damsel in distress. Cat’s beauty is made all the more alluring when he realizes she has no idea who he is. He can’t resist spending a single night in her arms. With her, he’s only a man, disconnected from his family’s name and the past that haunts him here.  

As the town erupts with the news of his return, Michael’s dark past comes back to haunt him, putting Cat in danger. Someone is threatening her life and the life of her family. Desperate to keep history from repeating itself, Michael offers her his family’s name in order to keep her safe. When the lie spirals beyond their control, can they stop their hearts from becoming entangled as well?

Excerpt:

“What did you need from me last night, Cat?” His hot breath teased her neck, the sensitive skin below her earlobe, and images invaded her mind. Of his mouth latching on there, leaving his mark. The possessive look in his eyes when he plunged inside her body, claimed her as his. How simultaneously wrong and right it felt to be claimed that way. They were strangers, yet deep down, she couldn’t deny she gave him a piece of herself last night.

“I wanted the fantasy. You were a little wild, a little dangerous. A Harley-riding bad boy in black leather with a wicked gleam in your eye who challenged anyone to try to judge you.”

 A faint chuckle sounded behind her, so infectious one corner of her mouth curled in response.

 “You were everything I wanted to be and exactly the type of man I never go for.”

 “Is that why you took that ride with me? Spent the night with me? Because I’m different?”

 She hesitated, her heart stalling in her chest, then shook her head. She spent the night with him because the façade intrigued her. The unexplainable pull between them and the uninhibited desire in his eyes sucked her in. The tenderness of his touch overwhelmed her. He overwhelmed her.

“No. I did it because I felt safe with you.” Safe to fulfill a fantasy without fear of it getting out of control, without fear she’d find out he really was every bit as dangerous as he appeared. And though she couldn’t explain how she knew, she’d bet every last cent she had that the only thing truly dangerous about Michael Brant were his discerning eyes.

“That’s exactly what I needed from you. The anonymity. You were the only person in this town who didn’t seem to know who I was, who hadn’t already formed an opinion of me. Over the years, I’ve convinced myself I didn’t care what people thought, but I came back expecting judgment. There are people here who aren’t fond of me. And with you, for one night, I was just a man. I had no name, no obligations, no expectations.”

He shifted closer, his body brushing her back, his heat seeping into her skin.

“I needed you.” His breath against her sensitive skin made her shiver. “I was just … me. I wasn’t

sure I wanted to know if you’d ever heard of me, what you thought of Michael Brant.”

His hands slid onto her arms, his touch light and hesitant, as if he couldn’t resist but wanted to give her room to object. When she didn’t — couldn’t — those hands skimmed along her forearms, over the backs of her wrists, awakening every nerve ending along the way and setting the tiny hairs to standing on end.

 About the Author:

 

JM writes sweet and heartwarming contemporary romance with a touch of passion. She’s a wife, a mother, a spiritualist, and lover of puppies, and happily addicted to coffee and chocolate. She lives in the Great Rainy Northwest with her husband of sixteen years and their two sons. She’s a hopeless romantic who believe everybody should have their happily-ever-after and has been devouring romance novels for as long as she can remember. Writing them has become her passion.

 

99 cent buy link on Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00AWWZVBE

 

Buy links elsewhere (my apologies. I don’t mean to exclude anybody, but Kindle Daily Deal is an Amazon exclusive sale and I have no control over pricing):

Barnes and Noble

iTunes

Kobo

All Romance ebooks

Crimson Romance

J.M. Stewart and Her Knight in Black Leather

 

Look who I have as a guest today!!! J.M. Stewart, known to many of us simply as Joanne. She's here to talk about her BRAND NEW RELEASE--HER KNIGHT IN BLACK LEATHER--and to share tidbits of her life. Joanne is one of those supportive darlings who has a knack for seeing most everyone's side in issues. That inate ability brings deep emotion to her writings.

Joanne, what is your life like away from the computer? Tell us something about your household. 

