Introducing Kiss Me By Moonlight

Hey There!

On June 17, Kiss Me By Moonlight (Kiss Me #2) is due out from Omnific Publishing. To celebrate, I'm going on tour!

 Here's the blurb:

Hey there. It’s Lacey again. Falling in love and landing Dylan hasn’t been the panacea I thought it would be. For starters, he moved into my apartment without asking, and he continues to have no respect for my need to have things in sets of six. Pile that on top of my emotional upheaval after losing my stepfather, and you have a recipe for disaster no amount of German chocolate cake can cure.

Yes, Lacey Hallem’s life remains fraught with challenge, but you know she’s a fighter. Forming a talent management agency with her best friends has been the best career move she’s ever made—even if it’s the only thing currently working according to plan. Lacey’s OCD is getting the better of her, and this time her hands aren’t the only casualty. When her lies ruin her relationships with both Kiss Me Goodnight and Dylan, she’s forced to confront her demons in ways she’s never had to before. As she once again faces her past, can she learn once and for all to let love and friendship through the barriers she’s built?

Both harrowing and hilarious, this conclusion to the tale of Lacey and Dylan will leave you laughing, crying, and fanning yourself—sometimes all at once. Michele Zurlo triumphs again in this moving story about life’s quirks and what we all have to do to get by.

Here's an excerpt to whet your appetite:

On the way home, Dylan fumed silently. I drove this time, as he tended to speed and cut people off when he was in a sour mood. When we were almost to my apartment, he said, “Aren’t you going to apologize?”

I glanced at him, surprised he’d ask for me to lie. “I’m sorry?”

“That’s not going to cut it.”

“I’m not sorry I said it. I’m sorry I hurt your feelings, but you know how I feel about that song.” I turned into the parking lot and found the space designated for my apartment.

“You called me a manwhore, Lacey.” His entire life, he’d slept with two women, one of whom had been his late wife. “That’s not the image we’re trying to project. We want fans to focus on our music, not our imagined bedroom antics.”

I got out of the car. This was another “discussion” Dylan wanted to have. You know what I’m spoiling for? An all-out fight. A lot of pent-up frustration and anger mixed with residual hurt and grief inside me, and that much emotion is going to demand an outlet if I don’t provide one.

On the plus side, the fact that I want to argue, scream, and yell boded well for the conditions of my hands. Perhaps that’s why Dylan listed those options earlier. He knew what I’d wanted before I did. I kind of resent him for that. People you were mad at aren’t supposed to be right or accommodating. Dylan managed to be both. Manwhore.

He followed me into the apartment, hopefully noting the stiffness of my shoulders. I projected outrage as hard as I could. Lies to cover lies. I know what I’d done was wrong, and it wasn’t a little problem. I’d said it in front of the media. Not for the first time, I considered that I was a bad choice to manage his band. With my mouth, it was bound to get negative press.

I went into the bedroom and into the closet. It’s a large, walk-in number half full of his clothes. I went to my dress section and began evaluating them to figure out which one I would wear to see John’s grave. Though it had been chilly when we’d left this morning at an ungodly hour, the sun had come out for the return trip and warmed things up considerably. The ice in the parking lot was melting, and the early spring day promised to get even warmer. I selected a long-sleeved black velvet shirt and its matching full-length skirt.

Dylan stood in the door of the closet, deliberately blocking my path. He eyed the dress in my hand incredulously. “What the hell are you doing?”

I responded to him with a passively neutral expression. “Changing.”

This is my way of goading him. He has a temper, but it takes a lot to get him to explode. I have a hard time expressing anger, and I hate how Dylan gets eerily calm when he dealt with me, so this is my way of compelling him to force me to let it out. Fucked up, right?

He took the clothes from me and threw them on the floor littered with shoes. Then he gripped my chin in his cupped hand, making me face him. “No. We’re going to discuss whatever is eating you up.”

I tried to shake my  head, but he didn’t let me move. “I’m fine.”

