FRIDAY FIRSTS with Christy Hayes

The first five sentences of... THE SWEETHEART HOAX(okay, so this is seven sentences. Oops. My bad.)

Margot Manning had to quit the job she loved in order to achieve the career she wanted. As she settled into her chair at the reception desk at Flannery & Williams, she wondered what could have made the last few years worse. She could have been waiting tables at a diner as her mother had done before her heart made such physical work too taxing. She could have hawked gifts at one of the coastal area’s gift stores, unable to study without her bosses or customers taking note. She could have accepted one of the nannying positions she’d interviewed for before realizing she’d never be able to read and memorize chapters of organic chemistry with toddlers underfoot all day. As she neared the end of her part-time nursing program, she knew she’d made the right choice for her day job. If only she hadn’t fallen stupidly, ignorantly in love with her boss…well, one of them.

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Amazon|Barnes & Noble|Smashwords

Available now!

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FUN FIRST FACTS ABOUT CHRISTY

1. Who was your first love?
Honestly, the first man I ever truly loved was my husband. Never before or ever since has there been anyone I’ve wanted to spend the rest of my life with than him. After twenty-two years together and eighteen years of marriage, that’s a pretty good thing!

2. Tell me about the first novel you ever wrote? What ever happened to it?
The first novel I ever wrote is still on my computer. I sometimes think of going back and reworking the story, but I have a feeling it would be too daunting when I think of how far I’ve come in the last decade as a writer. I still like the story, so I guess I could just use the basic premise and rewrite it, but I think I should concentrate on looking forward instead of backward.

3. If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you’d buy?
I’d hire a chef to cook nutritious meals for our family. I don’t hate to cook, but I hate constantly thinking about what I should make for dinner. Usually, I’m trying so hard to get into my chair to work on my books that I don’t think about dinner until it is too late and I end up scrounging around for ingredients and things to prepare. A live in chef would be amazing!

MORE ABOUT CHRISTY: Christy Hayes writes romance and women’s fiction from her basement office outside Atlanta, Georgia. She lives happily with her husband, two active tweens, and two rescue mutts. When not writing, Christy spends her time exercising, watching cable news, and reading.
Website: http://www.christyhayes.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ - !/SeaHayes

Blog: http://www.womenunplugged.wordpress.com



FRIDAY FIRSTS with Regan Taylor

The first five sentences of... WORLD IN HER HANDS

A huge smile on her face, Sarah Dinetti watched her favorite kind of drama unfold. Kim Turner had no idea what had been in the works for weeks and had been caught totally off guard. After weeks of planning, Kim’s husband, Chris had pulled off the surprise of a lifetime with this huge party celebrating their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.

Sarah looked around the room at Kim’s friends, some who she knew the guest of honor had known since junior high. They had the world in the palms of their hands.

Publisher: eXstasy Books
Genre: Romantic suspense

Amazon|eXtasy Books

Available now!

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FUN FIRST FACTS ABOUT REGAN 

1. Who was your first love?

His name is Roy. I was 16, he was 21 and a mutual friend invited him to a New Year’s Eve party at my house. He was tall, dark and the stuff of my fantasies and when he asked me out at the end of the night I was in love. At the time I lived in New York. He was studying art at Art Student’s League and I thought he was the most brilliant artist I’d ever seen. We dated until he went into the Army and I went off to college. He decided to end things but…not forever.  I moved to California, he apparently moved to Washington, D.C., met and fell in love with another woman and we both went about our lives.

About 5 years ago I was looking for some art for a cover and stumbled on some drawings that looked very familiar to me. I looked closer, did some checking and it was Roy’s. Taking a chance I wrote him and after many, many years – a couple of decades, we reconnected. His wife passed away two years ago and recently he asked me what do I think would have happened had we married all those years ago.

2. What was the first romance you ever read?

Rosemary Rogers’ Sweet Savage Love – and for years and years I read and reread it over and over again. I reread it again last summer and it was as wonderful as I remembered it being the first time.

