Friday Firsts with... Dominique Eastwick

The first five sentences of...

THE DUKE AND THE VIRGIN

“So you are really going through with it?”

Lady Elizabeth Hamilton looked at her lady’s maid in the mirror as if she had lost her marbles. “Anna, you told me I should do this.”

“Now, told might be a bit strong, my lady. I need to be convinced that you have your heart and head set. Because once you do this, there is no going back.”

Available now!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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FUN FIRST FACTS ABOUT DOMINIQUE

What was the first romance you ever read?

I wish I could remember the name it was in the 80’s and was a Harlequin Presents. To say it had an effect on me would be an understatement. The heroine’s name was Dominique--it’s why I took Dominique as my pen name.

Tell me about the first novel you ever wrote? What ever happened to it? 

Okay the first I ever wrote or the first I completed. The first ones I wrote were done in a round robin between me and a friend of mine, she would write a paragraph I would write a paragraph. Those ended up in the dumpster…so wish I had kept them now. The first one I finished was a historical about a 1000 pages long, filled with every single rookie mistake one could make. Head hopping, telling, repetition…I think you get the drift; at the moment it sits on my hard drive waiting. Recently those characters have started screaming they want another chance. Might be time to dust them off and see if I can save them.

What’s the first thing you do when you sit down each day to write? 

I turn off the internet. I can’t write if the internet is on. I have a serious case of ADD so when I write I…oh look--shiny. I think you get the point.

Even more about Dominique

Dominique Eastwick grew up a US Navy Brat, so if there was a Naval base that was probably home. She currently resides in North Carolina with her husband, two children, crazy lab and lazy cat.

Dominique's love of reading started when she was told to read TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD in high school. A book that opened her eyes to the joys of reading and entering into the world of the author. To this day she ranks this book as her favorite.

Where you can find her online: 

http://dominiqueeastwick.blogspot.com/

http://thewiccanhaus.blogspot.com/

FRIDAY FIRSTS WITH... Author Celia Breslin

The first five sentences of... HAVEN

If there’s one thing I hate more than a sake-induced hangover, it’s

getting attacked by a witch in my own home while I’m nursing a sake-induced hangover.

Fortunately, I was battle-ready when she broke into my house. I was pummeling the stuffing out of my home gym’s punching bag in an attempt to sweat out my headache when I heard the none-too-subtle click click click of heels on hardwood in the stairwell.

What kind of self-respecting witch wears high heels when she sneaks up on someone? Apparently, this one possessed less brains than a snail.

Coming July 2 from Champagne Books!

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FUN FIRST FACTS ABOUT CELIA

Tell me about the first novel you ever wrote. Whatever happened to it?

 The first novel I ever wrote was a “Harlequin” romance. I read Harlequins at an early age, maybe age 12 or so? I snuck them from my mother’s bookshelf. After I’d read a few, I decided to write my own. It featured a college student who loved horses (as I did at that age) and a rancher’s son. “Amanda” went to spend a working summer on a ranch in Texas and, of course, met and fell in love with “Nick,” the youngest of three brothers. I don’t recall the title, but I remember I wrote it on pale grey construction paper. It’s probably in a box somewhere in the basement of my mother’s home. LOL.

What’s the first thing you do after you wake up in the morning (other than using the restroom LOL)?

Exercise. Yes, it’s true. I’m sooooo not a morning person. You don’t want to talk to me before eight a.m. unless you’re my boot camp instructor and we’re kicking some serious exercise butt!

What’s the first thing you notice on an attractive member of the opposite sex?

Eyes, definitely eyes. “Windows to the soul” and all that. Personality, intellect, emotion...it’s all there in the eyes.  

MORE ABOUT CELIA

Celia lives in California with her husband, daughter, and two feisty cats. She writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance, and has a particular fondness for vampires and the Fae. When not writing, you’ll find her exercising, reading a good book or indulging her addiction to Joss Whedon’s TV shows and movies.

Web site: http://www.celiabreslin.com/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/celiabreslin

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CeliaBreslinAuthor

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/CeliaBreslin

FRIDAY FIRSTS with Joanna Fay

First Five Sentences of... 
Reunion: The Siaris

Quartet Book Two

Riana ran hard, folds of velvet whipping around her ankles. The fortress’s black walls pressed in close, dank and smothering. Her footsteps were muffled, all sounds eaten in the gloom. Her bare feet stung where they met the fierce cold of the floor. She veered around a twist in the corridor and rocked back on her heels.

