Friday, May 31, 2013

A Rare Vintage by Delancey Stewart.


Please join me in welcoming Delancey Stewart to the blog. She's stopped by to answer some of my quirky questions and tell us about her new release. 
More about A Rare Vintage after the interview! Don't miss it.

 
    Do you have any advice for aspiring writers? Is there anything you wish someone had told you?
o   Honestly, at the risk of sounding less than passionate, I wish someone had told me that this is a business. Yes, I have always romanticized writing, and yes, it’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do… but I’m not the type to cling to an artistic vision and cast myself as the starving artist for an eternity. If there’s a way I can make money doing what I love, I’ll find it. And I wish someone had explained that to me years ago – that it’s less about writing what you’re driven to write and more about writing what you’re driven to write in the context of what readers want to read today. 

·         Concerts can be very expensive, who do you think is worth the splurge?
o   Ooh, I love concerts. I’d like to see the Rolling Stones before they call it quits officially. I saw the Eagles at the Hollywood Bowl for my birthday last year, and that was pretty phenomenal. I also go out of my way to catch Super Diamond if they’re around. 

·         How do you choose your character names? Do you ever change their names mid-process?
o   That’s a good question. I have no idea. I can’t remember choosing a single one…they kind of just happen, I think. There’s a character in the book I’m working on now that is named Damon, and I’ve just begun to realize that in my head he now looks exactly like Ian Somerhalder because I’ve watched WAY too much Vampire Diaries. I might need to change his name. So I guess I get some names from popular TV!

·         Have you ever read a book that you expected to enjoy but didn’t or, vice versa, read a book that you didn’t expect to enjoy and fell in love with it anyway? Which book?
o   The book I most recently expected to feel blandly about and then ended up falling in love with was called The Language of Flowers by Vaness Diffenbaugh. Amazing, and I’d heard nothing about before reading it. (My mom and I share a Kindle account, and she’d purchased it for her book club. I read a couple books a week, and was at loose ends, so I just opened it and was hooked!)

·         If you could learn to prepare (cook, bake, etc.) any dish as well as the restaurant that makes it best, what would it be?
o   I had these little fried polenta sticks at Dos Caminos in the Meatpacking District in New York City – and this was like four years ago now – and I still think about how yummy they were. I’d love to know how to make those!

·         What is your favorite board game? Card game?
o   I love playing Hearts… and I have always loved Pictionary. 

·         When writing, do you share chapters with friends or beta readers as you go or do you keep your projects secret until they are complete?
o   I have done both. Lately with the books I self publish, I’m more of a keep it secret kinda girl. When you’re working with a publisher, that isn’t quite a possibility. I think the bulk of writers will agree that in the long run, keeping it secret is probably a bad idea. I end up doing it anyway. 

·         Do you have any special talents? (Singing, dancing, juggling, gardening, etc.)
o   I’ve been a ballet dancer since I was three. I was fairly serious about it until age 17, when my body completely betrayed me and I developed certain, uh, attributes that don’t go so well with ballet. I taped them down for a while, but it was simply not meant to be. I have come back to ballet as an adult, and feel like I’ve rediscovered part of my soul. 

·         What is your go-to cocktail?
o   Dirty Martini with Ketel One and three olives (preferably stuffed with garlic). 

·         What was your favorite subject at school?
o   English. Though I liked Biology too.

·         Please describe your perfect day.
o   Spending a quiet morning with my kids, giving them breakfast and packing them off to school, and then returning to my desk for four or five hours to write. Since it’s my perfect day, the words would come effortlessly with none of that beating myself up over dropped plot lines or timeframes not working out. And then I’d go for a run (which would, of course, be effortless, since this is my perfect day.) I’d come back, shower, and then my personal chef would come over and prepare a wonderful and healthy family meal while I drank wine on the back patio with my best friends while the children quietly read books or played in the yard. I’d have dinner with my husband, maybe spend some … ahem, quiet time, with him later, and then head off to bed.  Was this day supposed to be realistic at all? This is so far from reality… but doesn’t it sound nice?

·         Please share a favorite line or section from your newest book.
This is a couple lines from A Rare Vintage, the first Wine Country Romance, which releases May 31st.
Isabella took her wine glass in her hand and eyed what was left of the ruby liquid it contained. She swirled it, watching the viscous liquid climb the sides of the globe and then settle back to the bottom.
"You look like you're contemplating a swim in it," Jonathan's voice was low, teasing.
"I probably would if I could!" she smiled.




Blurb:

Isabella DaSilva, a fiery grad student from Cornell's wine program is eager to leave her past behind her and forge a future in the vineyards of the West as an apprentice at Chateau Sauvage, a winery seeking to produce wine like no other California wineries had so far -- Rhone varietals.

She arrives at Chateau Sauvage to find that wine might not be her only interest. The winemaker, Jonathan Sauvage, is tall, dark, and handsome, and clearly in need of help. Together, they work to make a pioneering wine in an effort to keep the struggling winery afloat. Each struggles with their demons -- hers in the form of a painful and mysterious past; his created by memories of what once might have been. In the process, they find that the pain of their shattered pasts fit together perfectly, making their union as perfect as the wine it produces.

