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Meet Joanie MacNeil author of Desperate and Dateless @JoanieMacneil #RLFblog #contemporary romance
Joanie MacNeil, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. I’m Kayelle Allen, author and owner of this blog. Happy to have you here! Please tell us about Desperate and Dateless.Desperate and Dateless by Joanie MacNeil
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Book heat level (based on movie ratings): R
Liam has no time for romance in his busy schedule. Zoe doesn’t consider herself desperate and dateless. Nor is she interested in computer-matched dating.
When they independently receive tickets to the Desperate and Dateless ball from well-meaning associates, their lives become irretrievably entangled.
Tell us about yourself as a person.
What was your favorite childhood game?
I loved to dress up in the clothes my mum didn’t need anymore. My school friend would come to my house on a Saturday afternoon and we’d have fun dressing up, pretending we were other people. My friend’s older sister wrote a short play and we donned clothes much too big for us, and became the characters in the play.
What is your favorite book?
I have a soft spot for the very first romance book I read. The historical romance, My Gallant Enemy by Rexanne Becnel, swept me away into another world. The story gave me the escapism I craved at the time.
What is your favorite meal?
A healthy, filling salad with lots of leafy greens, colorful fruit and vegetables, nuts, seeds and protein.
Tell us about yourself as a writer.
What made you want to be a writer?
When in primary school, I wanted to write an adventure novel like the ones I enjoyed reading. Many years later, I did begin to write, not adventure novels, but contemporary romance.
What are your favorite books for writing advice?
When I first started to write, during my lunchbreak I would trawl through the bookshop at the university where I worked, looking for that magic fix. My favorite book from that time was Writing from the Heart by Lesléa Newman. A very useful book for a new writer.
The most recent favorite is Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes. A fresh uncomplicated approach to story structure in romance, and helpful for new and established writers.
When you go to a convention, what kinds of things do you take along?
A notepad which will accommodate my notes for the duration of the conference plus a few pens; a copy of the program for the day, so that I know where I should be and when. I like to be organized. It’s also good to take a bottle of water, lip gloss for dry lips, and a jacket as sometimes conference rooms can be quite chilly.
What’s your best advice for a new writer?
When I began my writing career, the three Ds were often mentioned: dedication, determination and discipline. They still apply today. Get into the habit of writing regularly to develop and hone your craft.
What are your writing goals for this year?
To write at least two novellas, self-publish one or two previously published novels, and complete two other works in progress that have been hanging around for too long. If I manage to complete half of those projects, I’ll be a happy author.
Where to buy Desperate and Dateless
Publisher https://bookswelove.net/macneil-joanie/
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00JQRDGTK
Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MYH01GH
Books2Read https://books2read.com/u/m0gdaYJoanie MacNeil Social Media
I am an Australian romance author living in Canberra, Australia’s National Capital. I write short contemporary romance novels and novellas, ranging from sweet to sexy stories about new love and second chances. I love to travel with my own romantic hero and have visited parts of the world I never dreamed I’d see.
Home, family and friends are important to me. I have blended these elements into some of my stories.
When I’m not travelling, or working on my latest project, I enjoy reading romance as well as Icelandic Noir. Though I like watching movies, I never find the time to go to the cinema. I manage to catch up on some shows on Netflix. I enjoy meeting friends for coffee, and am a regular participant in aqua aerobics.
Website www.joaniemacneil.com
Twitter https://twitter.com/JoanieMacneil
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/romanceauthorjoaniemacneil/
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com.au/joaniemacneil/romance-author-joanie-macneil/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/joanie_macneil_romance_author/
Amazon Author Page http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00JQRDGTK -
Read the new Romance Linked by Deception by Jami Gray @JamiGrayAuthor #RLFblog #PNR
Welcome to Romance Lives Forever. I’m Kayelle Allen, author and owner of this blog. Happy to have you here! Please tell us about Linked by Deception.Linked by Deception by Jami Gray
Genre Paranormal Romance
Book heat level (based on movie ratings): R
When it comes to the relationship game, she’s learned her lesson well…
With her ability to weave illusions, Jinx Thorne grew up running successful cons with her grifter father, until the day he taught her how easy it is to deceive those you love. Armed with that hard-earned wisdom, she retreats behind her emotional walls determined to avoid a repeat lesson. When she’s partnered with the seductively charming Rabbit, his friendship does the impossible, eroding her defenses and leaving her on shaky ground.