Available now!

Musa | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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Fun First Facts About Joanna

What was the first romance you ever read?

I suspect the first romance I read was a Mills&Boon, at the encouragement of school friends. The first romance I read that made a big enough impression to stay permanently in my memory was Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. I would not be the first to say that! In fact, I read it several times over, followed by her other novels, my favourite being Persuasion. After Austen came the Brontes, George Eliot, Wilkie Collins…you get the picture. 


Tell me about the first novel you ever wrote. Whatever happened to it? The first novel I ever wrote has become the last three books of my epic fantasy sequence, The Siaris Quartet. I wrote a prequel novel, Daughter of Hope, which became Book One of the quartet, a couple of years ago (published last year by Musa Publishing). The rest of the material I ran past a critiquing group, who all told me it had to be at least three books. I started writing the Siaris story-world in my teens, some three decades ago, so it really is a lifelong passion, and I’m having a fantastic time now finishing the last novel in the quartet, and dreaming up sequels. 


What’s the first thing you do after you wake up in the morning? Actually, I sit up in bed and do a meditation practice, using beautiful visualizations. Even if it’s only for five minutes (on weekdays), it always makes a difference to the whole day if I begin from that peaceful, settled space. I totally love it!


More about Joanna: Joanna Fay is a writer of fantasy novels, short stories and poetry. The first two novels of her epic fantasy sequence The Siaris Quartet, Daughter of Hope and Reunion, have been published by Musa Publishing. Six of her short stories have been published, three of which are set in the Siaris ‘story-world’, with two shortlisted in the International Aeon Award. Her poems have been much awarded and published. Joanna lives in the Perth hills, Western Australia, with her teenage son and a menagerie of small pets, including a magical white rabbit. She writes and works as a therapist by day, and keeps an eye on the sky for low-flying unidentified objects by night.


Even more about her here:
Website
Facebook
Twitter

FRIDAY FIRSTS WITH... Jess Buffett

The First Few Sentences of... 

ALWAYS BEEN YOU

"Is this our home now, daddy?" 

Staring down at his five-year-old daughter, Seth Hall nodded. "Yeah, Ally. This is it."

This was it. Newport, New Hampshire. It was the home of maple sugar, apple orchards, and his oldest memories. He hadn't been back here since he'd left for college a little over eleven years ago.

Available now!

Buy it here

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FUN FIRST FACTS ABOUT JESS

Who was your first love? 
My first love was actually my husband. The first and only person I have ever truly loved. We had known each other since we were kids, and when I was sixteen we started dating. Now we are married and have two gorgeous children. It’s not a fairy tale, we have our ups and our downs, but it is what I always pictured true love to be.

Tell me about the first novel you ever wrote? What ever happened to it? 
The first story I started writing was The Kayan’s Mage which was released in April. However, the first book I ever finished is the one being released tomorrow on May 4th – Always Been You with Silver publishing. 

What’s the first thing you notice on an attractive member of the opposite sex? 
I don’t know why, but arms. I’m a sucker for a nice set of arms on a man. The kind that are hard, yet soft when they mould around you.

More about Jess:
Hmmm, what can I say about myself...I was born and raised in New South Wales, Australia. I married my high school sweetheart and we live on the Central Coast with our two children. I am absolutely a hopeless romantic who loves stories about true love that sizzle with a happy ending (which is probably a good thing given what I write). I'm a huge fan of M/M and M/F romance—anything with hunky men in all their glory, whether they be Shifters, Vampires, Cowboys, or the boy next door. I'm a firm believer in soul mates, happily ever afters, and in love at first sight, but that sometimes people need a second or a third for the brain to catch up.

Friday Firsts with REGAN WALKER

The first few lines of... AGAINST THE WIND

She is dead.

Katherine, Lady Egerton, stared at the still form lying on the bed. Beloved sister, friend of the heart…Anne was gone. One minute she was struggling for breath, the next she lay silent and still. The only person in the world Kit loved more than life had left her.