3. Tell me about your very first kiss?

That was Roy. Okay there were kisses – like you know, you kiss, but they were the peck kind of kisses. The first REAL kiss, the one with passion and romance and bells ringing was when I was 17 with Roy. We were on a train going to Washington, D.C. He was returning to base and I was going to a conference in D.C. We sat in the bar car and I felt so grown up because he was in his uniform and he ordered me a rum and coke (I know, I know, what the heck was a then 22 year old guy doing buying a 17 year old girl a rum and coke on a train – if he happened today he’d be arrested but back then with my mother’s blessing to go, it was a different world.) As we sat there talking he leaned over and kissed me. At the time I was sure those were bells I heard but in retrospect I think it was just the wheels of the train on the tracks. I gotta say that kiss packed a wallop – and a peck’s never done it for me with a guy again.

MORE ABOUT REGAN

An avid reader from childhood on Regan has always preferred the quiet of her room with a good book to dealing with mundane daily life. While working as a police dispatcher she began to write fiction and never turned back. Her favorite times are sitting home reading and writing with her three furfaced children commonly called cats (Miss Missy, Bogie and Mel).

You can find Regan online:

www.Regantaylor.com

http://regantaylorsworld.blogspot.com/

On Twitter at: Msregantaylor

The first five sentences of... DEADLY OBSESSION

Don’t forget Nic—you belong to me. If you stray, she’ll pay.

The darkened theater closed around Nic Lamoureux like a cave, filled with unknown, unseen dangers. Clenching the cell phone in his fist, he glanced at his Bad Days co-star, Jane Carver, sitting on his right, then at his agent, Vivian Carmichael, on his left. How had the stalker gotten his private number and which woman was the message targeting?

Publisher: Self-published

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Amazon|Barnes & Noble|Smashwords

Available Now!

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FUN FIRST FACTS ABOUT KRISTINE

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

The first Rated R movie I ever saw was Risky Business starring Tom Cruise. It was my birthday, a group of girlfriends were sleeping over, and we pretty much had the run of the house. And for those of you on the younger side, let me tell you, Tom Cruise was hot stuff at that time. Two scenes I'll never forget: when Tom sings "Old Time Rock and Roll" in his pink shirt and tighty-whities, and the train scene. I've loved Phil Collin's "In the Air Tonight" ever since!

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

To test this out, I first had to go look at some photos of hot guys. I figured out that the first thing I see is how tall and broad they are. Okay, that's more than one thing, but it goes together. I like men who "look" tall, which doesn't mean they have to be 6'5" or something like that. A man can be 5'9" or 5'10" and still look tall. It's a matter of proportion. In addition, I like men who have a broad chest and shoulders. No skinny model boys for me. LOL.

3. If you had a free afternoon, what’s the first thing you’d do?

My favorite thing to do on a free afternoon, weather permitting (which is quite a rare thing here in "sunny" Seattle), is to sit in my rocking bench on my backyard deck, with a cold glass of ice tea and some strawberries. Once I have all that and I'm well-settled, I dive into a steamy romantic suspense or paranormal romance and spend a couple hours reading in the sunshine. Ah, paradise :)

MORE ABOUT KRISTINE:  

Kristine Cayne is fascinated by the mysteries of human psychology—twisted secrets, deep-seated beliefs, out-of-control desires. Add in high-stakes scenarios and real-world villains, and you have a story worth writing, and reading.

The heroes and heroines of her Deadly Vices series, beginning with Deadly Obsession, are pitted against each other by their radically opposing life experiences. By overcoming their differences and finding common ground, they triumph over their enemies and find true happiness in each other’s arms.

Today she lives in the Pacific Northwest, thriving on the mix of cultures, languages, religions and ideologies. When she’s not writing, she’s people-watching, imagining entire life stories, and inventing all sorts of danger for the unsuspecting heroes and heroines who cross her path.