With his patience at an end, he’s about to change the rules…
As the PSY-IV Team’s tech wizard, Rabbit Tessier can manipulate all things electronic, yet that’s not his only area of expertise. As an acknowledged flirt, he enjoys his role as the team’s heart-breaker, but after he’s partnered with the intoxicating queen of illusions that satisfaction wans and he’s done playing games. As they undertake a dangerous mission where things could go sideways in a blink, he’ll take the biggest gamble of all and lay his cards on the table.
When the mission forces them to play intimate criminal partners, will they risk the jump from illusion to truth as they race through a maze of conspiracies and lies before the clock runs out?
QUICK
Do you write more than one genre? If so, what are they?…
I do actually. My first love is Urban Fantasy, but like a truly enamored stalker, Paranormal Romance is right on its heels. I enjoy working with PSY-IV Teams as it’s fun to mix romance and paranormal abilities to see what shakes out, but this year I’m working on a new Urban Fantasy series because I need a break from the emotional roller coaster that happens when romance is the main story.
And because I love dystopian themes, I tried my hand at a Dystopian Romantic Suspense series that somehow keeps getting put into Post-Apocalyptic Romance, which I’m okay with. Who doesn’t like the idea of love in the time of Mad Max?
How do you come up with ideas?…
I’m one of those writers who comes up with a character first so my stories tend to emerge from there. I love gray characters, like the gunslingers of the old west who swagger just on the side of right. When your character has flaws, it gives you a deep pool of possibilities to play with. When I started the PSY-IV Teams, I was binging on military themed romance (one of my favorites) and I kept wondering what happened if you blended those elements with unique and unusual paranormal abilities? By their nature these men and women carry a deep-seated need to protect others, but what happens when that protection comes at a high cost? I really get a kick out of putting my characters through the wringer.
What is the single most important part of writing for you?…
Creating characters my readers can connect with. I grew up writing in roles from my favorite stories for me (which explains the minor in theater) because reading was my escape. My hope is that I’m able to provide that same creative escape for those on the other end of the page.
When did you write your first book?…
You mean the one that will never, never, never see the light of day? Fourteen. I actually spent all four years of high school writing my first book. It was close to two hundred pages—handwritten and typed on an actual typewriter (I know I’m dating myself). I still have those pages and took them out during one of my writer retreats to share with my crew of ink slingers. Mortification was off set by much laughter, but it was freakin’ hilarious.
FUN
Leather or lace? Oh definitely leather, even though it chaps. Lace itches.
Black or red? Black, it goes with everything and doesn’t show dirt (or blood)
Satin sheets or smooth cotton? Smooth cotton. Satin tends to turn into Slip-N-Slide.
Ocean or mountains? Mountains for sure. But if you asked my other half, he’d push for ocean. Makes our discussion on future living locations fun.
City life or country life? Hmm…I’m going to have to do country as I tend to be a homebody.
Party life or evening at home? Evening at home, preferably with a good book and/or my Knight in Slightly Muddy Armor.
Dogs or cats? Dogs, most definitely dogs. I have a starter kit of two right now, both fur rugs are labs–one white, one black. I adore my Fur Minxes.