My husband and I have two boys, 17 and 12, respectively. I’m a stay-at-home mom and I have been since I was pregnant with my youngest (who is now bigger than me!). Unfortunately we don’t have family nearby, so we decided we didn’t want to put our kids in daycare. I didn’t like the thought of someone else raising my kids. I mean no offense to those who do, by the way. For it was a personal choice. So, we made a sacrifice.

So my days are usually spent fending off laundry and cleaning toilets in between pecking out chapters. ;)

What is the story behind your book title?

I stink at titles. What I do is try to come up with titles that sum up what the story is about. I have to admit Her Knight in Black Leather was a stroke of genius I have yet to replicate. I think an angel must have whispered it in my ear. lol Originally, when I first started this book, way back when, it had a working title of Dark and Dangerous. But that didn’t fit where the book ended up.  

So, I had a Word document out one day and I was writing down every combination of titles I could think of as well as looking through titles on Amazon to get ideas, when I ran across the phrase, “Knight in Shining Armor.” Which is where the title comes from. It’s a play on that phrase. Which is exactly what the hero, Michael, is for the heroine, Cat. He comes to her rescue. And in the process, she rescues him. 

"In the process, she rescues him." Oh, I love that. So, what is your writing schedule like?

I’m a die hard pantser. That means, I take an idea, a couple of characters, and I run with it. Well, not quite, but you get the idea. And I can’t write under pressure. I cringe thinking about the day I actually have a deadline for a publisher. Because I get test anxiety—the more stressed I get over something, the less likely I’m able to do it. So, I write when the mood strikes. If it doesn’t and I get stuck, then I force myself to sit down with the manuscript. 

But… because I don’t work outside the home, I have all day to write. And I usually do. I’m a bit OCD when it comes to my writing. I usually write from the time the boys get off to school, around 7am, until dinner time, around 5. Some days I get a lot done. Some days I don’t. I’m determined not to worry about it until I have to. I’m determined to enjoy the process of writing my books. Otherwise, what’s the point? 

Do you ever dream of writing in a different genre?

I actually have a love affair with historical romance. I adore knights and castles and the regency era of London. In fact, I didn’t actually read contemporary romance until I started writing it. But I’ve read historicals since somewhere around high school. I wish I could write historical, but unfortunately, my brain just doesn’t have the knack for the amount of historical detail needed. I’m the type of learner who needs to see something in order to truly grasp it, so, for me, in order to write a historical I’d feel proud of, I’d need to go back in time and live in the era. Which I would be perfectly okay with…so long as I didn’t have to stay there. ;)

I'm also fairly certain I don't have the voice for it. My writing voice is very contemporary.

 If your new release were being made into a movie who would you cast to play your heroine and hero?

Oh, I love this question! I’ll start by apologizing on not including a picture. I don’t want to get tangled up in any copyright nightmares. So, I’ve included links instead. It’s kind of lame, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.

For Cat, that would be easy—Katie Holmes, when she has long hair.

Michael is a bit harder. I haven’t found him yet. I need someone tall, with very dark hair and very dark eyes. They’re all too light haired, or too clean cut, too “pretty boy” and Michael’s a bit rough around the edges. So I had to go hunting in order to find this answer. Oh, the things I do for my job. *sigh* ;) I think Joe Manganiello would be very close. I see Michael with a five o’clock shadow though, as opposed to a beard. Or possibly Eric Bana.

 Blurb:

Cat Edwards has spent her life playing the wallflower in an effort to escape the repressive weight of her mother’s tarnished name. Dragged to a bar by her best friend in an effort to forget a broken heart, the shy bookworm is determined to be someone else for the night, but quickly gets in over her head. She discovers chivalry isn’t dead after all when a mysterious stranger comes to her rescue. He’s wearing black leather and a mischievous smile that promises to be exactly what she needs.

When his terminally ill father suffers a setback, Michael Brant returns to the town he swore ten years ago he’d never return to. He’s come back this time determined to make peace with the past, but being home brings up memories he doesn’t want to remember anymore. His first night in town, he’s captured by a damsel in distress. Cat’s beauty is made all the more alluring when he realizes she has no idea who he is. He can’t resist spending a single night in her arms. With her, he’s only a man, disconnected from his family’s name and the past that haunts him here.  

