DON'T LET GO and a Giveaway!!

Wow, is the day over already?  Oh…this is Sharla again one more time!

I’ve had a blast hanging with all of you today and giving away stuff!  And I want to invite you all to come hang with me on Facebook if you are a Facebook-er!  I am on there every day, talking to my readers and sharing things about my books and sometimes (a lot of times) just sharing funny things I’ve seen on the internet.  I love humor and snark, and it draws me like a magnet.  If you will go “Like” my author fan page at www.facebook.com/sharlalovelace,  (and click on Receive Notifications) then we can stay connected and you will get the scoop on all my events and new releases and my coffee addiction, too. 

Yeah, I’ve got it bad. :)

So, one last time, my latest novel is DON’T LET GO, and here’s a humorous moment to share with you…

Morning?  Really?  I opened my mouth to say something back, but nothing came out, so I licked my lips and fidgeted with my robe like a crazy woman.
“Too early?” he asked, as if that were a normal thing to say to me as well.
A laugh-scoff-snort thing fell out of my mouth, which I chalked up to rounding out the perfect start to the day.  I coughed and cleared my throat. 
“No, I’m—just getting ready for work.”  I stepped back so he could come in, and held onto the door for dear life as I glared at Harley for just sitting there on the couch like a diva.  Some guard dog.  She should have had his leg chewed off by now.  “Come in. There’s still coffee if you want some.”  Oh, what the living hell was I babbling about?
Noah stepped in hesitantly, as if maybe he hadn’t thought things out that far.  Maybe he expected me to slam the door or not be home or God only knows what.  He gave me a sideways glance as he passed me, and I caught a subtle whiff of soap and shaving cream.  I stared at the door as I closed it, as if it had betrayed me too, and then I turned on my heel and put myself in motion.
I walked straight past him to the open kitchen, trying not to really look at him.  I knew he’d follow.  He knew the way around my mother’s house.  My house.
Harley’s curiosity finally got the better of her and she followed on his heels, making him turn around to check out the beast stalking him.
“Hey there, killer,” he said, holding out a hand for her to smell him, and then scratching her ears.  “Are you nice?”
“That’s Harley,” I said.  “I’m afraid growing up with two women has made her a big wuss.”  I took a deep breath.  “Coffee?” I asked again, opening a cabinet. 
When he didn’t answer, I turned around, and felt my heart slam against my chest.  He was standing on the other side of the big island from me, where I’d seen him so many times before.  Except he was a man now.  With something in his eyes that resembled lost.
“What?” I asked, though not much of the word came out.
Noah shook his head, and his expression cleared a little.  “Just weird being back here, I guess.  In this kitchen.”  He gestured with a small hand flick.  “Seeing you here.”
“I know the feeling,” I said softly, turning back to grab a mug whether he wanted one or not. 
“Linny told me you were living here again,” he said.  “Sorry to hear about your mom.”
My hands shook as I poured the hot black liquid and turned to set his mug on the counter. 
“Thanks,” I managed to push out.  “Sugar and creamer are right there,” I said with a gesture. 
“Black’s fine,” he said.
I nodded and headed into the living room for my cup.  Shit, Jules, breathe.  I planned to come back, but he followed me.  Shit.  The kitchen felt more stable.  We could stand up in there.  Have the island between us.  The living room was cozy and please-sit-and-stay-a-while.  Granted, I did have to go to work—in an hour and a half.  Shit.
I licked my lips again, and sat back down where I was earlier.  Feet curled beneath me.  Two pillows on my lap for security.  I felt every centimeter of my nakedness under the robe, and wished for more clothing, but it was big enough for him not to know that.  I just thanked God for giving me the wisdom to get ready early and not be sitting here with wet hair or raccoon eyes.  And then I mentally kicked myself for caring.  He didn’t.  I wondered if his woman knew he was paying me a visit.  Or if she even knew who I was.

 

 

Thank you all for visiting with me today, and I’m giving away a $5 e-gift card for Amazon, to a random commenter who just says anything. :)  Ask me a question, just say bye.  Say bye in another language…lol.  You choose!  Loved it guys!!!  Have a great night!

 

 

 

Sharla Lovelace is the bestselling, award-winning author of small-town love stories. Being a Texas girl through and through, she’s proud to say she lives in Southeast Texas with her retired husband, a golf cart, a crazy mutt, and an aviary full of cockatiels. She is the author of The Reason Is You, Before and Ever Since, Just One Day, and the forthcoming Stay with Me, coming in summer 2014.  For more about Sharla’s books, visit www.sharlalovelace.com.  Sharla can also be easily found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sharlalovelace, and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sharlalovelace.

 

First love and second chances with DON'T LET GO...Giveaway!

Hey everyone!  It’s Sharla back again!

My latest novel, DON’T LET GO, is Jules and Noah’s story, about learning to step outside your own rules and rise above the secrets that eat away at you.  It’s about first love and forgiveness.  It’s about second chances.