They are all gone now. The sudden solitude tore at her heart. Kit smiled sadly, gazing through eyes filled with tears at the frail body lying before her.”

Available now! | Amazon

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FUN FIRST FACTS ABOUT REGAN

Who was your first love? 
When I was 12 and went away to summer camp, one day I ducked out of the meeting and took off my shoes to walk barefoot in the woods. I met a boy about my age who was running barefoot. We had that in common. He was a handsome lad and my first crush. We spent many afternoons walking in the woods and talking—all quite innocent. Someday I’ll put that story in a novel. 

What was the first romance you ever read? 
On a Highland Shore by Kathleen Givens. It’s a beautiful story of Scotland and a love that permeated generations. I was hooked. I read all six of her novels and they are all on my keeper shelf now. And I went on from there. 

Tell me about the first novel you ever wrote? What ever happened to it? 
It was published! That was Racing With The Wind…the first in the Agents of the Crown trilogy. There’s much of me in the heroine, or so my close friends tell me. She’s a bluestocking hoyden. It was a very fun book to write. I love the hero, the British lord who masquerades as the Nighthawk, a thief of Napoleon’s secrets.

More about Regan: As a child Regan Walker loved to write stories, particularly about adventure-loving girls, but by the time she got to college more serious pursuits took priority. One of her professors thought her suited to the profession of law, and Regan realized it would be better to be a hammer than a nail. Years of serving clients in private practice and several stints in high levels of government gave her a love of international travel and a feel for the demands of the “Crown” on its subjects. Hence her romance novels often involve a demanding Prince Regent who thinks of his subjects as his private talent pool.

Author website

Amazon author page

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Regan’s Romance Reviews blog

FRIDAY FIRSTS with SS Hampton Sr.

The first five sentences of... THE LAPIS LAZULI THRONE 

“The desert was alive. Damp foul smelling sand exploded in a white flash. Smoky red and yellow tentacles snaked out of the sand. He tried to scream, but the tentacles choked him. Other screams tore through the boiling smoke that stung his eyes and fouled his mouth…”

Available now!

Musa Publishing | Amazon

FUN FIRST FACTS ABOUT SS

What’s the first thing you do after you wake up in the morning (other than using the restroom LOL)?

Pour a cup of coffee and light a cigarette. Really! Sometimes I can do two things at once. That is the way I have started my day for decades; except for the dreamed-of possibility of giving up cigarettes, I anticipate that this is the way I will always start my day for years to come. To start it any other way seems a little unthinkable. Besides, it seems like a civilized way to start the day.

What’s the first thing you notice on an attractive member of the opposite sex?

It is a toss up between her eyes and her face. A woman’s face is like an open book whereas her eyes are like a chapter. Regarding the face, I notice the way the hair—if it is long—frames the face as if it were a painting. I notice the eyebrows, the angle of the nose, the cheekbones and the chin. And the smile. The smile is a real clue to a woman’s personality. It can be warm, sensual, joyful, critical, or mystifying. I have heard the old saying that the eyes are a window into someone’s soul, but to me a woman’s eyes are mysterious. Other than the obvious anger, happiness, or sadness, I can never discern any meaning to a woman’s eyes. That is part of the charm and challenge of meeting a woman. “Who is she? What is she really thinking?”

If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you’d buy?

The very first thing? A car. I helped my youngest son buy an SUV from a used car company based in Arizona. Damned big mistake. The SUV has broken down so many times, and I’m getting ready to sink another $600.00 into it! So anyway, a NEW car with a good music system. I love driving down the highway with the music turned up loud, a French Vanilla Cappuccino, and a cigarette close by. A good running car is freedom to me. Having lived in Las Vegas for many years, sometimes without a vehicle, I am very familiar with public transportation, meaning a city bus. I lived on the south side of Vegas and for awhile I worked on the north side of Vegas. So, every day I was up before dawn, caught a bus to the southern transportation terminal, hopped a Strip bus to the northern transportation terminal, then hopped another bus to the north side, and from the final drop-off point walked three miles to work. This was only four years ago when I was 54 years old. Anyway, I spent about 2.5 hours to get to work in the morning and 1.5 hours to get home at night (I caught a ride after work to the morning’s last drop-off point), for a total of 4 hours per day. So, to work a 40 hour week I spent 20 hours on the bus and walking. When I started riding to and from work with a friend I was so amazed that it took only 20 minutes one-way by car. Only 20 minutes! Yeahhh, a brand new car. A brand new car is freedom. Considering I’m almost 60 years old and living in the era of “the recession ended in 2009,” well, no one will hire me. The only way to get my freedom back is by winning the lottery. Or writing a best selling novel!

