Autumn

Photo by Peter Hindmarsh

It's late autumn here in Sydney, and the chilly weather has finally arrived. I love this time of year when the humidity vanishes and the air cools. I'm a reluctant cook at the best of times, but in autumn I get to make lamb shank soup and Massaman curry. By the end of winter I'll be sick of them, but for now they're the perfect comfort food.

I've just handed in edits for my Entangled Indulgence book, Grace Under Pressure, which releases in October. After writing three Bliss books where the door was firmly shut on bedroom activities, I've had to fling open that door and go charging in, so to speak. It does take a certain amount of creativity and effort to write a sex scene that doesn't sound too mechanical!

My blog tour for Real Men Don't Quit is over and winners of my giveaway picked. I love the ease and convenience of giving away gift cards. So far from two blog tours 100% of my winners have chosen Amazon gift cards, but I'm guessing these can be exchanged for other things.

My favourite ebook retailer BooksOnBoard recently closed doors! Such a shame as their prices were always great. Looks like I'll have to go with Google Play. Kobo is a pain to use because they don't have a shopping cart (!) which means each book must be purchased separately. Also Kobo prices aren't very competitive.

Steampunk Romance Roundtable: Plot and World Building

I recently contributed to a steampunk romance roudtable discussion about plot and world building which you can read here.

If you're into steampunk romance or just sampling it, the post includes contributions from fantastic authors like Zoe Archer and Cindy Spencer Pape.

A snippet from Real Men Don't Quit

My REAL MEN DON'T QUIT blog tour continues at Read Your Writes where there's a chance to win some giftcards:)

In the meantime, here's a snippet from the book.

Background: Luke and Tyler have just had a rocky first meeting. After things have cooled, Luke is giving Tyler and her three-year-old daughter Chloe a lift to Tyler's work.

“You don’t look much like a writer to me,” she said as she threaded several silver bracelets onto her slim wrists.

“What do writers look like to you?”

“As I said, you’re the first writer I’ve met, but I’ve always imagined writers to be older, with beards and leather elbow patches, and either boring everyone in their uppity voices or swearing and getting roaring drunk on whiskey.”

“Sorry to disappoint you,” he said with a chuckle.

“Oh, I didn’t say you’re a disappointment.”

Startled, he glanced at her and caught the tail end of her insouciant smile. Was she flirting with him? The possibility sent a curious vibration through his nerves, as if he liked the idea of Tyler flirting with him. Shoot, he knew he shouldn’t have offered her a lift. “Where to now?” he asked as they reached the center of town.

“It’s just a couple of blocks up ahead.”

He eased off the accelerator as they cruised down the main street. He’d grown up in Goulburn and wasn’t too familiar with Burronga, even though the towns were an hour’s drive apart. Burronga was a more upmarket place than his hometown, with fancier shops and more expensive cars parked on the streets. They passed the Red Possum, a big, oldfashioned pub, before approaching a late Victorian building where Tyler indicated for him to pull over. The historic facade of the building had been preserved, but the ground floor looked like it had been recently renovated, with new glass doors and a wide, striped awning bearing the name Java & Joolz.

“So this is where you work?” he said as Tyler unstrapped Chloe from her booster seat.

“Yes. It’s an art gallery and coffee shop. As a matter of fact, I’m part owner,” she added, a note of pride edging into her voice.

“Oh.” He couldn’t help lifting his eyebrows, and she didn’t miss the gesture.

“What? Don’t I look competent enough to be part owner of a business?” Resting a hand on her hip, she gave him a razzing grin.

It wasn’t a question of being competent. He’d seen the chaos inside her house and that didn’t easily gel with running a business. “It must be hard work,” he answered diplomatically.

She hauled Chloe out of the car and balanced the child on her hip while she hooked her enormous bag over her free arm. “It’s bloody hard work. Why don’t you come inside and have a look?”

He shouldn’t. He should politely decline and be on his way, his good deed—two of them—done for the day. Deep down, he knew that Tyler, with her brilliant blue eyes and pert smile and purple underwear, plus her impish daughter, was exactly what he didn’t need. Exactly what he’d never need. The debacle with Jennifer had only hardened his resolve. He’d come to Burronga to bury himself in his writing, nothing else. It was his final chance to salvage something out of this disastrous year, and the last thing he needed was a sassy single mother distracting him. Especially considering how he’d reacted to her flirty grin earlier in the car. He should say no.

Instead, he said, “Sure. I’m in desperate need of a decent coffee right now.”

She smiled at him, and the candid radiance of her smile made him blink. “Coffee’s on the house. I owe you.”

He climbed out of his car, his blood still tingling from the aftereffects of her brilliant smile. Tyler Jones yelling at him in her underwear was quite a sight, but Tyler Jones beaming at him was something else.

Sexy heroes, writer's block, and giftcard giveaways

I'm at Novel Thoughts talking about Luke Maguire, the sexy hero of REAL MEN DON'T QUIT, and writer's block. I'm also giving away $10 giftcards, so stop by and leave a comment :)

Real Men Don't Quit blog tour: April 24 to May 10

I'm preparing for a short but sweet blog tour to promote REAL MEN DON'T QUIT. I'll be giving away 3 x $10 giftcards from Amazon, Barnes&Noble, or Kobo (winners' choice), so please stop by and enter my giveaway.

April 24 Romance Reader @ Heart

April 26 Caribbean Accent

April 29 Read Your Writes

May 1 Ex Libris

May 7 The Smutty Kitty

May 10 As The Pages Turn

I'm really chuffed by some of the reviews I've been getting.
"Oh my gosh what a fantastic story."
"The story was solid, the characters were likable and it grabbed my attention the entire time."
"This is one awesome contemporary romance novel."
(source Goodreads)

Real Men Don't Quit - Release Day!

My second Real Men novel from Entangled Bliss releases today!

Real Men Don't Quit

Serial bachelor. Celebrity author. Her perfect forever?

When famous author Luke Maguire decides to write his next novel in the small town of Burronga,
Australia, he's sure he can ignore the fiery redhead next door. Not only has he just been burned
from a high-profile breakup, but he's never been one to set down roots. No, he'll finish his novel
and leave Burronga. And soon.

Tyler Jones just wants to run her business with her best friend, Ally, and take care of her three-
year-old daughter, Chloe. She's never needed help from anyone, especially not a man, and the
brooding, rugged writer next door can't tempt her. Not in the least.

Only Tyler and Luke can't stay away from each other. So they set rules. No staying overnight, no
future plans, no sappy good-byes when Luke inevitably quits town. But the chemistry between them is too strong to contain in a rulebook. Are Luke and Tyler ready to risk their lives of independence
for something more?

Amazon | Barnes&Noble | iTunes | Kobo

Real Men Don't Quit is coming soon

I've been a bad blogger recently, mainly because I've been hard at work getting my next Real Men novel ready for publication.

REAL MEN DON'T QUIT will be released later this month! This sweet romance deals with Tyler Jones (the best friend of Ally from Real Men Don't Break Hearts) and her hunky new neighbour.

If anyone would like to review this book please fill out this form. Looking forward to release day!