Guest Author – Page 2 – Vanessa Kelly, Author

Guest Author: Pamela Aares & Giveaway!!

March 15, 2016April 14, 2014 by VanessaKelly

Most of my readers know that, in addition to my historical romances, I write contemporary sports romances with my husband under the pen name of VK Sykes. That’s why I’m thrilled to welcome award-winning film maker turned romance author Pamela Aares to the blog today – she writes baseball romances, and historical romance too! As you’re about to find out, she’s a very interesting person.

Vanessa: Welcome, Pamela! I love the concept behind your new series, Heart of the Game: All-Star alpha males and the strong women they come to love. What inspired you to write about baseball heroes and heiresses?

Pamela: Thanks for having me Vanessa!

I don’t know about you, but sometimes characters show up and start talking. I was in the middle of drafting the sequel to Jane Austen and the Archangel, riding back from LA in the car with my husband and we were discussing the baseball season. Within minutes Alex Tavonesi, the hero of book one in the Heart of the Game series, showed up. I’d been toying with the idea of writing a story of a vintner who fell in love with a feisty woman who was a world-class marine mammal vet, but the hero wasn’t supposed to play baseball in addition to all his work trying to keep his family’s vineyard going. Pretty soon Alex Tavonesi had a team of amazing men surrounding him and I knew they’d each have their own story in the Heart of the Game.

The heroines in the first four books of the series are all heiresses who have chosen to have careers– one’s a vet, one owns a major league baseball team, another inherits an internationally famous olive ranch. They are women who want to make their own way in the world. The feedback from readers has been amazing — they love the fascinating women (and of course the hunky, All-Star heroes). All of the stories take place in the Bay Area of California and the characters from each book reappear throughout the series.

Vanessa: I understand that you have an insider’s view into the game of baseball.

Pamela: My husband played in the major leagues for eleven years and yes, he was an All-Star. I’m lucky that I can ask burning questions over breakfast– and that he has a sense of humor. Living with a writer can be strange. I’ll come into the kitchen and ask about Alex, or Matt, or Ryan and he pauses, takes a sip of coffee and realizes I’m asking about what a character in the series might do in a strategic baseball play or the like. You don’t have to be a sport fan to understand the stories, the details of the game come alive in the characters.

Vanessa: What is it that you most love about writing romance?

Pamela: I love books that entertain, transport and inspire dreams. Romances are captivating and tug at the heart. I like to write books that take readers on a journey with complex characters in both contemporary and historical settings who are thrown in situations that tempt love, adventure and self-discovery.

Here’s a peek at the third book in Pamela’s Heart of the Game series, Fielder’s Choice. Pamela will be giving away a copy of Fielder’s Choice as well as a copy of the first book in the series, Love Bats Last.

All-Star first baseman Matt Darrington has more than a problem. His wife died, and now he’s juggling a too-smart-for-her-britches six-year-old and the grueling pace of professional baseball. Worse, his daughter is mom shopping. When they explore a local ranch, she decides the beautiful, free-spirited tour guide is premium mom material. Matt thinks the sexy guide looks like Grade-A trouble.

Alana Tavonesi loves her cosmopolitan life in Paris. But when she inherits the renowned Tavonesi Olive Ranch, she has to return to California and face obligations she never wanted. Selling the place is her first instinct, but life at the ranch begins to crack her open, exposing the dreams hidden inside her heart.

On a lark she leads a ranch tour, where she meets Matt Darrington. His physical power and a captivating sensual appeal fire her in a way no man ever has, but he has a kid—and being a stepmom is a responsibility Alana will never be ready for. Still…she can’t keep her mind or her hands off him.

When Matt’s daughter goes missing from a kid’s camp at the ranch, Alana organizes the search effort, knowing from experience the areas a bright child would be drawn to explore. As she and Matt work together to search for the little girl, Alana discovers that father and daughter have won her heart. Yet it may be too late for love…

About the Author

Pamela Aares is an award-winning author of contemporary and historical romance novels and also writes about fictional romance in sports with her new baseball romance book series titled Heart of the Game. Her first book a historical romance, Jane Austen and the Archangel, released in 2012.

Before becoming a romance author, Aares wrote and produced award-winning films including Your Water, Your Life, featuring actress Susan Sarandon and NPR series New Voices, The Powers of the Universe and The Earth’s Imagination. She holds a Master’s degree from Harvard and currently resides in the wine country of Northern California with her husband, a former MLB All-Star and two curious cats. If not behind her computer, you can probably find her reading a romance novel, hiking the beach or savoring life with friends. You can visit Pamela on the web at http://www.PamelaAares.com.

