Cover Reveal: Jo Richardson

It's cover reveal day for my pal, Jo Richardson. I love her books, and this cover is so warm and fuzzy that it has me wishing it was available for pre-order. Sadly, not yet. BUT you don't have to wait long to get your mitts on this gem. It'll be available March 23! Below you'll find a blurb about Cookie Cutter, as well as a sneak peek! Yay. Plus all of Jo's contact details. 

Blurb:

Iris Alden and Carter Blackwood couldn't be more different. Change-averse Iris likes her life neat and organized, while Carter's itchy feet mean he doesn’t plan to stay in the same place for long.

When Carter moves into the house across the street from Iris, to renovate it, she fights the disruption it causes in her life. Before long, though, it's not simply the house Carter's rebuilding, but Iris's heart, too.

Teaser:

“What are you doing here?”

It’s Carter freaking Blackwood. Of course.

He smiles that ridiculously bright, white smile of his and lets out a soft snicker. “I’m fixing a floor for a friend, what are you doing here?”

It’s completely obvious what I’m doing here, seeing as I’m carrying two huge trays of sugar cookies in my arms.

“A friend? You just moved in. How do you have friends already?” I say it a bit harsher than I probably should but honestly, how does he have friends already?  James and I were here a good six months before people started really talking to me.  It was a year before I could call any of them friends. The edges of Carter’s mouth turn down and his head dips to one side as his shoulders hunch then settle.

“People like me, I guess.”

The smug look on his face is enough to make me want to slap it.  Or kiss it.

Wait. Not kiss it. I didn’t mean kiss it. Why am I staring at his lips?

“People who don’t want to kill me that is.  Are you okay?”

I blink, and search my brain, but I’m still not quite sure what to say to him, so I extend my arms. “I brought cookies.” As soon as I say the words, I hear them. I sound ridiculous and Carter’s bright eyes crinkle with amusement.

He closes his lids and he breathes the baked goods in. Then hums. The sound of his voice sends a vibration through me and I shiver. I am eternally grateful that he doesn’t see it happen.

His eyes open slowly. When they reach mine, I’m glued to his stare like a deer in headlights.

“Those cookies smell really fucking good, Iris.”

The bedroom eyes catch me off guard and my mouth falls open so I snap it shut. I’m a buffoon with no ability to speak.

“Can I have one?” He reaches out and I balance the platter with one hand, then slap his fingers with the other while I find words. A word that is.

“No.”

“Ow.” He pulls his hand away, like a child getting reprimanded, only when we make eye contact again, he doesn’t seem child like to me.

I wouldn’t say he’s angry. He doesn’t exactly laugh, either. And his eyes gleam as he stares at me. I hate his eyes almost as much as I hate his teeth. Maybe more. Dammit, I’m staring, again.

“They’re for Ally’s class,” I tell him. “Fundraiser, I mean bake sale.” I fumble my words. He’s so frustrating.

Other works by Jo:

Cursed be the Wicked, a paranormal mystery romance, released March 2014 through Soul Mate Publishing

AMAZON | B&N | GOODREADS

Lost in Christmas, a short story included in Soul Mate Publishing’s 2013 Christmas anthology

AMAZON | GOODREADS

About Jo:

A movie fanatic, a writer of stories, a lover of life.

Jo grew up in Maryland with four siblings, three parents and an endless number of cousins within the vicinity – but it was too cold up North for this thin blooded girl. So today, she lives in Florida with her two girls and a husband that shares her same sense of humor and basic take on life as we know it.

Life is too short to put dreams on the back burner.

Jo tells contemporary stories with romance, humor, the supernatural, the paranormal, suspense, mystery, action and anything else she can think up.

In 2012, she wrote Cursed be the Wicked, a character driven, paranormal mystery romance that was picked up by Soul Mate Publishing and released in March of 2014. Since then, Jo has also written a couple of short stories and her recently contracted contemporary romantic comedy, entitled Cookie Cutter, is set to release on March 23, 2015 through Little Bird Publishing.

Social Media:

WEBSITE: http://jrrichardsonfics.weebly.com

AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/author/jrrichardsonfics

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/JRRichardsonAuthor

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/jofictionfreak

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/JRRichardson

Romance Weekly: November 11, 2014

Before I begin today I just wanted to take a minute to remember in the blogiverse the sacrifice of so many men and women who have given their lives, their health (physical and mental), their courage and their time to keeping us safe. Thank you. 