More About SS

SS Hampton, Sr. is a Choctaw from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, a divorced grandfather to 13 grandchildren, a published photographer, photojournalist, and fiction writer. He is a serving member of the Army National Guard with the rank of staff sergeant, and is a veteran of Operations Noble Eagle, and Iraqi Freedom. His writings have appeared in Ruthie’s Club, Lucrezia Magazine, Megaera, The Harrow, River Walk Journal, and Dark Fire, among others. Second career goals include becoming a painter and studying for a degree in photography and anthropology—hopefully to someday work in and photograph underwater archaeology. After 12 years of brown desert in the Southwest and overseas, he misses the Rocky Mountains, yellow aspens in the fall, running rivers, and a warm fireplace during snowy winters. As of December 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Hampton officially became a homeless Iraq War veteran.

FRIDAY FIRSTS with... Vicki Batman

THE FIRST FEW SENTENCES OF... This is NOT Working

Why today--of all days?

Monday, and here I am in my brand new position, which took beaucoup de months to find in this wacky economy, only to feel like the ultimate failure.

          

Right after bouncing like a school kid in my ergonomically designed desk chair, I’d punched the computer's on button. Nothing happened.

Genre: Romantic comedy

Publisher: Indie published

Amazon | Smashwords

Available now!

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Fun First Facts About Vicki

What was the first romance you ever read?

 My first romance(s) were written by Emilie Loring. At age fourteen, I was in an in-between stage in my reading life and had complained to my mom. She handed one to me and I devoured it. Fortunately, Ms. Loring had written seventy-something. I had a fantastic summer.

What was your first date with your significant other?

 Our first date doesn't really count. I'd made plans with a guy who lived in my apartment complex to go see "For Your Eyes Only." Only my friend had had too much fun-in-the-sun. So when I was checking on him, his doorbell rang. On the other side stood Handsome, my friend's co-worker. He thought my friend and I were dating, but we weren't. Handsome made excuses to leave, but my friend dragged him inside and introduced us. Then he blurted out, "Why don't you take her to the movie?" I assured Handsome he didn't need to bother. Imagine my amazement when he said yes. We went and I did all the talking. Not a good sign in my book. And didn't hear back (not that I really thought I would) for six weeks until the night I was hostessing my girlfriend's birthday party. After blessings from my cousin, another girlfriend, and a college chum, I continued to go out with him.

What was the first meal your significant other ever made for you?

One time, he decided to host a dinner party with me and a co-worker as guests. Only he didn't have a full set of silverware. We passed around a Ginsu knife to cut our steaks.

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More about Vicki: Like some of her characters, award-winning author, Vicki Batman has worked a wide variety of jobs including lifeguard, ride attendant at an amusement park; a hardware store, department store, book store, antique store clerk; administrative assistant in an international real estate firm; and a general “do anything gal” at a financial services firm. The list is…endless.

She has completed three manuscripts, written essays, and sold many short stories. She is a member of RWA and several writing groups and chapters. In 2004, she joined DARA and has served in several capacities, including 2009 President. DARA awarded her the Robin Teer Memorial Service Award in 2010.

Most days begin with her hands set to the keyboard and thinking "What if??"

You can learn even more about Vicki here:

Blogsite

Facebook

Twitter 

Pinterest

Goodreads

AuthorCentral

Smashwords Author Profile

FRIDAY FIRSTS with Brinda Berry

The first five sentences of... WHISPER OF MEMORY

The dead leaves formed an ocher carpet on the ground that spoke in crunchy whispers as I backed up two steps. Watching the leaves begin to whirl like a waterspout in the ocean, I waited. I identified the spot before I heard the buzzing or saw the air lifting the leaves. Even before I saw the sienna-orange veil drape over the ground, the tingly sensation moving through me from head to toe told me it was a portal.

I smiled in anticipation of seeing Regulus today.

Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Etopia Press

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Available now!