Guest Author: Katharine Ashe & Giveaway!!

March 15, 2016March 20, 2014 by VanessaKelly

The super-talented historical romance author Katharine Ashe has a brand new book out, and it looks awesome. Katharine is very kindly sharing an exclusive excerpt with us today. Here’s a snippet from My Lady, My Lord.

“Pelley is in there.”

Corinna halted her flight and looked over her shoulder. Ian stood in partial shadow, his long legs and handsome face slanted with torchlight.

“He is?” she said.

He folded his arms over his chest. “I thought that might stop you.”

“Are you telling the truth?”

“I never lie.”

She bit her lower lip. “I didn’t consider the possibility of his presence here.”

He frowned, his gaze slipping along her bodice to her hips. “Apparently.”

“Don’t look at me with such disapproval,” she snapped. “Your doxies wear much less than this.”

How on earth had she gotten herself into this? What had she been thinking? He was right: this was not she. She was trying to be something she wasn’t and making a fool of herself. And now Lord Pelley would see her in this scandalous gown, and any last hope she might still have of convincing him she was the serious woman to whom he should sell his publishing company would be lost.

“I don’t disapprove,” Ian said. “Quite the contrary. I’m merely curious as to your motive.”

The words that were so easy to practice alone in her dressing chamber now clogged her throat. His eyes sharpened. For a moment that seemed like forever, neither of them spoke.

He strode forward and grasped her arm. Raindrops pattered on the shoulders of his dark coat and her lashes.

“I’m taking you home.”

She resisted. “What if I don’t want you to?”

“Oh,” he said in a low rumble. “You want me to.”

*Swoon*

Vanessa, here. Man, I can’t wait to read this book! I have it all loaded up on my e-reader, and as soon as I turn in my next manuscript I’m going to reward myself with My Lady, My Lord. Here’s the blurb, if you need any more convincing (which I’m sure you don’t!):

The Bluestocking

Lady Corinna Mowbray has three passions: excellent books, intelligent conversation, and disdaining the libertine Earl of Chance.

The Rake

Lord Ian Chance has three pleasures: beautiful women, fast horses, and tormenting high-and-mighty Corinna Mowbray.

Neighbors for years, they’ve been at each other’s throats since they can remember. But when a twist of fate forces them to trade lives, how long will it be before they discover they cannot live without each other?

Sounds awesome, doesn’t it? You can find all the buy links to My Lady, My Lord on Katharine’s website. And to celebrate the release of the Katharine’s book, I’m giving away an ARC of my upcoming release, Confessions of a Royal Bridegroom. Let’s talk romance tropes – do you like the rake and the bluestocking scenario? I sure do, but tell me what you think for a chance to win an ARC of my next book.

Guest Author: Mary Behre & Giveaway!!

March 15, 2016March 3, 2014 by VanessaKelly

It’s always exciting to introduce debut authors to readers, and I have that treat in store for you today. I’m so pleased to host paranormal romance author Mary Behre, whose debut book, Spirited, is out tomorrow! Listen to some of the advance praise for this book:

“Spirited is an intriguing blend of romance, mystery and ghosts to keep you up late at night.” New York Times bestseller Dianna Love

“Great! A real-page turner.Be prepared, once you sit down to read, you won’t want to get up until you’ve finished the book.” – NY Times and USA Today Bestselling author Lynsay Sands

Lynsay Sands, people! And I completely agree with that assessment. I know Mary and she’s a superbly talented author. She’s here today to share an exclusive excerpt of Spirited. Pull up a chair and enjoy!

Jules sat dumbfounded in the bedroom of a Greek god. He had espresso brown eyes, curly black hair, a long nose that had probably been broken a time or two, and a sexy, dimpled chin. His tan, muscular body was covered by a chest full of springy hair that begged to be touched. Dang! He even smelled good, like soap and the salty Tidewater air.

Ohmigawd, he’s a walking condom commercial.

He scowled at her, waiting for an answer. Although to save her life she couldn’t think of anything. Where was she? More important, what was she doing here? Then a mental switch flipped and it all became clear.

That freaking ghost! Jules couldn’t very well tell a cop she stumbled into his apartment because a ghost made her do it. He’d haul her off to the loony bin.

“Well.” Jules fidgeted against the cuffs and tried to adjust to a more dignified position on the bed. So not happening. “No, not really. I was trying to go home but, uh . . . locked myself out.”

He arched an eyebrow at her but didn’t say anything.

“I know this looks bad but just ask Big Jim. He’ll vouch for me.”

