Book Blitz: December Rain By A.L. Goulden

 

December Rain by A.L. Goulden
(August Fog #2)
Publication date: November 25th 2014
Genres: Contemporary, Erotica, Romance

Monica and Alex Waters have spent that last few months working to repair a broken marriage and rekindle their passion. Just as they start finding their spark, Quinn Matthews and his escalating career resurfaces, but this time Alex makes the decision to let Monica go.

The devastation of losing her high school sweetheart, her home, and even her dog twists Monica down a destructive path that alienates her from her closest friends and lands her on Quinn’s couch. Despite her efforts to resist jumping into his arms again, the spark between them reignites and sweeps her away on a whirlwind holiday adventure. She finds that falling in love with Quinn’s family and lifestyle is as easy as falling for his ocean colored eyes. The problem is that it’s all too easy, and when she sees that Quinn’s reinvented life has completely shifted towards her dreams, she starts to question whether he’s too good to be true.

Quinn has a secret that was never meant to be kept this long, but will Monica be able to trust another man who’s lied? And now that Quinn’s got his happily ever after in sight, he’s not about to let her go or share her with another man.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23358072-december-rain?ac=1

Book trailer:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ro-tyOMK8XA
Share Link: http://youtu.be/Ro-tyOMK8XA

Purchase:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/December-Rain-August-Fog-Book-ebook/dp/B00NQ8NVUE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416587145&sr=8-1&keywords=December+Rain
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/december-rain-al-goulden/1120495327?ean=9781502806871
iBooks - https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/december-rain/id925468672?mt=11
Smashwords  -  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/467709
Kobo - http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/december-rain

Excerpt -  (Monica and her husband Alex run into Quinn very unexpectedly)
The outdoor style shopping mall is bustling with tourist and local art lovers. Rows of art galleries surround the courtyard where a stage welcomes a local reggae band. Monica settles into a groove and starts dancing with the crowd. Alex tries to hang in for a couple of songs before he starts feeling claustrophobic and looks to the galleries and shops around them.
“Go ahead,” she says with a loving smile. “I’ll meet you down there… after one more song.”
He gives her a little kiss on the cheek and glides his hand across her behind before making his way out of the crowd. His attention is pulled by various pieces in gallery windows along the way. There’s a large glass sea turtle in shades of green and gold followed by a painting of an autumn forest with heavy texture. He stands daydreaming for a minute until he’s distracted by a reflection passing in the glass. It’s so brief he’s sure it’s his imagination. He barely catches a glimpse down the mall as the backside of the man disappears into another gallery.
Alex follows the ghost, dodging through happy couples and pushy salespeople trying to get his attention. Before he can see inside the gallery, a painting that’s prominently displayed on a front wall stops him. A cold washes over as he stands there staring at it. He slowly moves inside, mesmerized by the familiar vibrant paint strokes until he sees a few people gathered in the back. A man talking to two smiling women stills himself as Alex’s eyes freeze on the back of his shaved head. No words were needed as the tropical air takes a chill. Even the women sense a showdown, and step back to give Quinn room.
Quinn turns. What do I say? Fuck! I thought that was him. I hoped it wasn’t. Quinn moves very slowly towards Alex. Is he gonna hit me? I do deserve it. Might as well get it over with. “Hey.” Quinn pauses near the center of the room waiting.
Alex swallows hard, his nostrils flaring and fist clenched. His jaw flexes as his breathing grows heavier, but the emotions just start to turn to mush. His eyes fill as thoughts of his new friend’s betrayal wash over and the painting draws his eyes again.
“I’m sorry Alex,” Quinn says quietly.
Monica nearly passes the gallery on her way to see their friends when Alex’s shirt first catches her eye. She halts and shifts backwards until she sees the painting and stops. It’s a female figure bent forward reaching for her toes. The abstract form of her body in swirls of orange and reds is cradled by a man swathed in blues and purple. Oh my God! That’s me. That’s us, stretching. It can’t be. He’s...
She struggles for air as the tears swell, and she can already feel him. As she stands there, not crossing the threshold, the two men watch her. When her eyes finally land on Quinn, electricity fills the room. She can only see him and the deep tan that backdrops the pale oceany eyes reaching for her. A warm drop gently slides down her cheekbone as her breathing syncs with his. His lips move slightly hinting at words that he can’t find, and she struggles not to run into his arms.
Alex’s discomfort is audible as he clears his clogged throat to rattle her attention to his worried eyes. She steps in and touches his hand briefly. “I’ll be outside,” she says, turning without another glance at Quinn.
Her feet move quick as her thoughts try to keep up. What are they doing? Alex is gonna hit him. I can’t believe he’s here. What are the odds? Did he know we’d be here? No. Maybe he moved here. That painting was him and I together. Would Alex know that? It’s pretty abstract. Fuck! This can’t be happening. Before she knows it, she’s at the other end of the mall near the parking lot. She settles on a bench to wait for the world to stop crumbling around her.

