• Contemporary

    Contemporary: Blind Date @DelaneyDiamond #RLFblog #giveaway

    The Blind Date 
    Delaney Diamond, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. Let’s talk
    about your book, The Blind Date.
    Genre: Contemporary romance
    Publisher: Delaney Diamond
    Cover artist: bookcoversale.com
    Length: 38,000 words
    Heat rating: PG-13
    Tagline: One night changes everything…again.
    Blurb:
    Years ago, when Ryan Stewart saw Shawna Ferguson, it was love
    at first sight. Unfortunately, he wasn’t a free man, and his deception caused him
    to lose her after a weekend that changed his life.
    When Shawna’s sister and brother-in-law set her up on a blind
    date, she has no idea it’s with Ryan, with whom she’d spent a weekend she wishes
    she could forget. She reluctantly agrees to finish the date with him, but doing
    so leaves her vulnerable to his charms and the heat he ignited in her that very
    first night.
    Buy links:
    What are your main characters’ names, ages, and occupations?
    Ryan Stewart, 30, custom furniture maker
    Shawn Ferguson, 28, clothing boutique owner

    Interview

    What websites do you visit daily?
    Most weekends I take a break from Facebook and Twitter, but I
    visit them the most during the week. I also like to visit blogs that provide industry
    news, but not necessarily every day. I visit those blogs a few times per week and
    catch up all at once.
    If you could give the younger version of yourself advice what
    would it be?
    You’re going to discover that you love writing fiction, so start
    practicing now.
    How do you cope with stress as an author?
    Whenever I feel overwhelmed by the marketing, writing, staying
    up to date on what’s going on in the industry, etc., I get offline. That’s usually
    a good indication that I’m spending too much time alone, so I spend time with family
    and friends. I love technology, but it drives me crazy sometimes. There’s so much
    information available through social media, blogs, etc., and it’s easy to feel as
    if you don’t want to miss anything. But I find it helps me to unplug from time to
    time so I don’t get overwhelmed.
    Do things your family or friends do ever end up in a book?
    I plead the fifth. Lol. No really, not very much. Things my niece
    does have ended up in my books because she’s so comical. In my book Second Chances,
    I had one of the children, Lucélia, running around with a yucca fry offering bites
    to family members but then pulling it back when they tried to get a piece. My niece
    used to do that with French fries. I thought it was cute, so I included it.
    What are some jobs you’ve done before (or while) you were
    a writer?
    I worked in international trade for a spell. When I worked in
    international trade, my area was Western Europe,
    so I got some nice all expenses paid trips abroad. The job only lasted a few years,
    but it was nice. When I have to pay for my own trips, I really miss it. Sigh. I
    also managed a bookstore.
    What kind of books do you read when taking a break from your
    own writing?
    I read romance, mostly contemporary and historical. I also love
    to read thrillers because of the fast, heart-pounding pace that keeps me on the
    edge of my seat.
    What good book have you read recently?
    I read Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas a few months ago,
    and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It’s a historical romance and it renewed
    my interest in Regency romance. Here’s a quote from my review on GoodReads: “I
    couldn’t put the book down, even though it hurt me to see these two characters inflicting
    such pain on each other. And that’s actually why I couldn’t put it down, because
    I needed to see them get their HEA after making my heart hurt so much.”
    If your life became a movie, who would you want to play you?
    Sanaa Lathan or Gabrielle Union. I love those ladies!
    If you were a color, what color would you be?
    Yellow. It’s my favorite color.

    About the Author

    Delaney Diamond writes
    sweet and sensual romance novels and is the site manager of Romance Novels in Color, where diversity in romance in celebrated. When
    she’s not reading or writing she’s trying out new recipes or traveling to an interesting
    locale. Find free reads and the first chapter of all her books at http://delaneydiamond.com

    Previous Books

    Hot Latin Men series:
    The Arrangement
    Fight for Love
    Private Acts
    The Ultimate Merger
    Second Chances
    Hot Latin Men: Vol. I (print anthology)
    Hot Latin Men: Vol. II (print anthology)
    Hawthorne Family series:
    The Temptation of a Good Man
    A Hard Man to Love
    Here Comes Trouble
    For Better or Worse
    Bailar series (sweet/clean romance)
    Worth Waiting For
    Subordinate Position (short story)