---

This week we're back to the good old three questions, and we have Eden Ashe to thank for it. Without further fanfare, let's get down to it. 

1. How much free reign do you give your characters during a story?

As much as needed to get the story out there. Mind you, I do have a pretty solid idea of who the main characters are so they don't get up to too much trouble in my head. 

2. Have your characters ever done something so out of the blue that not only changed your story, but changed the tone and maybe even the genre you were originally going for? (Like your contemporary romance turned into a spicy paranormal)

Not yet. I'm a pantser writer for sure, but a lot of the story already exists in my head. I know what has to happen, it's what goes on in the middle that can be surprising. Still, I think I keep my head pretty nailed in my genre so it doesn't get out of hand. 

3. Do you have one character in your head that is sort of boss over all the rest? Or do you decide who to work on and when?

I write the story from start to finish, and often the only points of view I use are the hero and heroine. Or in the case of my Forever Geek trilogy, just Jillian. I'm the boss of them all. 

Short answers this week, but sadly, I guess I keep too tight a reign on everyone to have any big secrets to spill. The only time a character went in a different direction for me was Asher during his first appearances in Against Her Rules. Look how that turned out. He became hero of his very own book (21st Century Rake!)

So let's hop on over to the ever-fun Christy Carlyle and see if she's the boss of her characters. 

Passionate Kisses: Sydney Holmes

Ugh. I hate it when the world conspires to set you back a bit. My apologies to the wonderful Sydney Holmes, who I know has been looking forward to seeing her post live in the world today. Better late than never, right? So without further mumble, let's get busy and check out some of the awesome images Sydney shared with me when talking about her contribution to the Passionate Kisses boxed set. (4 DAYS AWAY!!!)

Book?  Awakening

Inspiration? Two people so entwined nothing else matters

Ryan? Dark, handsome, mysterious

Nora? Standing on a precipice

Boundaries? Searching

Romance? Laughing, loving, tender with enough sparks to feed an inferno

Next? Awake

Sydney? There is nothing better than that first jolt of adrenaline one gets when soul mates touch for the first time. 

Click here to learn more about the elusive Sydney Holmes. 

Passionate Kisses: Allie Boniface

When I was approached about joining this awesome group of romance authors for the Passionate Kisses boxed set, I really had no idea just how many wonderful authors I was going to be working with.

Today I'm excited to have Allie Boniface here sharing some of the images that she thinks best sum of her work. And just like I have a bit of a fascination with icebergs, Allie loves lighthouses. That speaks to my Newfoundland heart. 

Book? Beacon of Love

Inspiration? Every lighthouse I've ever visited

Lindsey Point? Small coastal town with plenty of secrets...

Lucas? Hunky handyman

Sophie? Precocious news reporter 

Romance? Sensual to steamy

Next? Inferno of Love, book 2 in the series! 

Allie? Teacher, writer, music-lover, workout devotee and chocoholic 

Click on Allie's boots to learn more about her!

Romance Weekly: May 27, 2014

Many thanks to my awesome historical romance pal Kate Robbins for asking this week's questions. Also, you'll see more of Kate in my blogging in the weeks to come as she launches Book 2 in her Highland Chiefs series. She's my gal, and my crit partner, so I have to make sure I show her lots of love. Now, enough Kate gushing. Time for her questions. 

1. How much of yourself do you write into your characters? Or do you write characters completely opposite to you?

I think all my characters, even the secondary and male characters, have a bit of me in them. It's not planned, but if I'm creating them, delving into their thoughts, making them speak, then I think it's inevitable that a bit of me comes through. I've never set out to create a character that is representative of me, but I think I can find elements of myself in all my heroines. Elsie Walsh has my height complex. Daphne Scott has my reading addiction. Fiona Nolan struggled with her weight and loves folk music. And Grace Nolan is a regency romance reading, Dungeons and Dragons playing geek. Still, they are their own characters. I work hard to make them as well rounded as I can. And there's plenty in their lives that holds no reflection to me. Still, the one thing they all have in common is that I'd like to be their friend. 