“And Big Jim? Who’s that, your pimp?”

“What? No!” She laughed and shook her head at the absurd thought. “He’s my dad.”

“Is that what they’re calling them these days?” He scoffed but didn’t give her time to respond. “There’s no one named Big Jim in this building. Try again, the truth this time.”

“Ernie Ward! Ernie is my dad.”

“I thought his name was Jim.” He shook his head. He made a sound like a buzzer. “Wrong again. I’ve known Ernie for years but I’ve never seen you before. Want to try another name, honey?”

His biceps flexed, arms still folded across his chest, as if he wanted to move but barely restrained himself. The sight was distracting. He wasn’t exactly muscle-bound, just finely honed. He stood fierce and masculine like an ancient warrior. Intimidating but ruthlessly sexy. It made her want to . . . She shook herself inwardly.

Why couldn’t she think straight? This so wasn’t like her. She didn’t go gooey over any guy, regardless of how ruggedly handsome. But her heart pounded at an erratic pace and she’d once again lost the thread of the conversation. What had he just asked?

Think, Jules! Ignore the instant pull of pointless physical attraction. It had never done her any favors in the past anyway. Something about him must be repellent. Find it!

She looked at him again, this time skating her gaze past his naked chest and sexy arms and moving down.

Oh, it couldn’t be.

She blinked, astonished.

He wore bright yellow pajama pants, covered in lambs.

Resisting the urge to laugh, she latched on to righteous indignation and straightened her shoulders. This condescending jerk treated her like a criminal, handcuffed her and called her a liar. Oh, he was going down.

“My name’s Jules. Not honey,” she snapped. “And Big Jim—Ernie—is my father. He lives in this building and I live with him.”

“I highly doubt it. Hookers don’t live here,” he said, tugging a red T-shirt over his head.

“Excuse me?” she yelled. “I’m not a hooker, and you owe me an apology!”

“Really?” he said, giving her an obvious once-over, his gaze settling on her bustier.

Her cheeks burned.

“Wait. I can explain.”

“Enlighten me.” He narrowed his eyes, doubt etched on his face.

“See, there was this costume party and . . .” Her words trailed off. How to explain the theme of her college reunion without sounding like an imbecile for dressing in the ridiculous outfit just to win a blue ribbon? Now that she thought about it, stupid might aptly describe her decision-making skills tonight. “Well, there was a Pimp and Ho party earlier tonight. I was on my way home from it—”

“And you just happened to climb into my window?”

Jules opened her mouth to respond, but doubted he’d believe her anyway. So she settled on a half-truth. “It was a mistake. I meant to climb into Big Jim’s window, but it was jammed and yours was . . . open.”

“Ah ha!” His mouth twisted into a satisfied grin. “You admit to breaking and entering.”

“Not breaking. Just entering. And who in his right mind sleeps in this city without a screen in his window anyway?” Oops! She hadn’t meant to say that last part, but she pushed on. “If you’ll just let me go find Big Jim—”

“Don’t think so.” With a grim expression on his face, he tugged her to her feet. “Time to go.”

“Where are we going?” Jules dragged her heels, her stilettos scraping the wooden floorboards.

Still in his pajama bottoms, he jammed his feet into a pair of loafers.

Jules gaped. The gladiator image of him fizzled with each passing second. “Are you really planning to go out in public dressed like an overgrown four-year-old?”

“Shut. Up,” he growled, jerking on a knee-length, brown leather coat. “Say another word and I’ll charge you with resisting arrest.”

“Wait, uh, I think there’s been some mistake.”

“You bet your sweet ass, there has.”

“Where . . . where . . .” Jules swallowed in an effort to keep her voice from shaking. “Where are we going?”

“You’re gonna spend the night in lockup.”

“Please, not jail!” Her words ended on a squeak, but she couldn’t help it.

Earth-bound ghosts, bent on driving the living crazy, seemed to love hanging out in graveyards and jails. When they realized she could actually hear them, she’d be defenseless.

Sounds awesome, doesn’t it? Here’s the blurb:

She’s running from who she is…

All Jules Scott wants is to live a normal, quiet life–preferably one that doesn’t include ghosts. Jules’s ability for communicating with the dead has brought her nothing but trouble. Despite her best efforts, needy spirits always find her and draw her into their otherworldly drama. When one implicates her in a series of deadly crimes, she may need to entrust her secrets to the person least likely to believe her…

He’ll do whatever it takes to catch her.

