March Madness, Book Giveaway, Upcoming

Dear Readers:

It's been forever and a day since I posted a blog or a contest. Life has been full of so many interesting twists and turns since December and family had to take the forefront for a little while, but I'm back and so excited about my upcoming release from St. Martin's so be sure to tune in often for updates.  

My blog is to make you aware of a contest being hosted by the fabulous Heather Snow who is giving away an armload of books all through her March Madness event! Today, Wicked Nights with a Proper Lady is up for grabs if you fill out the form on her blog!

So be sure to go over for your chance to win a copy of the first book in my Dangerous Rogues series.

I will also be giving away one of Heather's books, Sweet Enemy, the first in her Veiled Seduction Series. All you have to do is sign up for my Newsletter. If you are already a  subscriber, just say 'hi' in the comments on my blog or in the form on my website, and I'll enter you in for the draw! Contest closes March 31st!

And if you are not a newsletter subscriber, be sure to sign up for my newsletter before April 1st! I have an exclusive excerpt of Tristan and Charlotte's book being posted from Midnight Temptations with a Forbidden Lord!




Contest Closes March 31, 2013.

Good Luck Everyone! And Happy Reading.

Captain Durant & His Countess Are Here!

Let's hear it for Reyn Durant and Maris, Countess of Kelby! Their journey to happily ever after has a few twists and turns, but all ends well. To read what the Romance Dish has to say in their four star review, click here.



Some books to buy

Hello to 2013! I'm so glad 2012 is over and done, and 2013 has been . . . interesting so far.

While all of us are under deadlines, we'll be posting with any updates on books we've written, books we're recommending, or any news that happens to us. 

So, with that being said, I have some books you all should check out.

ONE GOOD EARL DESERVES A LOVER by Sarah MacLean

The heroine wears glasses and she's all into math. I am pretty horrible when it comes to math, so I'm usually fascinated by characters who are good at them.

Besides that, this is WONDERFUL. I loved this book so much that I want to snuggle with it at night. 

Here's a link to buy at Amazon.

SEX AND THE SINGLE FIREMAN by Jennifer Bernard

I think Jennifer's books are funny, sexy contemporary romances, and this is her latest in her series. This one has a female firefighter (woo-hoo!) and a sexy fireman (double woo-hoo). 

You can definitely read this if you haven't read the rest in her series. But if you're looking for a great contemp, you should definitely buy this HERE.

THAT SCANDALOUS SUMMER by Meredith Duran

I have a weakness for doctor heroes. I blame ER, specifically Noah Wyle. I know everyone was all about George Clooney when the show was on the air, but for me it was always Dr. Carter. Sighhhh. 

And, also, this is Meredith freaking Duran! Go buy it. She's awesome. Linky link HERE.

THE CHOCOLATE KISS by Laura Florand.

Chocolate. Paris. Hot chocolatier heroes. Charming. Sexy. Fun. Go read her books. I LOVE THEM. 

Linky link HERE.

What are you reading? Any good recommendations?

Bet You'll Marry Me

Blurb:

Originally published in shorter form under the title The Bet; first appeared within Debbie Macomber's Family Affair. 

In Darlene Panzera's debut full-length romance, an entire town places a bet on just whom pretty Jenny O'Brien will marry . . . and her choice surprises them all!

Marry Her and Win

When tall, handsome out-of-towner Nick Chandler first sets eyes on Jenny O'Brien, she's storming into the Bets & Burgers Café, wielding a broom and threatening the safety of every man in sight. Hey, he figures, she's got the right to be annoyed—the whole town seems to be laying bets on whom Jenny will marry.

Nick's annoyed as well. He didn't think he'd have to propose to romance the land away from her, but to save his sister and his ill-fated business, he jumps into the fray and bets $10,000 that Jenny will marry him.

Now the only thing stopping him from seizing her land . . . may be his own heart.

Only $2.99 at Amazon, Nook, Kobo, etc.

Happy Holidays!

The Vixens wish you all smooth sledding ahead and a happy, healthy, prosperous 2013 for you and your loved ones!

The Dirty Truth about Writing a Novella

Some of you may recall when I blogged about my writing process. Recently, I wrote and self-published my first novella, ONE HIT WONDER, and thought I would pull back the curtain, so to speak, on how I wrote  it.

Ready?

1. 2009 Me: I WILL NEVER WRITE A NOVELLA. THEY ARE HARD, and I don't know how to do it. I am sooooooooooooooooooooo stupid.

2. Feb/March 2012 Me: I'm still sooooooooooooo stupid, but let's read more and more novellas, especially because there are shorter pieces set in Kate Daniels' world. And there's some that have Curran's pov. CURRAN!!!! RWOR.

3. Spring 2012 Me: I wonder if I could write a novella . . . Maybe I should try . . . I do like boss/secretary tropes but how can I do something with that? Think, Elyssa, THINK!

4. Goes on Twitter. Plays Angry Birds. Reads more books.

5. I really should write something. It's been so long since I've written anything new, and working on AYW doesn't count. And OMG, what if I never ever can write anything ever again? *downward spirals into the bat cave*

6. Goes on Twitter. Sees a tweet from Smart Bitch Sarah at the RT convention. She mentions Damon Suede. I immediately think: THAT WOULD BE A GREAT ROCK STAR NAME.