2. Has your writing helped you see events in your own life clearer?

My novels haven't, but some of my short fiction (all unpublished) has. I like using short stories and essays to help figure out my past. Maybe that's why they're all unpublished. I don't journal. But I write poetry and short stories as a means to contemplate the complexities of life. Funny story. A little off topic, but I'll keep it short. Before meeting the man that would become my husband, I wrote all kinds of poetry. Deep, soul searching, wacky stuff. And then I fell in love. And all of the poetry I tried to write was full of love and joy and beauty, I hate those poems to this day. I met my husband 11 years ago and it's no coincidence that I haven't written any poetry in 11 years. 

3. Have you written a character with more of your personal characteristics than any other? What are they?

Oh. I should have paid attention to all the questions before I started writing, since I sort of answered this in question one. Still, no one character is more me than any other. In fact, I work to make sure that no character is too like me. So far. Although I have an idea for another series of contemporary novels that the character is much like me. Who knows when I'll write those though. ;) 

Thanks Kate for this week's questions. And thanks to all 24 Romance Weekly authors who are posting this week. Now click click click your way over to Mishka Jenkins' page to see how she answered these questions! 

Announcing the Passionate Kisses Romance Box Set!

I've been dying to share this news with the world, but of course, had to wait until all the pieces were in place. But I can now tell you that Against Her Rules is part of an upcoming contemporary romance box set. You'll have to wait till June 23rd to get your hands on it, but hey, that gives us lots of time to talk about it!

We're calling our set Passionate Kisses: Ten Sizzling Contemporary Romances. I have to say that I'm in love with the cover. What do you think? 

I'm thrilled, and let's be honest, a little humbled, to be part of this set with so many awesome authors. In the meantime, if you're book blogger/reviewer and would like to get your hands on an ARC copy (we would want a review ready to go on launch day), we have a signup form here. I believe we're talking the first 100 registrants. 

So that's my news. It's been a wild couple of weeks full of planning, and I imagine the next month will be equally as busy. I'll be sure to pop on and share more news with you as we proceed, :) 

Romance Weekly: February 18, 2014

Do you like to read romance novels? Wouldn't you like to know more about your favorite authors? Well you came to the right place! Join the writers of Romance Weekly as we go behind the scenes of our books and tell all..... About our writing of course! Every week we'll answer questions and after you've enjoyed the blog on this site we'll direct you to another. So come back often for a thrilling ride! Tell your friends and feel free to ask us questions in the comment box.

---

This week's three questions are great. I've decided to use Against Her Rules for this post, since it's the only novel that's currently out in the world. But no worries, I'll talk about the others soon. 

How did you get the idea for your book?

Against Her Rules was a mad-dash Nanowrimo creation that came to life in it's first draft in just eleven days. Because I write by the seat of my pants, I had no idea when I sat down to write it just what was going to come to life. The only thing I knew for certain was that it was going to be set in Newfoundland, and my hero was going to be a hot Scotsman. In fact, when I first started writing Cam worked in the oil industry. But from the moment he popped onto the page, I knew he had the soul of an artist. How could I made him a tycoon? Plus, I didn't think Elsie would fall for an oil baron. Still, as I dug into the novel, I realized that this was going to be a series. I couldn't create a town like Heart's Ease, and a place like Elsie's Inn and just give it one book. I knew as I wrote certain characters that I was creating people that I would revisit time and time again.

How did you decide on the title?

With great difficulty. Sometimes titles pop into my head before I even start writing. And other times, the book is alive for eons and has no name. In the beginning I was going to call it Heart's Ease. I think that's the title I used in my pitch to the publisher. Then, once I'd decided it was going to be a series, I started playing around with different Heart's options. I think for a while Heart's Temptation was on the table. But once Crystal (my cover designer) and I started working on the cover, it came to me. I just looked at the picture of the couple, imagined that I was watching Cam and Elsie kiss for the first time, and it just made sense. Against Her Rules was born that day in May. 

What motivated you to get the book completed and published?

Rejection. When I heard back from the publisher I'd pitched it to, and they weren't interested, I was dejected. And then I started to learn more about self-publishing. After a sleepless night spent reading and researching this new publishing opportunity, I made up my mind. I was going to publish it myself. Why? Because I believe in my stories. And I believe others will enjoy them. And perhaps most of all, it was finally a way to fulfill another of my life's ambitions. It's amazing what having a infant that you want to spend as much time with as possible will motivate you to do. And for me, it was made possible by awesome friends, and the most supportive husband a gal could wish for.

