Too Hot to Hold Sneak Peek #2

September 15, 2009

Middle of September? Seriously? *blows dust off blog*

Anyway, a new sneak peek from TOO HOT TO HOLD (aka Nick’s book) has just been posted!

Also, I’ve just been told that the release date has shifted a week, so instead of being available December 29th, it’ll be pubbed on January 5, 2010. So really, much easier than trying to ship out over New Years. If you pre-ordered it from Amazon, you’ll have to go in and approve the order again since the date did change.

So far, the official release date for HOLD ON TIGHT (aka Chris’s book) has remained January 26, 2010, but that could shift. If it doesn’t, well, then you get books 2 and 3 very close together, which is nice.

For now, I’m busy working on book 5 – Zane’s book which still has no title, but hey, the proposal was accepted by my editor, so that’s cool. And I’m editing Sydney’s next, Tempting The Fire, which has an August 2010 release date last time I looked. And then Larissa and I dive right into writing Stryker’s book (book 6)…so this fall will be busy.

Again, mid-September? Really?

Oh, and this post from author Saundra Mitchell cracked me up. This paragraph, especially, on what happens when your first book is finally published:

…your grandmother is in tears because she didn’t see it at Wal-Mart. Not that she was going to buy it- everybody even remotely, genetically connected to you expects you to give them a copy- you’d think they’d take pity on you because of your non-Twilight advance and buy one. Or two. Come on, people, some pity- I didn’t send my book to Oprah, I’m doomed!

See, and most of my family doesn’t plan on buying it, but they don’t want copies from me either…(don’t worry – for some reason this just makes me laugh…) But, of course, that means you’ll all have to make up for the non-familial buying and grab yourselves some extra copies…what?

Hard to Hold – Sneak Peek #2

August 25, 2009

Okay, so you’ve got the Hard to Hold long excerpt (basically all of Chapter 1 except for a few first paragraphs that were actually excerpted in the back of Hot Nights, Dark Desires. And then I gave you a sneak peek in early July that dealt with the three brothers. And because they’re so much fun, I’m bringing them back again for a command performance.

And yes, this book does have a heroine – she and Jake spend a lot of time together. But, you know, the brother thing…

Sneak Peek from HARD TO HOLD:

“Does Cal know Isabelle’s moved in here – with you?” Chris asked when Jake walked into the kitchen, still half in a daze.

“She’s moved in here with us. And yeah, Cal knows.” Jake drank the last of the orange juice directly from the bottle and forced himself to act as normal as possible. Because when you lived with two human radars like his brothers, you pretty much couldn’t get away with having any secrets.

“I like her,” Chris stated emphatically, then glanced at Jake. “Not like that.”

“Good,” Jake muttered.

“Good because you like her?”

“Because she’s Cal’s goddaughter.”

“Yeah, all right. We’ll go with that explanation for now,” Chris drawled. Jake looked for something to throw at Chris’s head while the man continued, “Still doesn’t really explain why she’s here, though.”

“She needed a place to stay.”

“You don’t usually move in women you like after one date.”

“We didn’t have any dates.”

“I can’t think of a woman he’s liked enough to spend more than a few hours with in recent months. Years, even,” Nick said. He’d come into the kitchen and poured and drank a glass of milk with his ulcer medication as Jake and Chris stared on. “What?”

“You’re drinking milk instead of coffee,” Chris said.

“You’re actually taking your ulcer medication,” Jake said.

“Yeah, your girlfriend’s bossy,” Nick mumbled.

“She’s not…forget it.” Jake knew it was stupid to argue and give them any more fodder, a fact he remembered both in real life and military situations, and one that got blown away when he was around his brothers.

“The admiral gave us the whole, be nice to Isabelle, speech yesterday,” Nick said. “I guess that’s the one he gave to you too.”

Jake nodded.

“I don’t think he meant you had to move her in,” Nick continued.

Jake played with the empty orange juice bottle.

“Are we going to talk about this?” Nick asked.

“No,” Jake said, and usually, that would end it. A maybe was code for, I’ll let you pull it out of me, but a no meant Nick would shut his mouth until – if ever – Jake decided to talk.