I'm a designer, author, wife and dog-lover living in the South Pasadena area of California. I got my BFA in Film Production from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, but my love of a good story came way before college. I remember writing my first full story in fifth grade on a typewriter. I cut and pasted it into a book, complete with cardboard cover and taped binding. Things have changed a lot since then. With the magnificent digital age I can produce books and give them to the world without a sticky mess.

In college numerous instructors and peers praised my dialogue pushed me to hone my storytelling skills. Of course the need to cut and paste was still there, so I went into the world of Production Design and Art Direction for films and television. It gave me the ability to connect design to storytelling in a way that no other career can. The past 18 years have spun a unique perspective on visually emotional tales of relationships and the thread that ties all things together. Now I'm shifting focus on the driving force that brought me here... stories. I hope that I can share a unique perspective on life, love and the pursuit in all of the above.


                                                                           Q and A

How did you come up with the story?
There is a little bit of real life in the story. I was laid up on the couch for a summer, forced to quit my job, because of three stress fractures in my ankle that wouldn't heal. I was reading a lot to pass the time and eventually started writing. There really was a sexy neighbor, he really is an artist, but there was never really an affair. Luckily I'm married to a man that finds my overactive imagination amusing and he never once thought it was autobiographic.

So many of the books I was reading had a similar heroine who was "damaged" as well as the same alpha males. I wanted to build characters that were realistic and flawed to see if I could make them sexy as well. People you would know. Your best friend or coworker. Real life is complicated and real love is even worse. I knew Monica wasn't always going to be likable. As much as we'd like to deny it, most of us aren't when we're going through life changes or stressful events. But that wasn't a reason not to connect to her or even understand her. I didn't want a woman who just callously throws away her life-long commitment because she needs to have sex. Monica loves her husband. He's her best friend. But she realizes that she wants more than a friend and Quinn reminds her that she's more than just this wife.

I struggled with the premise of an artist, because it's been done so many times and is a little cliche. But I know a lot of real artists, painters, sculptors, whose lives are very free and I wanted Quinn to have that. It's an element in Monica's past that she let go of and forgot about. So, I looked at it like another opportunity to take a cliche and make it more realistic. There are secrets behind him that will eventually test her ideas of freedom and trust. It's all about her growing into who she is supposed to be and finding out in her mid-thirties that she hasn't been honest with herself.

I set out to create a story that touches on the complications of love and commitment. It's been an adventure and I've learned so much. I never thought it would be a finished novel, much less multiple, but once I got into it I didn't want to stop. I know I still have a ton to hone and learn, but I'm finding that the challenges of writing are so addictive that I can't imagine ever quitting now. It's become my vice I guess. The reality is that I have another career still as a Production Designer and Art Director in film and television so writing does tend to be crammed into my nights and weekends or between shows.

What led you into writing? Was it a lifelong ambition, or the result of some type of turning point in your life?
I've been writing casually since I was in fifth grade. My first story was about five fifth grade boys and an escaped con. Stories were the biggest reason I got into the film and television industry, but as a visual person I ended up in the art department. It's only been the last few years that I was provoked to push myself to write novels.

About Cover Design?
I love designing my own book covers and graphics. I chose the titles of each book based on the literal and emotional condition in Monica Waters' life. The element that links all three book covers together is the eye and the predominantly white background. I wanted to reflect the voyeurism that runs through Monica's world, as well as the intense effect Quinn's blue eyes have one her. Instead of going dark, as erotic covers tend to be, I wanted to connect to the comfort she finds in a white blanket of fog. I was warned that a white cover might not attract the right readers, but I'm not one to shy away from doing things differently.

Through the series each cover slips into a new shade of oceany color that works with the accent images. August Fog was all about San Francisco and the fog that took over when the complicated affair began. December Rain reflects the tears shed and washing away of everything she knew before Quinn. I don't want to spoil April Snow's cover yet, but I'll say that it reflects springing into a new beginning and her growth. Hopefully readers will see the transformation and get the undertones of the story in just a glance.

What are you working on now?
I'm writing the final book in the August Fog series titled April Snow as well as a stand alone novel called Chasing Swells. I'm really excited about Chasing Swells because it's so different from this series, but it will be a little sad to say goodbye those characters.

What are some of your likes and dislikes?
Likes (or LOVES):
Chocolate - The darker the better!
Cooking - Anything I can do in a dutch oven or cast iron skillet.
Complicated characters with mystery. - Not all has to be unveiled to me.
Movies - I am a film-o-holic.
Laughter - Life is too short to live without it.