---

So there you have it. My answers for this week's Romance Weekly. Now I'd strongly encourage you to pop on over to LaNora Mangano's blog to see how she answered these same three questions. It never ceases to amaze me how every author has travelled a different road to get to our common destination. 

See you next week! 

Daily words and other things

Wow, I'm a terrible blogger. I just came back from the Romance Writers of America conference in Atlanta, and there were all kinds of handy morsels of information handed out. One of those was, if you're not blogging regularly, don't blog. Well, I don't know about that. I like to use my blog to keep me accountable. Being a deadline oriented writer and all, it's very helpful for me to have a public forum to say "Here's what I need to accomplish, and here's how I'm doing." It didn't work so well for the Regency... yet... but it worked out great for Against Her Rules.  

So here's what I'm now holding myself accountable for.  

1. A daily word target of 5000 (this may change if I find I'm missing that target too often)
2. Three novels ready to come into the world in October. Yes, you read that correctly. THREE! In October. All the the Heart's Ease series.  
3. A Christmas themed novella (shorter novel) ready for a November release. 

So how am I going to do all of this? Well, I met some very inspirational self published authors at the RWA event, namely Bella Andre, Barbara Freethy, Liliana Hart, and Tina Folsom. They gave so many workshops and were willing to share their advice, followed by a "Go do what I say" warning. So I'm going to do what they say. And see if it works.  

Thanks ladies for the inspiration, and for sharing your wonderful knowledge. And thanks to those of you who read my blog, and my novels. There'll be a lot more Heart's Ease in our future.  

Let the writing begin

Now that Against Her Rules is out in the world, it's time to get back to work. I have several projects in the pot, as they say, and now just need to get cracking.  

First up, of course, is the second book in the Heart's Ease series. Daphne meets her match in this book, although I'm still trying to figure out who that might be. Aunt Ida will be front and centre again, and we'll get to see what happens when she finally takes her trip to Scotland.  

My second project is one that long-time blog followers know all about. I haven't given up on the regency romance. I'm contemplating giving it a read this week, and seeing if I'm inspired to move on. Part of me would love to have a draft of it complete before I head off to Georgia next month for the Romance Writer's of America national convention. 

And thirdly, I've recently pulled out an old manuscript that I'd submitted to Harlequin many many years ago... 2002 to be exact. I've given it a read through and think that with some modernization, it could be ready to go out pretty quickly. My big question with this one is if I should self-publish it like I did with Against Her Rules, or shop it around to some publishers. In today's market, it's hard to know what to do.  

The upside of self-publishing is that I'm in control of everything. The edits, the story, the cover, the marketing. My success or failure is all up to me. The downside of self-publishing is also that I'm in control of everything. It leaves a lot less time to just sit back and devote all my time to writing. Ah, the double-edged sword.  

Anyway, if you have any suggestions on which project you think I should be devoting the lion's share of my time to, feel free to comment. One thing I know I need to do is set myself a deadline. I accomplish nothing without a firm goal. I'd like to have book 2 in the Heart's Ease series out by October, but if one of the other two projects rises to the top, then you might see one of those instead. 

Don't you just love a vague future? I do!  

I'm going on tour—a Blog tour!

You know how in the movies about a writer they go on a whirlwind tour, hitting up lots of cities and visiting bookstores across the continent? Yea, well, that's not quite the life of a self-published author with an ebook. :) These days authors, whether they are traditionally published or have gone the independent route like me, tend to do what's known as a blog tour. 

Here's how it works. Other authors, reviewers, or people generally interested in reading that have a blog of their own host the author. Sometimes they interview them, other times they might invite the author to guest post, and sometimes they'll just review the book. Over the next month or so I'm lucky enough to have some great bloggers doing just that for me.  

The tour kicks off tomorrow when I'm interviewed by historical romance author Kate Robbins! I can't wait to see it, and I can't wait for you to check it out. Don't worry, I'll post a link for you.  

Let the tour begin!  

Oh my goodness...I'm a published author!