But yeah, what the fuck was he doing? This bodyguard-hero- all-encompassing savior bullshit was grating on every last nerve he had. A lot of people saw him like that, sure. He didn’t want Isabelle to.

He’d voiced his concerns to Cal again last night about how his brothers were going to get suspicious quickly, which was why the Admiral had casually mentioned to Chris and Nick that he’d be doing them a big favor too if they’d keep an eye out for Isabelle.

Jake had been voicing his concerns to himself ever since he’d encouraged her to take off her clothes.

Out of control.

Bantam/Ballantine New Book Giveaway at Dear Author

August 18, 2009

Could the title of the post be any longer? Maybe…

Anyway, head over to Dear Author and comment for a chance to win some of Bantam and Ballantine’s upcoming releases! My editor, Shauna Summers, gives you the lowdown on each book to help you choose. And yes, I’m excited because HARD TO HOLD is up there Very cool - it’s getting close to release day!

But it makes me so proud to be among such good company at Random House! And speaking of, I have a title for book 4, LIE WITH ME. It’s perfect for Cam’s book.

In other news, a daddy longlegs tried to kill me last night in my bathroom while I was washing my face. I’m so serious…it was like, ninja longlegs. I know there are more lurking, waiting for revenge. *shudders*

Hold on Tight Sneak Peek!

August 11, 2009

So now that you’ve gotten a sneak peek at TOO HOT TO HOLD, it’s time for one from HOLD ON TIGHT. This is Chris’s book and in the sneak peek, you’ll meet our heroine, Jamie. She and Chris have a nice subplot in Nick’s book (Too Hot) and they meet up again in HOLD ON TIGHT when Jamie is forced to launch an investigation against Chris.

I’m excited because I finished the galleys / page proofs for HOLD ON TIGHT and sent them on their merry express mail way yesterday. That means the trilogy is finally almost put to bed. Amazing how long it actually takes to finish a book in its entirety.

My editor and I are currently on the great title search for books 4 & 5. Since they’re connected and they might be out close together, we need titles that go together but not necessarily match. And it’s hard to find the right ones that actually mean something to the book, that aren’t too close to anything that’s been used recently by others and something that conveys that the books are more on the romance side of romantic suspense.

We have until Friday. I’ve also got revisions and the proposal for the yet untitled book 5. Stayed up until 2AM writing on it – so much fun. Nothing is better than those first three chapters. Everything’s shiny and pretty and new – any plot holes can be easily fixed without ruining an entire book.

Now, to drag myself back to the revisions. Definitely not as pretty and shiny, but getting there. The last 40 pages. Plus the subplot in book 4 becomes the plot for new characters in book 5, so everything hinges on everything else. Like a giant puzzle.

I swore my next books after the trilogy would be stand-alones. I suck at keeping promises to myself.

Too Hot to Hold – 1st Sneak Peek!

July 29, 2009

At the beginning of the month, you got an exclusive sneak peek from Hard to Hold here.

Now, let me point you in the direction of a brand new sneak peek for Book 2 in the SEAL trilogy, Too Hot to Hold. You’ll meet Kaylee, the heroine, thinking on her first meeting with Nick, our SEAL hero.

To recap, Hard to Hold releases November 24th, 2009, Too Hot to Hold releases December 29th, 2009 and Hold on Tight releases January 26th, 2010 -and I do believe you’ll get a sneak peek from Chris’s book soon!

Check back for more sneak peeks from the trilogy – I think we’re running them about every three weeks until the first release from this point forward, which is exciting.

I’m currently listening to the Black Hawk Down soundtrack (excellent music for the proposal I’m working on) while taking a short break from Sydney revisions and Cam revisions (the next book after Hold on Tight.) They’re both due August 1st. And I will need A LOT of coffee over the coming days. And Diet Coke. And cookies…and…well, you get the idea.

Hard to Hold Sneak Peek

July 16, 2009

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’re probably familiar with Jake, the SEAL whose been visiting me for as long as I can remember – he and his brothers were regular visitors on mine and other blogs, until I seriously started writing their stories and then, well, I kept them too busy to play.