Dislikes:
Instant Love in romance novels. (Lust is okay though.)
Overreactions
Assumptions (I'm guilty unfortunately.)
Chardonnay (One bad night can spoil it forever.)
Mean spirited people. (A no brainer though right?)

Tell us one thing about yourself that we wouldn't know?
I love to build things. I built the decks in our backyard by myself. It started as a dare, but I did it.

If there was one thing you could tell your readers, what would it be?
Thank you. Thank you for giving some of your time to hang out with me and my characters.

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Review: Saving Grace By Michele Paige Holmes

From Whitney Award Winning Author, Michele Paige Holmes, comes

SAVING GRACE, a regency romance from the Hearthfire Romance series:

After the death of her grandfather, the Duke of Salisbury, Grace Thatcher

wants nothing more than to live quietly in the country with her younger

siblings. Her father’s debts thwart those plans, and to protect her sister,

Helen, Grace must marry a man of her father’s choosing.

As each suitor proves less than desirable, Grace comes up with clever

schemes, causing each to reject her. While staying at the mysterious

Sutherland Hall, a middle-of-the-night mishap sends Grace into the arms

of a stranger, Nicholas Sutherland—and provides inspiration for her

grandest plan yet—one that will leave her reputation in tatters yet free

both her and Helen from all possibility of marriage.

Too late Grace regrets her rash actions when her father’s last choice, Mr.

Samuel Preston, proves to be a gentleman and a friend. But Samuel is the

sworn enemy of Nicholas Sutherland, the man responsible for her “ruin.”

Now instead of being free, Grace is caught between two men—each with

his own agenda.

Grace is a girl stuck by circumstances. Taking care of her siblings after

her mom dies and she is stuck with a gambling father who gambles every

cent they get away leaving the kids in squallar. while Grace  awaits her

inheritance from her grandfather a duke she has to agree to let her father

basically sell her to the highest bidder to find a husband. Her fathers

interests are only for money. hers are only for saving her younger brother

and sister from him and his scemes.
After a scandal she ends up in Nicholas Sutherlands house. STuck there

she ends up torn bewteen him and his evil brother in law (not actually all

that evil) Beautifully historic love story.

I love the plot and characters. I fell for Nicholas so sad and angry and so

misunderstood. But grace i identify with her internal struggles all the

tough times she has had to endure to save her family.

                                                                       5 Stars!!!

 

 Michele Paige Holmes spent her childhood and youth in Arizona and

northern California, often curled up with a good book instead of out

enjoying the sunshine. She graduated from Brigham Young University

with a degree in Elementary Education, and found it an excellent major

in which to indulge her love of children's literature.
Her first novel, Counting Stars (Covenant Communications 2007), won the

2007 Whitney Award for best romance. Her companion novel, a romantic

suspense titled, All the Stars in Heaven (Covenant 2009), was a Whitney

finalist, as was her first historical romance, Captive Heart (Covenant 2011).

My Lucky Stars (Covenant 2012) completed the Stars series.
Michele has been a member of the same critique group for over thirteen

years and feels privileged to meet weekly with fellow authors Annette Lyon,

Heather B. Moore, LuAnn Staheli, Sarah M. Eden, J. Scott Savage, and

Robison Wells. She has been a member of RWA and URWA,

LDStorymakers, and The League of Utah Writers. Michele enjoys both

attending and teaching at conferences.
When not reading or writing romance, Michele is busy with her full time

job as a wife and mother. She and her husband live in Utah with their five

high maintenance children and a Shitzu that resembles a teddy bear, in a

house with a wonderful view of the mountains. You can find Michele on

the web at michelepaigeholmes.com and on Facebook and twitter

(preschooler permitting).

Cover Reveal: Sleeping Tom By E.V. Fairfall

Sleeping Tom by E.V. Fairfall
Publication date: February 15th 2015
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Hitchhiking is a bad idea but Caden is desperate.

When she accepts a ride from the first car to come by she meets Gabriel. He’s her age, hot, and the closest thing she has to a savior. Problem is, he is a total jerk. With nowhere to go, Caden convinces Gabriel to let her stay with him for one night. He reluctantly lends a couch.

That night Caden wakes up to strange noises. Concerned, she rushes into Gabriel’s room, already anticipating his bad temper. Instead, he’s kind, sweet, and suspiciously harmless—nothing like the man who gave her a ride. He seems like a different person altogether, and claims he is. By night he is Tom, and by day he is Gabriel. Caden finds herself drawn to the mysteries hidden in his eyes.

For Gabriel, Caden is an annoying mistake. One night turns into many, and despite all his anger towards her, she stays. She even seems to accept him and his flaws, but he still doesn’t trust her—is she staying for him, or has she already discovered more than he’s willing to share?


Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23444087-sleeping-tom

Pre-order: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PTYKTZ8#

I love to write just as much as I love to read. I try to read a book per week, which doesn’t always work out, but it’s the thought that counts. Aside from all that I am a huge animal person.

Transformed is my first novel, but it isn’t my first publication; I’ve had several short stories published over the last two years. My main goal as a writer is to explore humanity and to give people something fun to read.

Author links:
http://fairfall.com/
https://www.facebook.com/e.v.fairfall
https://twitter.com/EV_Fairfall
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7485494.E_V_Fairfall

Review: The Human Forged By Anthony J Melchiorri

  In an escape from the tethers of modern technology, former Army Specialist Nick Corrigan ventures into an underground rave in an abandoned Estonian prison. There, he is abducted and cut off from the rest of the world, including his fiancée. He unwittingly becomes embroiled in a biotechnological nightmare and embarks on a dangerous adventure to return home. The only person that might be able to help him is a man Nick never knew existed—his clone.

Back in Washington, CIA analyst Sara Monahan makes a startling discovery while tracking the use of biological weapons in an ongoing war in Africa. She races to uncover a global conspiracy that may shake the very essence of what it means to be human.                                                                      In 2094, stealing a person’s identity is virtually impossible when every medical record, government document, and bank account is tied to their DNA via a personal Chip. Implanted beneath the skin, this microscopic device also augments people’s real world senses with a network of information, sending data and communications directly to the AR lenses in their eyes or the receivers in their ears. Nick, a former Army Specialist, is about to find out what happens when that vital connection is severed.
Venturing into an underground rave in an abandoned Estonian prison, Nick is encouraged to live life naturally, untethered by technology. But all is not as it seems. Nick is abducted and cut off from the rest of the world, including his fiancée.  He unwittingly becomes embroiled in a biotechnological nightmare and embarks on a dangerous adventure to return home. The only person that might be able to help him is a man Nick never knew existed—his clone.

Genre: Science Fiction Thriller
Book Links: Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22999114-the-human-forged

Purchase Links:
AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/Human-Forged-Anthony-J-Melchiorri-ebook/dp/B00NBGD8EK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412292667&sr=1-1&keywords=the+human+forged

BARNES & NOBLE: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-human-forged-anthony-j-melchiorri/1120388606?ean=9781501050794

Amazing story and book. It did take awhile for me to get into this book. Great plot .

3 Stars

BOOKS BY ANTHONY J MELCHIORRI

 I grew up in Normal, Illinois. After a regular (it’s hard, but I refuse to make a pun of it) childhood in Normal, I left for the University of Iowa to get a degree in Biomedical Engineering. But, I couldn’t give up reading and writing and there really wasn’t enough of that in engineering (unless you’re into thick, no-thrills books on thermodynamics and polymer physics). I picked up a second degree in English while working on the Biomedical Engineering degree and have since counted myself fortunate for making that decision. Iowa City, North America’s only official UNESCO City of Literature, is a thriving hotbed of writers and readers, with some of the best visiting the city for their renowned workshop or famous authors dropping by to read a story they’ve written and chat.  I had the opportunity to meet plenty of great writers and storytellers that inspired me to keep writing, even when I graduated and entered a doctoral program at the University of Maryland for Bioengineering.

Today, when I’m not writing and reading, I’m primarily working on tissue engineered blood vessels, gearing my work for children with congenital heart defects. I get to work with awesome 3D printing technologies and am always astounded by the rapidly advancing technologies coursing through the veins of universities and research settings. Much of my writing has been inspired by those advancements and my conversations with other researchers, scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and many others interested in our evolving world.

Author Links:
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/anthonyjmelchiorri
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/tony_melchiorri
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8260729.Anthony_J_Melchiorri
Website: http://anthonyjmelchiorri.com/

 

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Holly gets Darkly By Kay Dee Royal

Paranormal – Chance and Olivia’s story goes beyond age, beyond human, and definitely beyond sizzling hot ~ not for the faint of heart on some pages. A love story boundless and on the wild-side in Staring Into the Eyes of Chance.
Paranormal – Brea loses her twin sister years ago, but never loses hope that someday she’ll surface. Wolves are Brea’s passion in more than one way, and a couple of brothers visit, giving her a whole new view of the world in Big Girls Don’t Cry Wolf.

Fantasy – Netta struggles too long with an abusive relationship ~ all she wants is a perfect man, one who rocks her world, and Lacey changes everything in How to Net a Prince.

Contemporary – Lacinda wins a singles cruise ~ three weeks of total bliss, only she has no idea what that even means, until Blade steps up and takes her over in One Plus One.