Where to buy Linked by Deception
Publisher Celtic Moon Press
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081BD4W6QJami Gray Social Media
Jami Gray is the coffee addicted, music junkie, Queen Nerd of her personal Geek Squad, Alpha Mom of the Fur Minxes, and award-winning author of the Urban Fantasy series, The Kyn Kronicles, the Paranormal Romantic Suspense series, PSY-IV Teams, and her latest Romantic Suspense series, Fate’s Vultures. She writes to soothe the voices in her head.
Website http://www.JamiGray.com
Twitter https://twitter.com/JamiGrayAuthor
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jamigray.author
Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/jamigrayauthor/
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/JamiGray
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Jami-Gray/e/B006HU3HJI
Get to know Jami Gray better by signing up for their email newsletter.
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Introducing Jeffrey from Only a Good Man Will Do, by Dee S Knight @DeeSKnight #RLFblog #Romance #AltRead
Let’s meet Jeffrey from Only a Good Man Will Do, an erotic romance, by Dee S Knight. Welcome to Romance Lives Forever. I’m Kayelle Allen, author and owner of this blog. Happy to have you here! Please tell us about the story your author wrote.Only a Good Man Will Do by Dee S Knight
Genre Erotic romance
Book heat level (based on movie ratings): R
Seriously ambitious man seeks woman to encourage his goals, support his (hopeful) position as Headmaster of Westover Academy, and be purer than Caesar’s wife. Good luck with that!
Daniel Goodman is a man on a mission. He aims to become headmaster of Westover Academy. For that he needs a particular, special woman to help him set high standards. Into his cut and dried life of moral and upright behavior, comes Eve Star, formerly one of Europe’s foremost exotic dancers. Her life is anything but cut and dried, black and white. Daniel is drawn to her like a kid to chocolate. Nothing good can come of this attraction. Or can it? He is after all, a good man.
Introducing Jeffrey Torrington
Please tell me about yourself.
Age: 7
Gender: Male
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts
Profession: Profession? I’m just a kid!
Ethnicity: I’m a human, American boy
What do you look like?
I’m kinda little for my age, though Mr. Goodman says I will grow someday. I have short brown hair because they make us get our hair trimmed here at school if it starts to hit our ears. In summer, with my uncle in Oklahoma, I let my hair grow and grow. It tickles. Oh… and, I have brown eyes, and… I don’t know what else. I look like a normal kid.
Who is the significant other in your life?
*giggles* Significant other? I don’t like girls much. But I guess my uncle is my significant person. After my parents died a few years ago, he’s taken care of me. And Mr. Goodman, the resident master in my dormitory. He’s cool. I like him a lot and his brother fixes cars for racing!
How do you dress?
Here at Westover Academy, we have to wear a uniform al the time. It’s dark blue pants and jacket, with a white shirt and a dark red tie. Our shoes always have to be polished. I didn’t know how to polish shoes until I came here to school last year but now I’m real good at it. When my uncle comes to visit, I get to wear jeans and tee shirts and sneakers. I wish I could live with my uncle all the time, but he’s real busy and travels a lot. If I did, I could wear sneakers and jeans all the time.
Please tell us about your education.
I’m in second grade at Westover Academy. I’m good at arithmetic but not so good at Latin. I like hearing about all those battles the Romans fought and stuff, but I’m not very good at reading it. I like science. Right now we’re studying the planets. I can pick out two in the night sky without using a telescope at all. I think I want to be a scientist when I grow up. Or maybe a cowboy on my uncle’s ranch.
Are any of your skills a source of pride or embarrassment, and if so, which ones and why?
*sigh* I really suck at lacrosse. I almost never get the ball in my stick, and once I ran into another player when I wasn’t looking. I like playing, though. I like to run.
What kinds of things do you always carry (in pockets or purse)?
In my school uniform, nothing. I’m afraid if I left anything in there and my uniform pants were cleaned, I might get into trouble for not remembering to take it out. But when I go off campus, I always have candy in my pockets.
What is your family like?