Anyway, this special sneak peek from Hard to Hold, which releases November 24th, 2009, focuses on the three brothers the trilogy centers on – Jake, Nick and Chris, and also introduces their father, Kenny. It’s told from Nick’s point of view, which always seems to include…sex, whether it’s talking about it or thinking about it or…well, you know. But some of my favorite scenes to write focus on the three brothers, something my editor knows and indulges me on, to a point

Sneak Peek Excerpt from Hard to Hold – a scene from Chapter Three

Nick hadn’t been with a woman since he’d gotten back on U.S. soil from Afghanistan, which was some kind of record he never wanted to have to beat. It had been nearly forty-eight hours, thanks to Jake’s gunshot wound and the subsequent paperwork that needed to be handed in immediately, plus the debriefings and the physicals and right now Nick craved the kind of release only hot sex – or a good demolition – could bring.

Of course, being out with the man you called Dad could put a severe cramp in both those options.

“I didn’t want to come here to watch the battle of the fucking bands in the first place,” Jake was complaining to Chris.

“I need to get laid,” Nick told his brothers.

“Go for it,” Chris said, then downed another shot.

“It’s not like I can leave with someone – not with Dad here,” Nick said.

“Like he didn’t know about all the other times, starting with freshman year in high school,” Chris said and Jake and Nick groaned in unison at that image.

“Freshman year wasn’t my first time,” Nick said at the same time Jake asked, “Are you trying to make sure I can never have sex again?”

“Dad probably gets more ass than any of us combined,” Chris said, and Nick and Jake groaned again. Chris just laughed. Tonight, he wore a white T-shirt, which made the fact that his eyes were two different colors stand out even more. One was bright blue, the other an intense green and they gave him an unbalanced, slightly crazed look. Once people got to know him, they realized that it wasn’t just a look.

“He’s got to stop with the mind-reading bullshit,” Nick muttered.

“Just don’t start a fight tonight,” Jake warned and Nick immediately figured that a good, old-fashioned fight could work to distract him for a while, since the band about to take the stage looked like Motley Crue gone wrong. Until he felt the tap on his shoulder and turned to see Kenny Waldron, the man he’d called Dad since he’d been fourteen, staring all of them down.

“I’m here to show off the new band, not my sons’ excellence at bar fights,” he said.

All three men held up their hands in silent surrender. Like they were being put under house arrest.

“Hey, we don’t start them,” Chris protested, and that much at least was true. There were guys who knew they were SEALs and who wanted to pick fights with them just because of that. Sometimes it was because other men’s girlfriends looked at them a little too long, and hey, they couldn’t help that either.

Kenny rolled his eyes at them, and then his stare stayed on Jake for a few minutes too long. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but the band started in and he got distracted.

Score one for Jake. And speaking of score, Jake should be chomping at the bit, worse than Nick was. Jake was definitely tense, but he appeared off the market tonight – not looking around for any kind of action the way he normally would. Which could only mean that Jake was already in some kind of major trouble.

He looked around and his eye caught on one woman who looked familiar. It took him a minute, but he was finally able to place her. “Hey – Dr. Markham’s here.”

“Who’s that?” Kenny asked.

“The woman Jake pissed off today,” Chris said and Jake shot him a look, which he ignored.

“You saw her today?” Nick asked.

“It’s a long story,” Jake mumbled and Nick knew there was more to it than that. A lot more. But he was content to let Jake shrug it off if he wanted. He’d get the full story from Chris later on.

“Were you rude?” Kenny asked.

“I was the way I always am,” Jake said. Chris choked on his beer, Kenny started lecturing Jake in Cajun French and Nick figured that this was a perfect time to slip away.

***

Want more? Read an excerpt from the prologue of Hard To Hold here!

HOLD ON TIGHT cover!

July 10, 2009

HOLD ON TIGHT (Book 3), available January 26th, 2010

They were caught in the crossfire between danger and desire…

HE’S A NAVY SEAL SUSPECTED OF MURDER

SHE’S HIS LOVER, AND THE CHIEF INVESTIGATOR

Chris Waldron, an elite U.S. Navy SEAL, is used to getting out of tight spots. But all his years of training can’t prepare him for the crisis he now faces. When a mission to rescue a kidnapped ambassador and his wife goes tragically awry, an FBI hostage negotiator is killed and Chris finds himself at the center of the ensuing investigation. Leading the charge is the blistering hot special agent and onetime lover who has re-ignited their mutual attraction.