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FUN FIRST FACTS ABOUT BRINDA

What was the first romance you ever read?
I loved reading Harlequin romances and belonged to the book club. I waited for the five new releases to hit my mailbox every month and I'd devour them. I also checked out all the old ones from the library. I don't remember any names or authors. Then I read Sweet, Savage Love by Rosemary Rogers. I'll never forget that one.

Tell me about your first kiss.This may not be my first one, but it's certainly the one I remember the best. I went to one of my first parties where the kids were playing spin the bottle. I had a crush on the older brother of a friend. It was a birthday party and this guy was older and experienced. Actually, I'm wondering what the heck he was doing playing spin the bottle with us! Anyway, that was one of those kisses you never forget. You know...the kind that curls your toes, feeds your dreams, and ruins you for other jr. high school guys. 

If you won the lottery, what's the first thing you'd buy?I'd buy a house on the beach. I think I could get a lot of writing done there. Seriously. 

More about Brinda: Brinda lives in the southern US with her family and two spunky cairn terriers. She’s terribly fond of chocolate, coffee, and books that take her away from reality.

FRIDAY FIRSTS with Margaret Fieland

The first five lines of... RELOCATED 

“What do you mean I must undergo a psi exam? The Terran Federation legislates against any use of psi.” The speaker, a human woman with wild gray hair, glared at the immigration official.

I gazed at the official. Like most Aleyni, he stood over six feet, slender, with extra wide hands, and thumbs able to bend all the way back.

Available now!
Muse It Up Publishing | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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Fun Facts about Margaret

1. Who was your first love?

Her name was Trudy, and she was ten. I was seven. My father had a house in Connecticut that he'd built before he was married. It was a three bedroom ranch right on Candlewood Lake, and all his friends had teased him for building such a large place. We used to spend every summer, all summer, there until I was about twelve.

The house was on a dead end road, and Trudy's family lived a few houses down from ours. Alas, her parents divorced and she moved to California with her mother. I missed her terribly.

2. Tell me about the first novel you ever wrote. What happened to it?

Unlike many writers, I did not always want to be a writer. I wrote my first novel in 2006, I believe. In 2010 it was accepted for publication. It's due out sometime this year.

The impetus for the novel was a terrible fire that took the lives of a friend's wife and all of his children. The whole tragic affair haunted me, so about six months after I started writing fiction, I sat down one weekend and wrote the first draft of the novel, “The Angry Little Boy.” It took me three or four more years to learn enough to rewrite it into something publishable. In the novel, the boy, Alvin, loses his mother in a fire.  It was my way of coming to terms with my friend's loss.

3. What was your first date with your significant other?

We met at a concert half-way between our two houses. She recognized the friend I'd come with, and came over to say hello. The two of us hit it off, and we ended up going to dinner at a very nice restaurant in Cambridge, The Harvest. It's since closed.

I came home and cried my eyes out because I was sure I'd never see her again.

That was about 20 years ago. So much for my powers of prognostication.

More about Margaret:  Born and raised in New York City, Margaret Fieland has been around art and music all her life.  Her poems and stories have appeared in journals such as  Turbulence Magazine, Front Range Review, and All Rights Reserved. She is one of the Poetic Muselings. Their poetry anthology, "Lifelines," was published by Inkspotter Publishing in November, 2011.  She is the author of "Relocated," published by MuseItUp Publishing, and of "Sand in the Desert." Her book,  "The Angry Little Boy," will be published by 4RV publishing in early 2013.

You can find me at:

http://www.margaretfieland.com/

My blog:

http://blog.margaretfieland.com/

Relocated:

http://relocated.margaretfieland.com/

Fridays Firsts with...CHANTILLY WHITE

The first five sentences of... PEARLS OF PASSION 

Sabrina licked her crimson lips, adjusted the low V of her scarlet satin blouse a bit lower, the black mini a bit higher. She admired the toned cut of her thigh muscles and the creamy swell of her breasts in the glass as she pushed through the double doors of the county library on ice-pick, black-patent stilettos. She could do this. If her heart was beating a bit too fast and her breathing was a bit, well, breathy, that would just help set the stage.

Mr. I’m-Too-Shy-To-Ask-You-Out was going to get a Valentine’s Day surprise like no other.