7. Darcy Burke and I start twitter-procrastinating (twittercating?). She's like YES, that WOULD be a great name, and I'm all like it could be called ONE HIT WONDER, and she's like it could be about songwriters, and I'm like maybe . . . and then I think how much I've wanted to write a boss/secretary trope and then . . .

8. Damon appears in the hot tub. Naked. A former teen idol/once famous pop-rock star hero is born. I keep Damon and look for a new last name since I know I can't use Damon Suede. ALTHOUGH, DAMON SUEDE, YOU COULD TOTALLY BE A ROCK STAR, JUST SAYIN'!

9. Oh, this will be so much fun! *writes first chapter furiously* Hahahaha, chocolate milk, hahahahaha. Hahahahahah dance craze hahahahaha. Dance craze is sort of original in a book, I think.

10. Gangnam Style explodes. Me: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! No one will think I came up with a dance craze pre-Gangnam Style.

11. Reads some Shannon Stacey's novellas. Marvels at her awesomeness. Jill sends me her contemp novella. Marvels at her awesomeness. Reads a bunch of other novellas and marvel at their awesomeness.

Worries that whatever I write will be sucky suck.

12. Oh crap. How does one write a novella? I know! Asks Twitter, the place that knows all. Worries that no one will respond and that I'll be stuck in a corner with a big fat L on my forehead.

13. YAY! Some responses! Decides to love Meljean, Vivian, Annabeth, Vanessa, and Shannon forever and ever and ever. Meljean tweets me a link, Vivian DMs me, Shannon and Annabeth send me something, I read all the things. ALL THE THINGS.

And then I don't look at them when I start writing the novella.

12. Me to cp in September, a few weeks after AS YOU WISH is released: I probably should email the copyeditor to see what his schedule is like, since last time it was like months and months and months before I could get in. CP: Yes, you should totally do that.

13. Emails. Expects that CE will say oh, send it to me in January or February. CE emails back. He has some openings in October and November. Checks word count. Laughs/sobs. CP: book him for November, do eetttt! Me: Okay.

14. PANICS when I realize I only have 5,000 words.

15. Writes. Worries about ALL THE THINGS from Damon to Jane to the story. Reads Sarah Morgan's newest book, which has a boss/secretary trope in the boss/personal assistant, which I'm doing, and Sarah's book is AWESOME.

I eat lots of chocolate.

16. I stop and start with writing. There are some days where all I do is look at the screen. Why don't I have magic writing elves? What if I never can write anything ever again? Knows I have to write and does so, but worries, worries, worries. Especially about the hero who is so, so different and is sure that everyone will hates him.

17. Decide to stop worrying and have fun. Hahahahaha funny song titles hahahahaha.

18. Oh look it's a week until Thanksgiving, and I was supposed to have the novella done by Nov 1st. And I have 10k to write. And if I don't get it done then I'll have to cancel the CE and . . .

19. Maybe I should cancel! But then I would have to wear the CONE OF SHAME. But does it matter? NO ONE WILL LIKE THIS BOOK. NO ONE WILL BUY IT. I AM GOING TO SUCK.

20. CP gives me a talking to. I decide to eat chocolate.

21. Writes the novella. Gets to the sex scene. OMG, what if I forgot how to write a sex scene? OMG!!!!

22. I didn't.

23. Writes the rest of the novella. OMG, it's done. DONE. DONE DONE DONE. And I can do ANYTHING. That's right, Universe, you are MINE. ALL MINE.

24. Send novella to readers and tell them that if they hate it, I'm pulling it. They don't . . . hate it. Me = collapses in relief. Edits, sends to CE, and opens up a new document for a new book.

25. ALL THE DOUBTS ASSAIL ME. I'm so going to suck . . . but that's okay, because this is my process . . . as horrible and dirty as it is.

Where did the year go

 One of the first things that has to happen in December for me is the dogs need to be groomed. We have a ton of family events during the month and they need to be pretty/handsome when we bring them to everyone's houses. (I cannot leave them at home when we travel, as they are an intricate part of our family.) Aren't they adorable? Also, the best thing about the groomer--we have like three weeks where they don't smell like dogs. And I booked them for a face clean and trim on the 22nd so they will be just this cute all month long. They even have holiday themed bandanas!



Now back to the title--where the heck did the year go? I can't believe we are back to gearing up for Christmas. To date, I've only shopped for my kids (five more in the family to go--eek). Then there is the tree--I've been saying I'll put it up for two weeks now. I promise to do so this weekend. And the baking for the kids teachers. The list is never ending. Let's not forget I'm on deadline. Deadline-smedline you say. Yeah--talk to me in January when I turn into a crazy woman.

December was also a release month for me. My short story Kiss Me, Kate, a prequel for the Dangerous Rogues (and no it does not need to be read before Wicked Nights with a Proper Lady). It's a Regency romp I hope you'll all try and fall in love with. All the retailer/sales sites can be found HERE.

Also, I have a title for my third book in the Dangerous Rogues series. This is Hayden's book and it's titled The Scandalous Duke takes a Bride! I hope you love it as much as I do -- and I believe the title is a bit of brilliance on Elyssa's part! She really is a title Goddess.

Also, also I wrote a special Christmas story for Not Another Romance Blog which will be up on December 11th. I hope you'll hop on over and read the stories that are being shared by tons of great authors, including our very own Maggie Robinson!

See, Christmas is pretty crazy around the Clare household. What do you have planned for the month of December? Is your Christmas shopping done? Is your tree up?