As the town erupts with the news of his return, Michael’s dark past comes back to haunt him, putting Cat in danger. Someone is threatening her life and the life of her family. Desperate to keep history from repeating itself, Michael offers her his family’s name in order to keep her safe. When the lie spirals beyond their control, can they stop their hearts from becoming entangled as well?

Excerpt: 

He touched her arm, hoping to ease the fear all but screaming at him from her eyes. “What happened this morning?”

 

Cat’s head turned as she darted a glance around her, before her gaze finally settled on him again. “I was threatened. A very angry digitized voice called me names and told me I’d pay for my indiscretions.”

Anger surged in his chest, settling in his gut like hot coals that set fire to his blood. That goddamn article. Someone dragged her into his mess. “Have you called the sheriff?”

 

She nodded. “Yeah, but it didn’t do me any good. He said he’d log the complaint and to let him know if I get any more, but unless I’m being threatened in person, there isn’t much he can do. The calls are coming from one of those prepaid cell phones, but the phone was registered to someone who doesn’t exist.”

 

“A fake name.”

 

She nodded and turned to stare at the ground, her whole demeanor taking on a soft vulnerability that twisted at his insides. The calls clearly frightened her, and an overpowering need to protect her surged in his gut.

 

The rebel in him flared to life like an old, familiar friend. Whenever someone pushed unfairly, something within him always pushed back. The way she looked now reminded him too much of the pain he heard in her voice as they stood in the gazebo during the fireworks. She was being threatened, and the intimidation worked. Anger surged in his blood. Damned if he’d sit by and allow someone to take that fire from her.

 

Before he could stop himself, he cupped her face in his palms and seized her mouth. He allowed himself a moment to revel in the sweetness of her lips, the way they melted beneath his own as her body leaned ever so subtly into his, then released her.

 

“Let ’em object to that indiscretion.” He furrowed his brow, not bothering to hide the scorn in his tone. “Whoever’s got you in their sights now has me to contend with. Come on, I’ll take you home.”

About the author: 

J.M. Stewart writes sweet and heartwarming contemporary romance with a touch of passion. She’s a wife, mother, spiritualist, and lover of puppies, and happily addicted to coffee and chocolate. She lives in the Great Rainy Northwest with her husband of sixteen years and theirtwo sons. She's a hopeless romantic who believes everybody should have their happily-ever-after and has been devouring romance novels for as long as she can remember. Writing them has become her passion.  

 

Where you can find me on the web:

 

Website: http://authorjmstewart.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/JMStewartWriter

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-JM-Stewart/129990420383155

Blog: http://jm-stewart.blogspot.com/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3159044.J_M_Stewart

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/authorjmstewart/

Buy link:

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00AWWZVBE

A "Magic Moment" with Angela Adams

Today I have the pleasure of featuring Angela Adams, who writes and reviews contemporary romances. Her work has appeared in Romance at Heart, Oysters and Chocolate, and The Long and Short Reviews. In December 2011, Whimsical Publications published an anthology, Winter Wonders. Ms. Adams' short story, "Burgers and Hot Chocolate," was among the collection. Now she's here to talk about her book -- Magic Moment. Don't you love the title? Angela has agreed to answer some of my questions.

Thank you, Vonnie, for inviting me today.  I’m a frequent reader and often a commenter on Vintage Vonnie.  It’s a thrill to be featured. 

         1.   Do you ever dream of writing in a different genre?

Sometimes I think I would like to write a children’s book (but I can’t seem to come up with an idea).  My favorite children’s story is The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams.  I love that story.  Almost all children have a stuffed toy that makes them feel secure.  Although the item they’re holding is just a soft and cuddly object, the security and contentment that they feel is real.  Just as the rabbit is real at the end of The Velveteen Rabbit.