Here’s a little snippet from DON’T LET GO…

One of his hands went to my face as if on autopilot, and I shut my eyes tight as the warmth of his hand against my cheek and hair nearly broke me.  I could smell him, feel him, and I didn’t dare open my eyes to look at him.  He’d see it.
“Noah, don’t,” I whispered through broken breaths.  I reached up to pull his hand away, but then the other side of my head was cradled as well, and all my strength melted away.  My grip on his hand stayed where it was, and I could feel the slight tremble.  Or was that me?
I didn’t open my eyes until I felt his thumbs move across my cheeks, wiping away tears, and it hit me in the chest like a wrecking ball.  He looked like someone had beaten the crap out of him from the inside.  His eyelids were heavy, like a man who hadn’t slept in days.  The turmoil radiating off of him was palpable.
  That, plus the feel of his hands in my hair, the closeness of his body, so close I could feel him breathe, it was almost too much.  His eyes went to my mouth, and for a second it was like ropes were pulling us together.  I could nearly taste him.

Yum, huh?  LOL!

For this giveaway, tell me the name of your first love.  Just a first name, that’s all.  You know you remember it, we all do.  :)  Random commenter will be picked to win a $5 e-gift card to Bath & Body!  Great for you or a mother in your life! 

See you back here one more time tonight before it ends at 9pm EST.

 

Sharla Lovelace is the bestselling, award-winning author of small-town love stories. Being a Texas girl through and through, she’s proud to say she lives in Southeast Texas with her retired husband, a golf cart, a crazy mutt, and an aviary full of cockatiels. She is the author of The Reason Is You, Before and Ever Since, Just One Day, and the forthcoming Stay with Me, coming in summer 2014.  For more about Sharla’s books, visit www.sharlalovelace.com.  Sharla can also be easily found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sharlalovelace, and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sharlalovelace.

DON'T LET GO, teenagers, and a Giveaway!!

Hey readers!  (Sharla here again!)  Are you having fun in here today? 

You know, Mother’s Day is steadily approaching.  And it makes me think of all the parental themes I’ve had in my books.  I always have strong mother-child relationship themes in my stories, that’s just a place I always go.  It’s right on up there with the love story.  And it’s funny, because my first book, THE REASON IS YOU, had a mother of a 16 year old.  Which strongly mirrored my daughter and I at that time.  In BEFORE AND EVER SINCE, the daughter was 21…which was my son’s age at the time.   Now, my daughter is 19 and out on her own, and last year we went through the whole senior year of high school thing.

Have you done that?  Because I want to high five you and hug you because that was more brutal than the terrible twos.  Seriously.  My son was easy.  My daughter made me gray.

 In DON’T LET GO, the relationship between Jules and her 17 year old high senior daughter Becca isn’t rosy, and it all came honestly, I promise you.  LOL. 

Here’s a little scene that highlights that…

The cheeseburger only made me want more crap, so I figured that nachos would be a good follow up for dinner that night.  And the look on Becca’s face when she came in was nearly worth the empty calories we were about to consume.  She looked almost as excited as Harley, who was sitting at my feet looking up at me like I was God.
“Are you dying?” she asked.  “Am I?”
“Ha ha,” I said, chopping up the lettuce.  “Check those beans in the microwave.  See if they’re ready.”
She dropped her backpack where she stood and headed that way.  “Is there a reason for the madness?”
“Is there a reason for your backpack on the floor?”
She waved a hand as she grabbed a spoon to stir the beans.  “I’ll get it in a second.”
“And if you’d just put it on a chair to begin with, you wouldn’t have to get it, and we wouldn’t—”
“Be having this conversation?” she finished for me with a sarcastic expression.  “Oh yes we would.  You’d find a way.”
I sighed, already tired.  “Becca.”
“Hi Mom,” she said, turning.  “Can we just do that?  Do we have to fight?”  Her gaze landed on my jeans.  “Did you go to work today?”
I closed my eyes and sucked my readied comment back in.  “Yes I did.  Hi, Bec.  How was your day?”
“I passed my Government test.”
I stared at her.  “There was really a test?  Wonderful!” I said, grabbing the shredded cheese.  “Sounds like a good day.”
“Yeah, well, until Jill Bartlett decided to be a douche,” she said, her shoulders slouching a little.
I glanced up.  “And why is that?”
Becca shrugged and did the scrunch-up thing with her face that said the subject was about to be done.  “Nothing.  It was stupid.”
“So tell me.”
“I did tell you,” she said, widening her eyes without meeting mine.  She grabbed a plate from the cabinet and started building her nachos.  “It was nothing.”
“Nothing enough to mess up your day?” I asked, attempting another angle.
“Whatever, Mom, can we just eat?” she said, clearly done.  And irritated.
“Yeah, whatever.”  I blew out a breath.  “You bring it up and then get mad at me for it.”  I pulled the sour cream container from the fridge.  “I swear, baby, you make me want to bang my head on the wall sometimes.”
“Ditto,” she muttered.
Well, so much for the relaxing girls’ night at home. 

 

LOL, did that seem familiar to any of you?  Because I’m pretty sure I lived that day once or twice.