My mom and dad died when I was three or four. Then I went to live with my uncle in Oklahoma. When I started school, he tried to find the very best place for me, and I guess that’s here, Westover Academy. I miss being at home, but I love Uncle Neil and so I try to do what he wants me to. Here, I kinda think of Mr. Goodman as part of my family. Last weekend, when I was the only kid left in the dorm, he let me come to his apartment and we watched baseball and had pizza and everything. He’s like my uncle away from home.
If someone from your past showed up, who would you most want it to be, and why?
My mom and dad. Truthfully, I hardly remember them, but when I lived at home Uncle Neil would tell me stories about them, and about him and my dad when they were growing up on the ranch Uncle Neil owns now. I don’t really remember them, but I miss them.
Where to buy Only a Good Man Will Do
Amazon https://amzn.to/2q7ovi4
Read free on Amazon Kindle UnlimitedDee S Knight Social Media
A few years ago, Dee S Knight began writing, making getting up in the morning fun. During the day, her characters killed people, fell in love, became drunk with power, or sober with responsibility. And they had sex, lots of sex. Writing was so much fun Dee decided to keep at it. That’s how she spends her days. Her nights? Well, she’s lucky that her dream man, childhood sweetheart, and long-time hubby are all the same guy, and nights are their secret. For romance ranging from sweet to historical, contemporary to paranormal and more join Dee on Nomad Authors.
Website https://nomadauthors.com
Blog http://nomadauthors.com/blog
Twitter http://twitter.com/DeeSKnight
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DeeSKnight2018
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/265222.Dee_S_Knight
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B079BGZNDN
Newsletter https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/h8t2y6
LinkedIn http://linkedin.com/in/dee-s-knight-0500749 -
A new Cat Café sweet #romance by Kris Bock @Kris_Bock plus a #freebook #RLFblog
Kris Bock, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. I’m Kayelle Allen, author and owner of this blog. Happy to have you here! Please tell us about your book.Tea and Temptation at the Cat Café by Kris Bock
Genre sweet romance
Book heat level (based on movie ratings): G
Can two lonely people get a second chance at finding love?
Zach may be a best-selling novelist, but it’s been a long time since he’s felt truly alive. In the last six months, he moved to the country, his wife left him, and he was diagnosed with cancer. Now he lives in a haze of treatments, writer’s block, and simply trying to survive each week. But when a pretty woman comes into his favorite café and throws herself down on a padded bench with a groan of despair, he feels something he thought he’d lost: curiosity.
As a veterinarian, Jenna knows both joy and heartbreak. The former she can share with her clients. The latter she keeps to herself. She learned one lesson from her ex-husband: Men don’t want to deal with your emotions. It’s odd to have a stranger ask about her problems. It’s even more of a shock when he offers to solve one of them by fostering the sick kitten abandoned by its owners.
Zach and Jenna bond over kitten care and build a close friendship. Could they have more? Zach is finally starting to hope for a future, ideally one that includes Jenna, but he can’t move forward until he’s dealt with his past. Meanwhile, Jenna is afraid to risk her heart on someone who might not survive the next few months.
The Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the workers and customers at the Furrever Friends Cat Café, and the adorable cats and kittens looking for their forever homes. Book 1, Coffee and Crushes at the Cat Café, is free Feb 7-11! You can also get a free 10,000-word novella set in the world of the Furrever Friends cat café when you sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter.
If you enjoy friends to lovers tropes, or seasoned romance/mature romance, check out Tea and Temptation at the Cat Café. You’ll also find rescue cats with plenty of personality and their own ideas about love.
Where to buy Tea and Temptation at the Cat Café
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084CZM5XK
Universal Amazon link https://geni.us/KrisBockKris Bock Social Media
Kris Bock writes novels of romance, mystery, and suspense. In her Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series, watch the employees and customers at a cat café fall in love with each other and with shelter cats. Kris also writes romantic suspense set in the Southwestern U.S. If you love Mary Stewart or Barbara Michaels, try Kris Bock’s stories of treasure hunting, archaeology, and intrigue in the Southwest. Learn more at www.krisbock.com or visit Kris Bock’s Amazon US page or Amazon UK page. (For other countries click here.)