“Liar. You’re so not fine, it’s not even funny. I haven’t seen you this way in months.”

If I take a step back, he’ll let go of me and back off. I stared at him, wondering who is going to break first.

He studied me, searching my eyes for answers I didn’t have. “You weren’t calling me a name; you were lying.”

“It’s a fine line, isn’t it?” I spoke softly and kept my gaze locked to his. “And at the end of the day, it doesn’t actually matter.”

“No,” he agreed, releasing my chin. “It doesn’t. The damage is done. You’re going to have to deal with the fallout to make this right.”

I am not prepared to handle public relations, but I nodded anyway. Tonight I’m supposed to hang with Jane and Luma. I’ll spill my tale of woe and ask for advice. Luma has a degree in public relations. She’ll have some ideas.

He tried to take me in his arms, but I stiffened and pulled away. The whirligig of crappy emotions hadn’t left the building. Dylan wasn’t nearly as pissed as he should be.

He sighed. “You’re a difficult woman to live with.”

I put my hands on my hips and squared up to him. “I never asked you to live here.”

That’s a bitchy thing to say, and I hadn’t wanted to say it, but it burst out of my mouth like an alien baby. I envisioned all sorts of gross gooeyness spewing in all directions. From the look on Dylan’s face, some of it definitely hit him.

Check out my website for updates: http://www.michelezurloauthor.com

Don't Miss It!!

Blue 52 is going on tour in March. Be sure to join us for your chance to win a $50 Amazon or B&N gift card. One final except, and I hope to see you on March 11. In this excerpt my heroine is having a little trouble.

With no warning, three shadowy figures melted out of the shrubbery around the porch and surrounded her. They seized her under her arms and propelled her backwards toward the house before she had time to call out. She hit her head against the wall, and for a moment she saw stars. A hand sheathed in a thick, leather glove roughly covered her mouth and nose as she drew a breath to scream. One of the attackers slapped a length of duct tape across her mouth.

The two largest men crushed her against the house while the third man casually slipped a knife from his pocket. Kathryn struggled with all her strength, but she might as well have tried to move the house itself. She was no match for two strong men.

“Be still, Dr. Sinclair,” the third man ordered. He held the knife in front of Kathryn’s terrified eyes for her inspection. “We want you to give your boyfriend a message. We think he should forget about the past. No good can come of upsetting things now. If he doesn’t stop nosing around, we’ll have to pay you another visit. I promise that you won’t like it we have to come here again.”

He placed the glistening, sharp edge of the knife against Kathryn’s throat, which started to sting as the blade bit in. She held her breath as the man slowly cut from one side of her throat to the other. When she felt warm blood drizzle down her neck, her ears roared, and she saw spots in front of her eyes.

After Thirty Years the Lovinggood/Stanton Feud Still Lives

In this excerpt from Blue 52, my hero is at a party with his grandparents and pretty physicist Kathryn Sinclair are at a party to raise money for charity when two men approach them. The older man is Josh Stanton, President Lovinggood's vice president.  First an excerpt, then a blurb.

“I see that Richard’s son has a way with women just like his father before him,” said the older of the two men. He actually smirked when he said it.

Hank felt his face turn a fiery red. Everyone who was watching me kiss Kathryn just remembered that Mother probably shot Dad because he had an affair with his secretary.

And look at his grandfather. The senator’s eyes blazed, but his face had no expression whatsoever. Goose bumps rose on Hank’s arms. Uh oh. That usually means trouble for someone.

“This must be the first time you’ve been invited to one of Millicent’s parties, Josh,” Senator Lovinggood commented. “If you’d been here before, you’d know about her fund-raising stunts.”

It had taken Hank a moment to recognize Josh Stanton. God, what an unpleasant little shit. That comment about his father was uncalled for. “I guess that’s yet another way you’re different from my father,” he observed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” the second man, Stanton’s son Rob, stridently demanded.

Hank smiled. “Why, I thought it was obvious.”

“Don’t talk about my father that way!”

Hank shrugged. “Then show a little respect for your betters.”