Readers can learn more about Kristine and her writing on her website/blog, Facebook and Twitter.

FRIDAY FIRSTS with Cathy Perkins

The first five sentences of... THE PROFESSOR

The body lay in dappled shade. Patches of light caught pale flesh—an ankle here, a hip there. Resurrection ferns spread lacy fronds, partially concealing the limbs. Mick wondered if the irony was deliberate.

Publisher: Carina Press

Genre: Romantic suspense/mystery

Available Now

Carina Press|Amazon|Barnes & Noble

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FUN FIRST FACTS ABOUT CATHY

1. Who was your first love?

My first love was Philip C. As long as I can remember, I’ve been a sucker for dark hair and blue eyes—and he had both. I don’t think we ever kissed, but it was True Love. We in first grade and were going to get married. I think it lasted a month. Which is an eternity when you’re six.

2. What’s the first thing you do when you start writing a new story?

My stories seem to grow out of day dreams, the snippet of an idea, a what-if. For example, my husband and I were hiking in a game refuge near our house. While pushing through dense undergrowth beside the Snake River, I glanced over my shoulder and said, “Wouldn’t this be a great place to find a body?” My current WIP grew from that What-if.

Once an idea takes hold, the plot and character evolve together. But – don’t throw things, Becky –  I’m a plotter, so the first thing I do when I think the idea has possibilities is sketch an outline of the plot. That outline grows and evolves as my characters’ personalities and motivations flesh out. Things that of course they’d do add layers or subplots as the story unfolds.

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

I went to college on the combination of a scholarship and a part-time job, so I had no money. Seriously. None. My last year, I moved off campus into a tiny apartment and lived off things like peanut butter sandwiches and Ramen Noodles. My husband (who has dark hair and blue eyes, by the way) and I had just started dating when he brought over a bag of mushrooms. I had no idea what to do with them, but I had one, count ‘em, one cookbook. I thumbed through the index – the recipe had to be easy and couldn’t use a bunch of ingredients. And voila, stuffed mushrooms. Clearly, I’d never made this dish before, but apparently I did a bang up job because he still talks about those mushrooms. J

More about Cathy: Cathy Perkins’ suspense writing lurks behind a financial geek day-job, where she learned firsthand the camouflage, hide in plain sight, skills employed by her villains. Born and raised in South Carolina, the setting for THE PROFESSOR, she now lives in the Pacific Northwest with her work-a-holic husband and a 75-pound Lab who thinks she’s still a lap-puppy.

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Thanks so much for having me here today to talk about some of the “firsts” in my life. You can find me here online:

www.cperkinswrites.com

http://facebook.com/CathyPerkinsAuthor

http://twitter.com/cperkinswrites



FRIDAY FIRSTS with Nicki Greenwood

The first five sentences of...WATER

“Son of a...” Trent Williams dropped his wallet and cell phone in front of the paneled door of the Seaglass Inn’s Clipper Room. By some miracle, he managed to save his bottle of Dom Pérignon from crashing to the floor beside them. He breathed a sigh of relief. The ancient owner of the inn wouldn’t appreciate him staining her immaculately polished hardwood flooring.

FUN FIRST QUESTIONS about NICKI

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

We went to an amusement park. It was a blind date (well, I had seen a picture of him ... in a kilt, which is what got my attention *g*). I spent most of the day staring at him and trying not to stare at him. At the end of the night, we got to ride the roller coaster three times in a row. He was so psyched up with adrenaline afterward that he lifted the back end of my friend’s four-door sedan, just because he could. That got my attention again. Eventually, I married him!

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

Definitely the eyes. A person’s eyes tell a lot about him, and while the whole package is important, it all starts there for me.

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

A horse! My first love was horses, and I keep telling myself that someday, I’ll have one of my own. The world just looks right from horseback, no matter what kind of mood you were in before you got up there.