Website https://www.krisbock.com/
Blog https://swarmchairtraveler.blogspot.com/
Twitter https://twitter.com/kris_bock
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kris-Bock-Author-Page/174350342612332
Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/krisbockbooks/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kris_bock_author/
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4735592.Kris_Bock
BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kris-bock
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/author/krisbock
Get to know Kris Bock better by signing up for their email newsletter. You’ll get fun cat photos and links, book news, and a printable copy of recipes mentioned in the cat café novels.
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Read New Beginnings by Karen Cino @karencino #RLFblog #Cozy #Mystery Romance
Karen Cino, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. I’m Kayelle Allen, author and owner of this blog. Happy to have you here! Please tell us about your book.New Beginnings by Karen Cino
Genre Contemporary Cozy Mystery Romance
Book heat level (based on movie ratings): PG13
Book 1: After a traumatic event in her life, Connie Acosta heads down to the Jersey Shore to stay with her friend, Sara Mazza, who lives in a fifty-five and over community. For Connie, this is a temporary stop until she figures out what she wants to do.
Connie and Sara have a brief discussion and decide to start the baking business they had spoken about decades before. But things take a dramatic turn when Sara gets Connie involved in a mysterious adventure at the clubhouse.
Book 2: Connie Acosta is officially a resident in the fifty-five and older community her best friend Sara Mazza lives in. Her baker’s kitchen is almost complete and she has met Vic, another resident who is crazy about her. Meanwhile, Sara finds herself in the mist of a love triangle with Vic’s friend Jack and Warren, a police officer at the local station.
When Sara received a call from her friend at the clubhouse saying there is a dead body floating in the outdoor pool, the women rush there to check things out, getting themselves involved in another investigation, especially when Sara finds a few blue pills scattered in the grass that she didn’t turn into the police.
Book 3: All is quiet at the fifty-five and older community where Connie Acosta is running her illegal bakery out of best friend Sara Mazza’s garage. Both women swore off getting involved in any police business at the compound. Just as the two amateur sleuths are enjoying a night out in the clubhouse ballroom, a scream from the lounge draws them into the middle of a police investigation with Warren and Brett, their current partners. Who said seniors can’t get into trouble and fall in love again?
QUICK
Do you write more than one genre? If so, what are they?…
Yes, I do. I write Women’s Fiction, Contemporary Romance and Cozy Mysteries with a twist or romance.
How do you come up with ideas?…
Sometimes I wake up and remember a fragment of a dream and go with it. (Like in my novel Roses.) Other times I can be walking down the street and something catches my eye that leads to a scene. I have so many ideas written down for books. I always take a notebook along with me so that I can write down idea. Pulling over on the side of a highway is always an option when an idea strikes.
What is the single most important part of writing for you?…
It is important that I write about a subject that readers can relate to. A HEA ending is always nice, but the relationships prior to meeting that special someone will help to make in your decision making.
When did you write your first book?…
I wrote my first book when I was in high school. I still have those handwritten notebooks that should have had history notes in it. My next book I wrote while I was in college. (I still have the original typewritten manuscript. But my first real book I wrote when my son was an infant and had his nights and days mixed up. I would handwrite in the middle of the night and type the next day when he napped.
FUN
Leather or lace? Leather
Black or red? Red
Satin sheets or smooth cotton? Smooth cotton
Ocean or mountains? Definitely the Ocean. I love the beach!
City life or country life? City life.
Party life or evening at home? A quiet evening at home.
Dogs or cats? I am an animal lover so I have to say both.