Kathryn gasped, but Senator Lovinggood and Elaine both howled as Stanton’s face turned as red as Rudolph’s nose. “Why, you…”

“What’s the matter, Mr. Vice President? Can’t think of a snappy comeback?” Hank retorted.

“You address my father with respect!” Rob Stanton shouted. Hank flicked spittle from his arm as every head in the room turned their way.

He coolly stuffed the red ribbon in his pocket. “He doesn’t deserve my respect, and he really should learn some manners. This is a party to raise money for charity, not a forum to insult my father.”

“You Lovinggoods!” Josh Stanton’s face was dark with loathing. “You always thought you were better than anyone else. Ha! Look at what happened to Richard. His own wife murdered him.”

Hank laughed. “I doubt it, but either way Dad’s still a hero thirty years after his death. Not too many people call you a hero, do they? If I remember correctly, you finished Dad’s term of office but didn’t win a term on your own, right?”

Blurb:

"First Lady Kills President Lovinggood"

December 29, 2018

Thirty years later Hank Lovinggood embarks on a quest to prove his mother's innocence and punish the killers who took his family from him.  Together Hank and lovely physicist Kathryn Sinclair confront an implacable, twisted, merciless enemy who'll do whatever it takes to hide the truth forever. 

Buy Links:  http://www.amazon.com/Blue-52-Elaine-Cantrell-ebook/dp/B00H1MHC24/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393801678&sr=8-1&keywords=blue+52+by+elaine+cantrell  and at most retail outlets.

Don't forget my contest. Follow my blog at http://www.elainepcantrell.blogspot.com and leave a comment on one of my posts here at the party pavilion to tell me so. I'm giving away a copy of Return Engagement which is the story of the president and his wife.

Blue 52: First Meeting

Blue 52 is a mainstream romance published by Whiskey Creek Press.  Here's a blurb about the book.

"First Lady Kills President Lovinggood"

December 29, 2018

Thirty years later Hank Lovinggood embarks on a quest to prove his mother's innocence and punish the killers who took his family from him.  Together Hank and lovely physicist Kathryn Sinclair confront an implacable, twisted, merciless enemy who'll do whatever it takes to hide the truth forever. 

In this excerpt, my hero and heroine first meet.

 “Mr. Lovinggood, Dr. Sinclair is here to see you.”

Hank rose to his feet. He didn’t know what he had expected, a person his grandfather’s age maybe, but the woman who appeared in the door behind his secretary looked almost as beautiful as his mother. In fact, as impossible as it seemed, she might be even more beautiful. She was about five six and had dark hair and eyes even bluer than his own. He guessed she might be about his age. Her figure would make a blind man stare, but the expression on her face attracted him as much as her physical appearance. Intelligence, curiosity, and life shone from her eyes. She glowed with an eagerness he didn’t understand.

As she approached his desk, she held out her hand. “Mr. Lovinggood, how are you? I’m Dr. Kathryn Sinclair. Thank you for seeing me.”

She had a firm handshake and looked him right in the eye. “Not at all, Dr. Sinclair. Please, have a seat. May I get you a cup of coffee?”

“Yes, that would be lovely.”

Hank filled a disposable cup with coffee. The cups biodegraded in three months’ time, so nobody hesitated to use them. The trashcans overflowed with cups by the end of the day. “Cream or sugar?”

“Black, thanks.”

He handed the coffee to Dr. Sinclair and got a good look at her legs in the process. Nice. She wore a well-cut, red suit that looked expensive. He liked her short little skirt, but the neckline of the jacket didn’t plunge quite enough.

Hank flushed. He was no hormone-riddled teenager. The woman hadn’t come here for him to ogle her. “My secretary told me that you wanted to talk to me about a crime,” he said as he seated himself behind his desk, unconsciously smoothing his tie and sitting up straight.

“That’s right, I do.” She didn’t wait for him to prompt her to tell her story. “The crime was committed a long time ago, but there’s no statute of limitations on murder, right?”