Jamie Michaels is determined to keep things professional with Chris Waldron this time. But seeing him bruised and battered in that hospital bed has rekindled all those feelings she thought she’d left behind during their brief, passionate encounter in Africa. Now Jamie must keep her craving for danger at bay as she spearheads a search for the truth that just may blow Chris’s career to bits-and put them both in the crosshairs of an unseen enemy.

***

The jpgs of these books do not do the covers justice – all the writing is raised and the print is neon – HARD TO HOLD is neon orange, TOO HOT TO HOLD is neon-yellow and HOLD ON TIGHT is neon pink and they look so cool all together. Waxcreative played with the jpgs a little so you could get more of a feel of how bright and eye-catching the lettering is.

New site, new covers!

March 26, 2009

Welcome to the new site! I just adore it – and everyone at Waxcreative – for doing such an awesome job! It’s everything I wanted and I love the new look and I’m so excited to finally share it with you all.

I’m also excited to share the covers for Hard To Hold (aka Jake’s book) and Too Hot To Hold (Nick’s Book). And yes, I know they’re up on the site already but that doesn’t mean I won’t show them off here too. Chris’s cover is done except for tagline and quotes, and I’ll be able to show Hold on Tight soon. For now, you’ll have to content yourself with these two.

HARD TO HOLD

available September 29, 2009

Maximum danger.
Maximum desire.
And holding on for dear life…

The Special Ops hero feared nothing
-until he met a woman too hot to hold…

Lt. Jake Hansen has survived some of the riskiest missions known to man. But now the wounded Navy SEAL faces his toughest job yet: Smuggling Dr. Isabelle Markham out of Africa without triggering an international incident. Not easy to do when the gorgeous hostage happens to be a senator’s daughter —and about as easy to resist as an oasis in the desert…

If it weren’t for Jake, Isabelle would still be halfway across the world, where rebel forces left her for dead. The Special Ops warrior may have saved her life, but she doesn’t need him to protect her now. Tell that to the ruggedly handsome hunk in full battle fatigues who’s just been assigned Isabelle’s personal bodyguard. Close quarters aside, Isabelle won’t let Jake anywhere near her heart — until danger throws them together again…and nothing in the jungles of wildest Africa could prepare them for a passion this wild. This crazy. This hot….

TOO HOT TO HOLD

available November 24, 2009

Together, they’re an explosion waiting to happen

He’s an elite Navy SEAL living a risky double life. She’s the gorgeous reporter hot on his trail.

Nick Devane’s life is one big, classified secret. Until Kaylee Smith busts his covert world wide open, threatening to blow his cover. Digging around where she doesn’t belong could get them both killed…especially when the beautiful journalist uncovers top-secret information that could set off a global disaster if it falls into the wrong hands. Nick can’t let that happen, even if he has to battle deadly mercenaries and an irresistible attraction that is all consuming…

Kaylee didn’t expect her search for her missing ex-husband to lead to this sexy and dangerous SEAL. Now she’s teamed up with Nick on a mission that takes them into deepest Africa–and into the middle of a massive government cover-up. With rogue agents hot on their trail, Kaylee’s going to unearth all Nick’s secrets. Before they both vanish without a trace. Before the passion burning between them sets off an explosion no one may survive…

***

So, what do you think?

Okay…

January 31, 2009

it’s here.

And here.

So it’s real.

Except, yes, two different release dates on the above links (it moved twice in a week, I think) – but the last official word (always subject to change) is that HARD TO HOLD (Jake’s book) will be available SEPTEMBER 29, 2009!!!

As of now, TOO HOT TO HOLD (Nick’s book) will be available end of November for a December 2009 release – and Hold On Tight (Chris’s) will be an early Spring 2009 release (I’m hearing February but everything shifting around lots right now.)

No cover(s) as of yet – will share as soon as I can.