 

2.   What part of the writing process brings you the most pleasure? The most angst?

 

The most pleasure is when I read a scene, and I feel it’s working.  The most angst is the first draft.  When I stare at the computer screen and nothing is coming out.  My mind wanders.  It’s very frustrating.

 

But, once I get the first draft down and start the revisions…I enjoy revising…and, feedback.  I love feedback, positive or negative.  Magic Moment was entered in several contests.  One judge made an excellent case that Chase wasn’t likeable until the third chapter.  I felt Chase needed to be liked a lot sooner, so my first three chapters were redone.

 

Obviously, I had made a good decision because after those revisions, I sent the manuscript to Crimson Romance.

 

    3.   What are you currently working on? 

I started a story about two years ago – more of an “inspirational warm and feel good” not a “Romantic Suspense.”  But, it’s so ironic, I write a few chapters then something happens to take me away from the book – like Crimson accepting Magic Moment, then the edits for Magic Moment, now the promotion.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to get back to it soon.

 

   4.   Tell us about your current release

I started to write Magic Moment about four years ago.  I’d already had the idea for a hero who was going through life believing he has to be the type of person others want him to be, rather than the person he wants to be.  Chase is a man who grew up torn between a self-centered, unprincipled father and compassionate, selfless mother.

Then, a colleague of mine, who also has three children, said she wished that her family could live on only her husband’s income and that she didn’t have to work.  Since she had to have a full-time job, she mentioned some important milestones she had missed in her kids’ lives.  For example, her oldest daughter took her first steps in day care.  She said she would be happy being a lunch mom at her daughters’ school and going to PTA meetings.      

Some of our colleagues scoffed.  I couldn’t see anything wrong with her feelings.  Her sadness over those missed moments kind of tugged at my heart.  Those comments influenced Laura, a woman who never aspired for a high-power career, but a simple life as a wife and mother.

Bringing the FBI into their lives, and sending the couple on the run, I threw in for twists and turns.  My television viewing is basically police dramas and soap operas.  The most successful romances are the ones littered with suspense.

Blurb:

When the FBI brings Laura Roberts – a quiet, reserved bookkeeper– in for questioning regarding activities at the warehouse where she works, an uneasy Laura resigns her job – only to be attacked by thugs.

 

Chase Donovan intends to spend a few peaceful days on his boat getting his head together – and finds a woman being assaulted by two men who say his father told them to do it.

Chase doesn’t want to believe his father could hurt anyone. Laura doesn’t understand why she’s a target. Can they learn to work together to discover the truth – before someone dies?

 

 

Excerpt:

As she opened the cabin door, a pleasant, tangy sea breeze tickled her senses.  Stiff limbs hindered her movements, but she climbed the stairs to the deck.  The sun blazed in the clear blue sky.  The boat teetered, alone, in a vast mass of water.  A brisk chill nipped the air, and Laura hugged herself.

 

“Chase,” she called.  No answer.  She called his name again, this time her voice having an edge.

 

He wasn’t in the wheelhouse.  She darted back down the stairs.  If he had been moving around in the bathroom or “head” as he had called it, she would have heard him.

 

“Chase.” Panic gripped her. “Chase.”

 

Her heart pounding, she ran through the narrow corridor and stopped dead in the eating area.  Propped up on the stool, he was asleep at the bar with a half-filled liquor bottle and an empty glass.  His head rested on folded arms, his breathing deep.  A laptop was also on the bar.  The monitor was dark, but the yellow light blinked.  Laura hit the space bar and print appeared on the screen.  Several windows had been minimized.

 

Clicking on one minimized window, she skimmed the on-screen print and gasped, amazed at the words she read.  She clicked another window and saw a search engine page. Chase had been reading articles on women who had been assaulted.  Her eyes scanned the list of titles.  He had wanted to understand, wanted to know how he could help her.  From what she had observed of Chase in the last three years, she never guessed he had this sensitive, compassionate side to his personality.  Her perception of Chase had been that of a friendly, but overindulged, self-absorbed playboy.

 

Who would have guessed?

 

Blog: http://www.authorangela.blogspot.com

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