Where to buy New Beginnings
Publisher Mandolay Press
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079VSFWQW
Karen Cino Social Media
Karen Cino is multi-published and has been writing since she was fourteen years old. She started her career by writing poetry, short stories and writing articles for her high school newspaper. Her daily walks down at the boardwalk are what gets her muse going. It clears her mind and helps her find realistic plot ideas and the characters boosting up her muse. Karen loves writing about local places that people can relate to.
Karen loves the summer, loves the beach. Her previous books were written and take place in various places across Staten Island. Karen relocated to Barnegat, New Jersey in 2015. She traded in the Staten Island Boardwalk for the shoreline in Long Beach Island. Her Camp Mirage Series takes place in Barnegat, NJ.
Karen is a member of Romance Writers of America, Women’s Fiction Writing Association and Liberty States Fiction Writers. She was Vice President of the New York City Chapter for four years and President for three.
Karen has two adult children, Michael Giordano who’s a singer, songwriter and producer and Nicole Giordano who works in Retail Management and is also a photographer. In 2014 Karen married John Gatti. Her husband is an actor, teacher and attorney.
Website http://karencino.com
Blog http://karencinobooks.com
Twitter http://www.twitter.com/karencino
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B008LCG31Y
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4444484.Karen_Cino
Newsletter http://us8.campaign-archive1.com/home/?u=372e9cad72e3faf1c0a8b9a4e&id=9ac84ba873
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/karencino
Facebook Author Page https://www.facebook.com/Karen-Cino-296585170371401/You May Also Like
Fiction Furbaby: Meet Rochester from Dog’s Honest Truth by Neil S Plakcy @NeilPlakcy @RobsRescues #RLFblog #Pets
Discover fast fun facts about Stephanie LaVigne, author of Headlines, Deadlines, and Lies @stephunderwater #RLFblog #cozymystery #sweetromance
Read the cozy mystery series: Women’s Club Chaos by Karen Cino @karencino #RLFblog #cozymystery
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Read Alpha Pair by Brenda Sparks @brenda_sparks #RLFblog #Vampire #PNR
Brenda Sparks, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. I’m Kayelle Allen, author and owner of this blog. Happy to have you here! Please tell us about your book.Alpha Pair by Brenda Sparks
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Book heat level (based on movie ratings): R
How strong is the blood that binds? Tatiana Bolovich is a beautiful femme fatale with a haunting history. Having recently discovered the brutish Demetri Romanoff is her heartmate, she spent the past year avoiding him, but the Fates have other plans.
Demetri commands every situation. A strong, valiant warrior he’s used to being in control, that is until he is kidnapped by demons. Forced to endure unspeakable experiments at the hands of his enemy, the Alpha discovers just how out of control life can get.
Summoned by the Alpha Council, Tatiana grudgingly helps track Demetri down, promising herself that she will disappear from his life forever once the job is done. But matters of the heart are not so easily ignored. Will she give him a chance to prove himself, or will she deny her nature and slip away into the night?
Where to buy Alpha Pair
Publisher https://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/5985-alpha-pair.html
Amazon http://mybook.to/AlphaPair
Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/alpha-pair-brenda-sparks/1128881136
iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/alpha-pair/id1403818041Brenda Sparks Social Media
Born in Virginia, Brenda Sparks now resides in the Sunshine State. Balancing her writing with her personal life is challenging at times, but writing suspenseful paranormal romance is a passion that won’t be denied. Her idea of a perfect day is one spent in front of a computer with a hot cup of coffee, her fingers flying over the keys to send her characters off on their latest adventure. Brenda loves to connect with readers. Please visit her online or stop by her website to say hi.
Website http://brenda-sparks.com/index.html
Blog www.brenda-sparks.com/blog
Twitter https://twitter.com/brenda_sparks
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/forBrendaSparks
Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/brendasparks/
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/BrendaSparks
Amazon Author Page http://www.amazon.com/Brenda-Sparks/e/B00B7AJBBQ/
Newsletter http://brenda-sparks.com/welcome-readers.html