Genre: Contempory Erotic Romance
Publisher: Indie

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | All Romance Ebooks

Available now!

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FUN FIRST FACTS ABOUT CHANTILLY

Who was your first love? Oooh, that's actually a tough question. My very first love was a sweet, chubby little boy whose name I no longer remember, but my mother has him circled on my Tiny Tot's (basically preschool) class picture. I was three. I experienced a short dry spell in my love life after that, but the role of personal hero was next filled by the charismatic Jimmy Alvarez in kindergarten. He wooed me with rings from the gumball machine at a local pizza parlor and Avon lipstick samples he liberated from his mother's vanity table.

I was, in a word, crazy about him.

My mother would say I was boy crazy, period. She's probably right. I spent a fair amount of time in school ignoring math lessons in favor of selecting my next victim. I mean boyfriend. I always paid attention during story hour, however.

In all that time, and through all those boyfriends, I was pretty lucky. There were only two young men who truly broke my heart. My first serious boyfriend, Mike M., in high school, and a "much older" guy—by four years! It seemed like a lot bigger difference when I was nineteen—who promised to love me forever, named Jeff. He left me—on Christmas Day—for his ex-girlfriend, a woman who had rammed his car with hers when he broke up with her the first time.

Psycho.

I have to thank that nameless crazy girl, though, because she cleared the way for me to meet the real love of my life, my husband, Mark, who has been by my side for more than twenty years.

What was the first romance you ever read? The first romance I ever read was The Proud Breed, by Celeste de Blasis, which, if you've never read it, is an epic tale—probably more women's fiction than straight romance, now that I think about it—which follows the heroine, Tessa, throughout her entire life from the day she turns sixteen.

The book is around a thousand pages and quite spicy, romantically. I was twelve and visiting my grandparents at their vacation cabin outside a tiny little town in the Upper Peninsula in Michigan. After the first three or four days, I was bored out of my mind. I'm sure I was driving everyone crazy, the way only a bored twelve-year-old can. I'd already shaved the neighbor's golden retriever—without their permission—to free her of mats she'd gotten from swimming in the lake. Poor Maggie. She looked like she'd lost a fight with a lawn mower wielded by a maniacal chimpanzee.

Out of desperation, my grandma thrust The Proud Breed at me and firmly told me to, "Read!" All she remembered about the book was that it was a history of California. She thought it would be educational. Oh, boy, was she ever right about that! I stuck my nose in that book and didn't surface again for days, though every once in a while my mother or grandmother would want to know why I was blushing and giggling.

I was captivated by the first sentence and all the way to the end, through all the ups and downs of Tessa's life with her husband and lover, Gavin, of the dark hair and deep blue eyes. Is it any wonder that particular masculine combination is still my favorite? Lucky for my husband!

To this day, The Proud Breed remains one of my all-time favorite books, and has been read and reread many, many times.

Tell me about your very first kiss? Since I started kissing boys—quite enthusiastically—at a very, very young age, I'll fast-forward to a slightly more age-appropriate answer. My first French kiss lesson, when I was fourteen. His name was Chad, and while he didn't have dark hair—it was, in fact, a very beautiful and pale rocker-dude flowing blond—he did have dark, soulful blue eyes.

We were hanging out at a mutual friend's house, a whole bunch of us, and as usual I was the only girl. Aside from being boy crazy for boyfriends, I mostly preferred the company of boys all around, even just as friends. But I'd had my eye on Chad for something more than mere friendship for a little while, and he'd been giving me the eye right back.

Somehow the topic of kissing came up. When I admitted I'd never had a French kiss, Chad grabbed me by the hand and hauled me outside into the bright sunshine where, in the shade of an ancient oak tree, he pulled me around to face him. He placed his hands ever so gently on my cheeks, and very, very slowly leaned in. He pressed his lips to mine, soft and sweet, and kissed me exquisitely, for what felt like eons. I put my hands on his waist and held on, because my world was already spinning.

Then he pulled back slightly and whispered, "Open your mouth."

The words alone sent a zing straight down my fourteen-year-old spine, but when he touched his tongue to mine, I quaked all over. Such sensations!

We didn't date for very long, but I'll never forget that first "grownup" kiss. I'll always be grateful I had such a wonderful, tender teacher.