Detective Seth English can’t get distracted from the big case he’s working on, not even by his alluring new neighbor. He doesn’t believe that Jules had anything to do with the string of robberies-turned-murders that he’s investigating, but when she keeps showing up in all the wrong places, his gut tells him she knows more than she’s letting on. To solve his case, he’ll need to expose what the sexy redhead is hiding–no matter how impossible the truth may be…

You can order Spirited from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and BAM.

For my readers today, Mary is giving away a copy of Spirited, book one in her Tidewater Series. Just tell us about some of the books you’re looking forward to in the next few months for a chance to win!

PS. I’m visiting with the lovely ladies at The Romance Dish today, with an exclusive excerpt from my upcoming book, Confessions of a Royal Bridegroom. And the ladies are also giving away an ARC of Confessions. After you comment on Mary’s excerpt, stop by and visit with me at The Romance Dish!

We Have A Winner!

March 15, 2016February 23, 2014 by VanessaKelly

Darcy’s winner is Leslie Shultz. Congratulations, Leslie! I’ll be in touch.

Thanks to everyone for stopping by the blog. I have some great guests coming up in the next few weeks, including Mary Behre and Katharine Ashe. I’ll also be posting exclusive excerpts from my upcoming book, Confessions of a Royal Bridegroom. Be sure to stop back and visit with me!

PS. I’m giving away ten advanced reader copies of Confessions of a Royal Bridegroom on Goodreads. Click here to enter the giveaway!

Guest Author: Darcy Burke & Giveaway!!

March 15, 2016February 20, 2014 by VanessaKelly

I’m so please to be hosting award-winning author Darcy Burke on the blog today. Darcy is a lovely person, and she writes wonderful historical romance (and contemporary romance, too). She’s here to tell us about her latest series and book, Scoundrel Ever After.

Thank you for having me here today, Vanessa! Now that my Secrets and Scandals series is finished (sniff!), I’m reflecting on the characters and stories. I really loved the multi-book redemption arc of Ethan Jagger. Reformed bad boys are one of my favorite tropes and I especially love a series that introduces a character as a villain (or as seemingly irredeemable) and lets you see the transformation from “hell no!” to “ hell yes, please!” What surprised me, though, is that I had not one, but two, female characters who traveled a redemption arc.

The first book in this series, Her Wicked Ways, features a spoiled London debutante who’s banished to the country to reform herself. Instead of multiple books to transform her, she (hopefully!) went from immature and selfish to independent and selfless. That book took place over several months, so her evolution and that of the love story definitely had time to percolate and grow. Still, reformed heroines are harder than heroes!

So why’d I do it again? head/desk. In the second book, His Wicked Heart, I introduced two secondary characters to befriend the heroine (Olivia). They were Lydia and Audrey, who ended up being heroines of their own books. But I didn’t introduce them with that in mind. Lydia, in fact, was more of a frenemy. She was a gossip and a bit condescending to Olivia, who was new to Society. Audrey was much softer and I knew earlier with her that she needed her own book. Lydia, on the other hand, was a tough sell. She’d been introduced as a foil and to make her into heroine material, I had to figure out why she was the way she was. I surprised myself when I paired her with Jason Lockwood, but I’m so happy with how their story turned out. It seemed natural—and exciting—that the socially vilified Jason would find love with the gossip-mongering Lydia.

I’m sure there’ll be reformation of some kind in my next series, Regency Treasure Hunters. One of the heroes, Lord Kersey, appeared very briefly in Her Wicked Ways. He had a somewhat notorious reputation he was trying to live down. We’ll find out how successful he was! I’m planning for the first book in that series (a prequel novella) to be out this summer.

Redemption is definitely one of my favorite themes and as I said, reformed bad boys is one of my favorite romance tropes. What are your favorite themes and tropes? What do you think of reformed heroines and what are some of your favorite books that feature them? One lucky commenter will get a copy of Secrets and Scandals Volume 1, which includes the first three books in the series!

Wow! That’s a very generous giveaway, Darcy – thank you! Personally, I’m very fond of the reformed heroine, since my third book, My Favorite Countess, featured a heroine who had to follow a pretty steep course of redemption. What about you, readers? What are some of your favorite themes and tropes. Does it include redemption? Let us know, and I’ll also throw in a copy of My Favorite Countess for Darcy’s winner!

A native Oregonian, Darcy lives on the edge of wine country with her devoted husband, their two great kids, and two Bengal cats. Darcy writes hot, action-packed historical and sexy, emotional contemporary romance. Visit Darcy online at http://www.darcyburke.com and sign up for her new releases newsletter, follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/darcyburke, or like her Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/darcyburkefans.