About Nicki:

Nicki Greenwood graduated SUNY Morrisville with a degree in Natural Resources. She found her passion in writing stories of romantic adventure, and combines that with her love of the environment. Her works have won several awards, including the Rebecca Eddy Memorial Contest. Her first book, “Earth,” debuted in 2010 through The Wild Rose Press.

Nicki lives in upstate New York with her husband, son, and assorted pets. When she's not writing, she enjoys the arts, gardening, interior decorating, and trips to the local Renaissance Faire.

To order your own copy of WATER, visit The Wild Rose Press. Visit Nicki at http://www.nickigreenwood.com/ for news, reviews, excerpts, contests, and book trailers!

FRIDAY FIRSTS with Melissa Jarvis

First five sentences of...PAST HER TIME

Paris, 1793

 Alex sprawled on the ground, her breath escaping in a rush, skirts tangled around her as the man landed on top of her with a grunt. One of his large hands groped at her bodice, the other fumbled with his breeches. She arched her back, drew up one leg and shoved her knee against his groin.

“S’en aller,” she hissed in French, her meaning clear.

The man rolled off her with a loud curse and lay on the dirt road, holding tight to his treasured privates.  

FUN FIRST QUESTIONS

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

House.  You know, the one that starred William Katt as a novelist who moves into a haunted house?  It was from the eighties, and my parents had a party going on, so they agreed to rent a movie for me.  I was only 13 and chose that one—they didn’t know it was rated R! Great fodder for the imagination though.  I suppose that’s why my first published short story was a twist on the Headless Horseman legend.  Alas, my house is not haunted. 

 

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

Sit?  What do you mean sit?  Half the time I don’t sit down to write; I’ve got the laptop on the table while trying to keep my five year old from chasing the dogs, creating art with his juice, tearing apart his legos which then need fixing…I do a lot of writing standing up.  In five minute increments.  I find it especially hard to write love scenes when my child informs me proudly he’s going poopy in the potty.  I just pray none of this winds up in a scene, can you imagine?  The soiree was already in full swing, with gowns rustling and wary glances at the Committee Agents.  The guests weren’t worried about losing their heads to champagne, but rather to Madame La Guillotine.  Gabriel turned to Alex.  “May I get you a sippy cup of apple juice?” 

 

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

It was so romantic.  The lights were low, the stars were shining, he held my hand tightly… and then snorted Coke out of his nose at Jim Carrey’s elephant butt scene in Ace Ventura Pet Detective When Nature Calls.  I suppose that should have warned me about what was to come—but we’re still married 11 years later. 

About Melissa: A mild-mannered Public Relations executive by day, and action-packed writer by night, Melissa Jarvis lives in celebrity-friendly Southern California with her husband and son.  For over 14 years, she has worked in the public relations industry, doing press releases, bios, newsletters, media campaigns and more for clients ranging from the Playboy Jazz Festival to the Los Angeles Mission to JVS.  And she’s survived with most of her mind intact!  An active member of RWA, she writes both paranormal romance and urban fantasy, as well as spicy paranormal under the name Melissa L. Robert.  She is currently working on the sequel to Past Her Time, featuring agent Banderan’s story.

URLs:

Website

Amazon buy link

Bookstrand buy link

Barnes & Noble buy link

FRIDAY FIRSTS with Sarah Grimm

The first five sentences of... AFTER MIDNIGHT

Isabeau Montgomery sat in the dimly lit bar and shook like an amateur before her first recital. Her gaze, blurred by the sudden threat of tears, settled on the keys before her. Her stomach cramped painfully, yet the need was too great to ignore.

With ability as natural to her as the color of her skin, she began to play. The waterfall of music filled the air, washed over her, completed her in a way nothing or no one else ever had.