A Rare Vintage features an intense and commanding hero who isn’t afraid to ask for help, and a woman who knows that while she might technically be the apprentice, she has plenty to teach Jonathan Sauvage.

This book is the first in the Wine Country Romance series.






Bio:
Delancey Stewart is the author of Through a Dusty Window: New York City Stories 1910-2001 and A Rare Vintage, the first in her Wine Country Romance Series. A Rare Vintage releases on May 31st.
She is also working on the Girlfriends of Gotham Series for Swoon Romance. The first book, Men and Martinis, will be released in fall 2013.
Stewart has lived on both coasts, in big cities and small towns. She's been a pharmaceutical rep, a personal trainer and a wine seller. Despite lots of other interests, she has always been a writer in some way shape or form.
A military spouse and the mother of two small boys, her current job titles include pirate captain, monster hunter, Lego assembler and story reader. She tackles all these efforts at her current home in Southern Maryland.
Links:




Thursday, May 30, 2013

Cover Reveal: Breaking the Rules by Melinda Dozier.

I've got a fantastic cover reveal for you today!

Check out Breaking the Rules by Melinda Dozier.




Title: Breaking the Rules
Author: Melinda Dozier
Publisher: Crimson Romance
Release Date: July 8, 2013

Blurb:

A forbidden love affair in the past has led Hope Robinson, a middle school principal, to Harbor Bay, Florida, where she commits herself to play by the rules. This can be difficult for a perpetual klutz, who—even strapped in a cast—has to uphold a competent attitude at all times.

Luckily, she has Dr. Colin Calaway on her side, a widower and father of a student, who is ready to give love another try. When Colin convinces Hope they should explore the connection between them, a steamy romance develops, though it could destroy them both. They must decide if their jobs—and their hearts—are worth the risk.

Sensuality Level: Sensual

Links:

Bio:

Melinda Dozier lives in Guatemala, Central America, with her husband, three boys and German Shepherd.  She enjoys being the queen of her household and dreams of being pampered fully by her boys once they’re grown. Learn more about her at www.melindadozier.com.



 


Wednesday, May 29, 2013

The Beautiful Blogger Award.

I was recently nominated for the Beautiful Blogger award by the fabulous Molly Ann Wishlade. Isn't she sweet? You need to go check out her blog here: http://misswishlade.wordpress.com/




The Rules:
1. Copy and place the Beautiful Blogger Award in your post.
2. Thank the person that nominated you and link back to their blog.
3. Tell 7 things about yourself.
4. Nominate 7 fellow Bloggers, tell them by posting a comment on their Blog.

Now I am meant to dazzle you with seven interesting facts about me. Wish me luck.:)

  1. I've lived in all of the New England States, except Rhode Island. So I got married there. 
  2. I've been bitten by a bat. It was just a little brown bat. Their teeth are too small to break skin. I was taking part in a leg banding project as part of a mammalogy course in grad school. The waiver that said I wouldn't sue if I contracted rabies made me just a touch nervous though.
  3. I've been a Trekkie since I was a toddler.
  4. I have a not so secret crush on Alan Rickman. My hubby recently referred to him as my "boy" as in " Hey hun, I think your boy is in this."
  5. The hubby and I have adopted three cats. We've since spoiled them rotten. I often end up trying type with a cat in my lap. :)
  6. I became a vegetarian as a teenager. I now eat some seafood too, but it's been nearly eighteen years since I had a hamburger. I still sometimes dream about White Castle sliders. :)
  7. My husband and I have celebrated our anniversary each year since we tied the knot at Dragon Con. It's basically Nerdi Gras.
Okay, there you have it: seven maybe vaguely interesting tidbits. 

Now comes the fun part, my seven awesome nominations are: 

Margo Anne Rhea at http://www.darkandsteamynight.blogspot.com/

Vincent Morrone at http://vincentmorrone.com/

Siren Allen at http://sirenallen.com/sirens-blog/

Margaret Taylor at http://margarettaylorsthoughts.blogspot.com/

Sotia Lazu at http://justsotia.blogspot.com/

Kara Leigh Miller at http://www.karaleighmiller.com/index.html

Emily Quinn at http://emilyquinnauthor.com/


#TBSU :) 
 

 

Monday, May 27, 2013

Memorial Day Sale at Entranced.


Hi guys, 
Today's post is more like a public service announcement. All Entranced titles are marked down (some as much as 50%) for today only. So this is a great time to stock up for summer beach days and traveling. Check out your favorite online bookseller!

Titles include:
Elsker by S.T. Bende

Legally Undercover by Rachel Kall

Only You by Lorna Peel

Spirit World by Krystalyn Drown

Time Changes Everything by Melinda Dozier
 
Danny by Margo Anne Rhea
 
The Lady and the Highwayman by Charlotte Davila
 
The Sacrificed by Jordan Link
 
AND The Best Man by Ana Blaze. :)