    Books Coming Soon

    The Wrong Man

    Find Me Here

    Romance Novels in Color: http://romancenovelsincolor.com

  • RLF Gems

    RLF Gems: Blog Stats for Nov 2012

    Our usual bright colored turquoise gem is missing today and
    I have substituted a red ribbon in honor of World AIDS Day. Please visit http://worldaidsday.org for more
    information on how you can help.
    November on Romance Lives Forever saw twelve author
    interviews, four character interviews, two book releases, and six articles, for
    a total of twenty-five posts in a thirty day month. Here are the top five posts
    (judging by page hits). There were ties at fifth place. I’m not surprised to
    find that the five posts include two of the four character interviews. These
    seem to be very popular with readers.
    1. Salute
    to Author Veterans
    — featuring authors who served in the armed forces
    2. Delaney
    Diamond
    – Author Interview
    3. Kristina
    Knight
    – Character Interview
    4. EM
    Lynley
    — Save Room for Ice Cream (article)
    5. Tara
    Lain — Article
    5. Jami
    Davenport
    — Character Interview
    Special Mention this month for a unique post: Bellakentuky
    for “Scifi: Matter of the Mind.” Worth a second read.
    Other participants this month in alphabetical order by first
    name are:
    Ciar Cullen, Ivy
    Bateman, Jane Wakely, June Kramin, KC Klein, Krystal Shannan, Margaret Lesh, Patricia
    Yager Delegrange, Raine Delight, Sara Daniel, Sharon Hamilton, Susan Jaymes, Tina
    Gayle, Toni Noel, Xavier Axelson

    My thanks to all who took part this month.

  • Interracial

    Contemporary: Second Chances @delaneydiamond

    Second Chances.

    Delaney Diamond, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. Let’s talk
    about your book, Second Chances.

    Genre: Contemporary Interracial
    Buy links: All Romance Ebooks | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Smashwords
    Publisher: Delaney Diamond
    Cover artist: MTheresa Arts
    Length: 134 pages
    Heat rating: Sensual
    Tagline: Sweet. Sensual. Passionate. Romance.

    Blurb:

    Renaldo da Silva’s near-perfect life in Brazil comes to a halt when he finds
    out about his wife’s betrayal. Now he doesn’t want to have anything to do with her.
    But because he needs her help finalizing the biggest deal of his career, he’s forced
    to make her a multi-million dollar offer and delay their divorce.
    Sabrina da Silva can’t forgive herself after a reckless night
    destroys her marriage. She agrees to help her husband and then disappear from his
    life for good. But with passion still smoldering between them, it’s not easy for
    either to walk away. Will passion be enough to overcome the ultimate test of their
    love?
    What are your main characters’ names, ages, and occupations?
    Renaldo da Silva, 29,
    real estate investor
    Sabrina da Silva, 27,
    financial anaylst

    Interview

    What do you enjoy most
    about life?
    Spending time with friends and family. One of my mottos is live,
    laugh, love! Life is too short to be stressed. Stress can attack you physically,
    so I try to live as stress-free as possible and leave negative people and negative
    situations behind.
    If you could give the
    younger version of yourself advice what would it be?
    Don’t stress the small stuff! It’s funny how the things that
    seemed important to me when I was younger are completely irrelevant now. If only
    I’d known then what I know now…
    Do things your family
    or friends do ever end up in a book?
    Oh yes! For instance, in Second
    Chances
    , Lucélia, the daughter of Renaldo’s cousin, was running around with
    a yucca fry offering a bite to people who were over at the house. My niece likes
    to “share” her food like that, too, although if you ever took a bite, she’d have
    a fit. One day I was over at my sister’s, and my niece kept offering us a bite of
    her French fry. She must have had it for a good hour and wouldn’t put it down, and
    every now and again she’d walk up to me or someone else in the family and offer
    us a bite. My niece is always doing the cutest things (I’m not biased; you’d think
    so, too, if you met her).
    Which of your books would
    you recommend to someone who doesn’t normally read your genre, and why?
    Oh, that’s tough, because tastes are so subjective. But since
    I have to choose, I’d recommend Private Acts.
    It’s one of my most highly rated books. Readers seemed to really like Samirah’s
    free spiritedness. I’ve also been told that the descriptions of Cuenca, Ecuador
    helped the readers to feel as if they’d been transported to that locale, and the
    sex between her and Miguel is smoking.
    What kind of books do
    you read when taking a break from your own writing?
    Romance, mysteries, thrillers. I also like to read books on the
    writing craft, the occasional biography, or books about major events in history.
    What do you do to relax?
    I cook or watch movies. Netflix rocks!
    Imagine you get to go
    on a dream vacation, but you have only one hour to pack and leave, and it starts
    as soon as you finish this interview. What will you take with you and where will
    you go?
    I’d take my Kindle, a bathing suit, underwear, and a couple of
    changes of clothes, because my dream vacation will definitely involve a beach somewhere.
    What do you like to do
    when you’re bored?
    Eat. Yes, I know that’s terrible. Luckily, Netflix keeps me entertained
    when I’m not hanging out with friends or doing something else, because staying at
    home and being bored is dangerous. I find myself going to the fridge more often
    than not.
    If you were a color, what
    color would you be?
    Yellow, which happens to be my favorite color.
    Which statement is more
    like you:
    “I am a vacation spa because I am laid back and relaxed.”
    “I am a ten-countries in ten-days tour vacation, because
    I do things as fast as possible.”

    Please Fill in the Blanks

    I love pizza with everything. Pile it full of meat and veggies!
    I’m always ready for traveling. I plan to do even more in
    the near future.
    When I’m alone, I read or watch movies.
    You’d never be able to tell, but I’m a procrastinator. People
    are always surprised when I tell them that because they think I’m so organized.
    I’m just an organized procrastinator.

    Find Me Here

    Website and blog: http://delaneydiamond.com