MORE ABOUT CHANTILLY:

Chantilly White was born and raised in southern California, an only child who spent her days acting out favorite scenes from beloved fairytales and reading everything she could get her hands on. Childhood favorites were soon followed by romance novels from Celeste de Blasis, Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, Johanna Lindsey, Jude Deveraux, Nora Roberts and many others.

Always a storyteller, Chantilly holds a degree in Creative Writing/English Literature from the University of California at Riverside. Now living in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, three kids and three crazy cats, she is a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA) and several local and online chapters. She serves as Membership Chair for the Evergreen RWA Chapter in Everett, Washington.

Chantilly writes romance in a variety of subgenres. She is currently trying her hand at shorter works, and spicing them up quite a lot. She's finding the results. . . stimulating, and hopes her readers will happily agree.

Pearls of Passion and Pearls of Wisdom, both short stories, are available now. Her third title, Pearls of Pleasure, a novella, will be available mid-September, 2012, to be followed in short order by Remember Me and Captivated. Look for them on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and anywhere e-books are sold.

 

To learn more about Chantilly, please visit her website at www.ChantillyWhite.com

Fridays Firsts with ERIN McCAULEY

The first five lines of... THE CONFESSION

Aimee gripped the steering wheel, her stomach churning as she stared at the mansion in front of her and the reality of where she was sank in. She still couldn’t believe she’d come all the way to California, and she didn’t have any idea what to do now.

The towering front door opened, and a tall man in a T-shirt and tattered blue jeans emerged. His dark hair caught the light from the sun as he stepped off the porch, giving the impression of a glowing halo. She gasped when he smiled and waved at her.

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Crimson Romance

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Crimson Romance

Available now!

 

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FUN FIRST FACTS ABOUT ERIN

1. What was the first Rated R movie you ever saw?

It was my birthday, I was either turning 12 or 13, and we told my parents the group of us were going to a Disney movie, but instead snuck into Halloween. I’m not sure you can even say I actually “saw” the movie, because I had my hand over my eyes the whole time (I still watch scary movies that way). After it was over and we met my parents out in the lobby, I was still shaking and told my mom I had the caffeine shakes. So when we were all loaded into the car, my mother mentions that they’d decided to go see the “new scary movie,” and how they couldn’t hear a word of it because of the group of teenagers sitting in the front row screaming their heads off. Sigh, yeah, she knew it was us. Luckily, she let the nightmares we all had that night be our punishment.  Don’t go see a scary movie for the first time when you live in the middle of nowhere and your mother doesn’t believe in curtains in the living room to block the view. Michael Myers was everywhere that night!

2. What’s the first thing you do when you sit down each day to write?

I read. I have to go back one to two chapters of my WIP and pull myself back into that world. I also find it helps me tremendously with the editing process. I’ve read each chapter a zillion times before I even start to do the serious edits.  For me, it’s a terrific way to catch some of the little things, and it does help me get a feeling for the flow of the story when you pick it up in the middle.

 

3. If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you’d buy?
I dream of this moment constantly! I’m beginning to wonder if I would have a better chance of it happening if I actually bought a lottery ticket. The first thing I would buy is a house on the beach, somewhere relatively close, but a place with no television, small and easy to maintain, that I can run away to write. My girlfriend, who is also an author, rented a place on the beach and about once a month I run away with my perma-puppy (he’s only 3 pounds, so it doesn’t matter that he’s 7) to join her and write. I get more done there in two to three days than I do in a month at home. It is amazing, and I would love to have the ability to run away to my own place anytime I felt like it.

More about Erin: I was born and raised in Seattle, Washington, but as a military wife, I was able to experience the beauty of Alaska, the tundra of Iceland, and the warmth of North Carolina and California, and am able to use all of these locations in my writing. In the years that followed, I worked as a Bank Officer, and a Regional Sales Manager for a local winery, before settling down to work towards my dream of being a writer. 

I’m an active soccer mom, who spends hours in my car driving my little jock around. I currently live in the Pacific Northwest with my three children and my dedicated writing partner, Maxx, a three-pound Yorkie who never leaves my side.

You can find Erin online here:

Website: http://Erinmccauley.com

Facebook: Erin McCauley

Twitter: @ekmccauley