Hank nodded. “You want to talk to me about a murder?”

“Oh, yes. A man and his wife were brutally murdered, and the murderers framed the wife to take the blame.” Dr. Sinclair paused to take a sip of her coffee. “Their names were Lovinggood.”

Blue 52 is available at http://www.amazon.com/Blue-52-Elaine-Cantrell-ebook/dp/B00H1MHC24/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393776181&sr=8-1&keywords=blue+52+by+elaine+cantrell and at most retail outlets.

Don't forget to enter my contest. I'm giving away an electronic copy of Return Engagement. Blue 52 is the sequel to Return Engagement, but it can stand alone with no problem. To enter, become a follower of my blog and leave a comment on one of my posts here at the party pavilion. I'll choose a name this evening and post the winner. You can find my bog at http://www.elainepcantrell.blogspot.com

Movies, Books, and Contests

I like going to movies, don’t you?  For one thing the refreshments are better than what I have at home, and for another the movie just looks better on a big screen in a dark room. Since I’m a romance author I’ve seen lots or romantic movies. Can you guess the name of these movies? Some are old and some are new.

1.He was a paraplegic former Marine, and she lived on Pandora in the Alpha Centauri star system.

2.She called him Preppie, and his family disliked her, but nobody expected her to die of cancer.

3.They were both robots, but in this Pixar release they learned to overcome their model differences and find true love.

4.She was an Austrian governess who fell for her employer and helped the family escape the Nazis  during the beginning of World War II. 

5.He gave his life for hers when their unsinkable ship sank in the bitter North Atlantic Ocean.

6.She didn’t realize he and his family were vampires until she had already given him her heart.

7.He was a troubled rich boy, and she’d had hard times too, but just when they got their lives together, disaster struck in 2001.

8.Julia Roberts played a hooker whose life was changed forever by one of her clients.

9.Her wedding in Greece didn’t happen, but her mother and father’s did.

10.She’s a mysterious stranger who arrives in a small North Carolina town and meets a local widower whose children like her.

You give up?  Here’s an answer key.

1.Avatar

2.Love Story. This one is old, but if you like to cry buckets of tears just find a copy and watch it.

3.Wall E

4.The Sound of Music

5.Titanic

6.Twilight

7.Remember Me

8.Pretty Woman

9.Mama Mia

10.Safe Haven

Unfortunately, none of my books have yet been made into movies, but they’d be so good!  How about this: They meet on the beach after a ten year separation, and she agrees to marry him that night, never suspecting that a mad man is intent on killing him. (Return Engagement)

Don’t like that one? Okay, how about this: He plays for the Green Bay Packers, but an accident costs him his job and his girl. He’s depressed until Violet Emerson enters the picture. (A New Dream)

Gee, you’re hard to please!  Try this: She’s on the run from a crazed, psycho killer, ex-husband, and he’s a marshal who thinks she may be a murderer. (Never Trust a Pretty Wolf)

Oh, you like that better? Good. How about this one: Thirty years after his father’s assassination, he and a beautiful physicist set out to prove that his mother wasn’t the assassin. Their only problem is that the real assassin is still very much alive and doesn’t want them to expose him.

Now you're talking!  I like that last one too. It's called Blue 52, and I just love it. It would make a super movie. Uh, you don't know anybody in Hollywood, do you? If so, put in a good word for me. Tell your contact that they can get a copy of the book at  http://www.amazon.com/Blue-52-Elaine-Cantrell-ebook/dp/B00H1MHC24/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393776181&sr=8-1&keywords=blue+52+by+elaine+cantrell

I'll come back later with an excerpt for you. Oh, wait. I forgot to say that I'll give away an electronic copy of Return Engagement. Blue 52 is the sequel to Return Engagement. All you have to do is become a follower of my blog. You can find the blog at http://www.elainepcantrell.blogspot.com. Then leave a comment on one of my posts  here at the party pavilion telling me that you've followed. I'll pick a winner tonight. 

Thanks!