Less than 24 hours ago, my first novel went out into the world for all to see. It was much faster than I thought. When I uploaded it on Tuesday evening I thought it would be at least a week or so before I would get notification. And yet, yesterday afternoon I received notice of my first sale. (Great for me, not so great for my Mom, who wanted to buy the first copy.) 

I have so many emotions running through me right now. Excitement, of course, to have something I've worked so hard on be out there for you all to read. Then there's nervousness, especially about people like my parents and relatives reading the sexy bits! And one of my biggest emotions of the day is plain old-fashioned giddiness. I honestly don't know if I'm coming or going today. My brain is all-a-whirl. The lack of sleep isn't helping either. Even if I was able to sleep through the countless thoughts running through my head, we also have a dog living with us for the next few weeks. Between the dog, the baby, and the book, the last couple of nights have been rather draining.  

But let me say that I am so happy. If you've been reading my blog since the beginning you know what a journey this has been for me. I still can't wrap my head around the idea that my first novel is not my regency romance, as I'd planned so long ago, but rather a contemporary romance that I wrote in 11 days!  

I am so thankful for those of you who have already bought a copy of Against Her Rules. I hope you enjoy it. And I would love it if you shared your thoughts on the book.  

In the next couple of weeks some amazing writers and reviewers will be hosting me on their blogs, asking me questions about the novel. I hope you follow along with my blog tour.  

Now, I'm off to have a celebratory glass of wine with my biggest supporter, my dear husband Reg. It's a big week in our house! 

Cover reveal for Against Her Rules

I received a lot of really fantastic feedback from a lot of you when I asked you to help me choose my cover. In a democracy the cover with the highest number of votes would win. I guess I'm more of a despot, since I choose to incorporate the feedback from some of you that suggested I keep the title large, but change up the bottom image to be bolder, and thus more eye catching. After having my wonderful designer pal Crystal McLelland make that change, we both thought the result was fantastic. And so I present to you the official cover of Against Her Rules. ​

In other book news, I'm hoping to receive what I hope is the final edit from my good friend and editor Anne Cummings in the next day or so, and once I make her suggested edits, it should only be a matter of uploading the book and it will be ready for your reading pleasure... at least I hope pleasure it what you get from it! It would be terrible if it gave you reading hives or something! 

​In the next week or so I plan on blogging a bit more to share with you the publishing journey of Against Her Rules, and I'm hoping by early to mid-June to have the great joy of telling you how you can read this little contemporary romance of mine. Who knew when I set myself to the challenge of writing a novel in 11 days that this would be the end result? Exciting times ahead! 

PS: Can anyone tell me where the photo from the bottom of the cover came from? Here's a hint: I took it. ​

And the winner is...

Thanks so much to everyone who voted and gave feedback on my cover. I can't believe that 77 people were willing to give their input. Thanks so much. It was greatly appreciated. I also found all the comments to be very helpful. In the next few days I'll reveal the cover for Against Her Rules. 

And now I'm pleased to announce the winner of the contest for the free book. I used a very scientific and non-biased method of making this draw. For those of you that don't know, I play a lot of games with fancy multi-sided dice. I rolled for the winner!  ​

Congrats to Deanne Morgan. While this book will be coming out as an e-book at first, I do hope to have a paperback version available through Amazon. ​Deanne wants to wait for the paperback version. I'll have a post soon about why the e-book first. 

Once again, thanks so much for helping me out. ​Stay tuned in the next couple of days for the winning cover reveal!

CONTEST - Help me choose my cover!

OK. Serious business here now friends! I'm having cover dilemmas, and I need help. (More help than normal, that is.)

Who knew this would be so difficult? It's my first book, and there are so many things to think about. For example, what should be the larger print - my name or the title? Does it catch your attention? And because this will be marketed primarily as an e-book (don't worry, there will be an option to purchase a paperback version), you also need to think of the image small, on a computer screen. If you read e-books at all, you know what I mean. 

I've created a poll that I would love for you to participate in. And here's the great part. I'll take all the respondents, regardless of if I choose your cover, and at least one of you will win a copy of Against Her Rules when it comes out. I was hoping this poll tool I'm using records voters, but it doesn't so if  you want to enter the draw, just leave me a comment that tells me you've voted. ​

Thanks for your help! ​