FUN "FIRST" QUESTIONS ABOUT SARAH

1. Tell me about the first book you ever wrote. What ever happened to it?

I always say that Not Without Risk was the first story I wrote from start to finish, but after being asked recently to put something together about my road to publication, I realize that it wasn’t. My first book wasn’t even a romance, it was the true story of my best friend: My cat. I don’t recall whether I was in third or fourth grade when I wrote My Cat Sneaker, but I can still recite the poem I wrote to go along with it. I still have that story, packed away with a few momentos from my youth. One memento being the Young Authors Award the book earned.

2. What’s the first thing you do when you start writing a new story?

Brainstorm a title. Odd, but true. I can’t get very far into a story without it having a title. The title doesn’t always stay, I may change it when I get a little deeper into the story, but I can’t do much more than scribble notes without one. ‘That book I’m writing’ doesn’t work for me. Honestly, neither does my WIP, or my work in progress.

The second thing I do—you’re going to find this one even nuttier—is write the back cover blurb. There’s never any question about whether the blurb will change before the book is finished, as I’m a pantser, which means I never know what’s going to happen until my characters tell me. But again, it’s something I need to do before I can really get my head into a story and write.

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

Their smile. I’m a sucker for a great smile. To me a great smile is more than just a curving of the lips. It’s an expression that uses all of the face—especially the eyes. If I can’t see that spark of joy in his eyes, then the attraction just isn’t there for me. A man doesn’t even have to be that overtly attractive for me to be drawn to him. Not if he has an incredible smile.

Website:  http://www.sarahgrimm.com

Blog:  http://www.authorsarahgrimm.blogspot.com

Group Blog:  http://www.smutwriterssoapbox.blogspot.com

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/SarahGrimm.Author

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

 

FRIDAY FIRSTS: Greta van der Rol

The first five sentences from... The Iron Admiral: Conspiracy

Ullnish Space Port, a spectacular confection of multi-colored domes and turrets in the best ptorix architectural style, glowed a welcome. Allysha traded a look with Sean as the driver guided his taxi around the concourse to join a line of vehicles, all depositing passengers.

“Looks like we made it,” she murmured.

“So far. But they’ll be after us.” Sean stared along the road to Shernish, where lights were starting to hold their own in the gathering dusk.

FUN "FIRST" QUESTIONS

1.What was the first romance novel you read?

I think that would be the 'Angelique' series. It spanned quite a few books as I recall – six or seven – following the life of Angelique, a minor nobleman's daughter during the times of Louis XIV in France. I enjoyed the realism of the settings and the hints of sex (I was in my early teens at the time). In the first book, she was married off to a scarred nobleman she'd never met. He went to lots of lengths to win her heart and seduce her instead of just having his way with her. Then after they've had two sons, Joffre de Peyrac is arrested by Louis' police and killed and she has to make her own way in the world – which she does, with a succession of men in her life. Ah, me. Great stuff.

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

It was 'The Exorcist'. I took my mother, who enjoyed horror stuff, to the movies. I went up to the ticket window, asked for two tickets and fumbled in my purse for the money. The girl said, “First, how old are you?” (Since it was R rated, you had to be over eighteen). I think the look on my face told her she'd made a mistake. “Twenty. Three,” I said. These days I'd be delighted to be mistaken for six or seven years younger than I am.

3. What is the first thing you do when you sit down each day to write?

I suppose that means after I've checked Facebook, gone through Twitter and emails and all that.

Right. Now it's writing time. Blank page is the worst. If I'm past that, I'll make a copy of yesterday's work and file it in my backup folder. I have a file for every day I write so I can always go back if I decide to take out an edit I've made. Then I'll catch up on and edit what I wrote yesterday. Then I'll carry on from there.

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Bio
Greta van der Rol loves writing science fiction with a large dollop of good old, healthy romance. She lives not far from the coast in Queensland, Australia, and enjoys photography and cooking when she isn’t bent over the computer. She has a degree in history and a background in building information systems, both of which go a long way toward helping her in her writing endeavours.

Facebook: Author – Greta van der Rol
Twitter: @GretavdR
Email: gretavdr at gmail dot com
Website: http://gretavanderrol.net/

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