I posted purchase links for DON’T LET GO in my previous post, but here is the Amazon link again in case you’d like it.

http://www.amazon.com/Sharla-Lovelace/e/B005AXCNC0/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Now for another little giveaway, why don’t you tell me a funny snippet about your kids, or something you did as a kid, or even just tell me I’m not alone and commiserate with me!  LOL!  A random commenter will be picked to win a $5 e-gift card to eBay! 

See you soon!

Sharla Lovelace is the bestselling, award-winning author of small-town love stories. Being a Texas girl through and through, she’s proud to say she lives in Southeast Texas with her retired husband, a golf cart, a crazy mutt, and an aviary full of cockatiels. She is the author of The Reason Is You, Before and Ever Since, Just One Day, and the forthcoming Stay with Me, coming in summer 2014.  For more about Sharla’s books, visit www.sharlalovelace.com.  Sharla can also be easily found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sharlalovelace, and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sharlalovelace.

All about the couples...who's your favorite? Giveaway!

Hi!  I’m back again!  When we last met, I told you a little bit about my latest novel, DON’T LET GO. 

And we were talking about great hot couples, and on that note, I’d like to introduce a few of mine.    J  First up—because they were first up—was Dani and Alex from THE REASON IS YOU.  There was a new guy thrown in the mix, too—Jason.  But Dani and Alex had a history and a connection that went beyond…well, let’s just say “the norm”.  I so had the hots for Alex.  J

 

And then there was Ben and Emily.  Sigh… from BEFORE AND EVER SINCE.  You know, I love all my couples, and I would like to say I love them equally, but there was just something about Ben and Emily.  The magnetism, the snark between them, the heat of their history, and the reactions every time they saw each other after 20 years apart… And I say all that like I had nothing to do with it, but honestly I didn’t.  I never do.  My characters come to me, and all I do is blurt out their story.  I even had a button made up for Ben…because he’s a hot HOT carpenter/tool guy, and I just couldn’t get enough of him. 

Annnnnnd then there was Andie and Jesse in JUST ONE DAY.   A big nasty storm and a hot, hot chemistry while trapped in a Texas diner alone together.  Nothing like a little stress to throw two people in the right circumstances, you know?  This was my first novella to write, and it was so much fun. 

In DON’T LET GO, my latest couple is Noah and Jules.  This book is about first love and second chances. 

 

Here’s the DON’T LET GO back cover blurb for you:

Noah Ryan and Jules Doucette spent every moment together, first as best friends and later as young lovers. The two had planned a life together—until one unspeakable decision tore them apart for good.

Twenty-six years later, Jules is still carefully living the life her mother planned out for her. She’s running her mother’s store, living in her mother’s house, following her mother’s rules, and keeping the secrets her mother made her bury.

Then Noah comes home and any sense of an ordered life flies out the window. Noah’s return does more than just stir up old memories—it forces Jules to see her life in a whole new way and uncovers secrets even she didn’t know were buried.  Secrets that could easily destroy her world once more.

:)

All my books can be found on my Goodreads page www.goodreads.com/sharlalovelace, on my Amazon page http://www.amazon.com/Sharla-Lovelace/e/B005AXCNC0/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1, on my website www.sharlalovelace.com. 

Did y’all enjoy the last giveaway?  Well, I have another one.  How about a $5 e-gift card to Bed, Bath and Beyond?  I love that place.  Why don’t you tell me what story themes you seek out the most…what most draws you to a book?  Random commenter chosen before next post!  :)

Sharla Lovelace is the bestselling, award-winning author of small-town love stories. Being a Texas girl through and through, she’s proud to say she lives in Southeast Texas with her retired husband, a golf cart, a crazy mutt, and an aviary full of cockatiels. She is the author of The Reason Is You, Before and Ever Since, Just One Day, and the forthcoming Stay with Me, coming in summer 2014.  For more about Sharla’s books, visit www.sharlalovelace.com.  Sharla can also be easily found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sharlalovelace, and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sharlalovelace.

BACKASH, Excerpt 3#

Backlash by Karyn Good

Published by The Wild Rose Press

One of the themes that runs through BACKLASH, is forgiveness. I seem drawn to that theme. I guess it’s because it sounds easy enough. Forgive and forget, right? But it’s an incredibly complicated and emotional process. The deeper the wounds the harder it is. And forgiving yourself? That even more difficult, at least I think so. In my story the protagonists have a history together. One that ended badly and caused a great deal of hurt.

Which also leads to trust issues. Because what happens when the person you love the most (even if you don’t realize it at the time) no longer trusts you? You want that trust back. And the one thing we know about heroes and heroines? While their intentions are good, they don’t always make the right moves. So, it’s also becomes about trusting yourself to make solid decisions in moving forward.

This is a reunion story. Chase has returned to Aspen Lake after a 10 year absence. Lily is trying to figure out a way to rational his reappearance and is coming up with nothing good. Chase is trying to figure out a way to avoid further contact with Lily. They're both putting in a lot of effort to forget they ever had a past. 

Excerpt #3

“What are you doing here?” Her fingers tightened around her cup, and the resulting pop from the pressure filled the small space. She glanced back at the door, all confusion, and he knew she was hoping for some kind of intervention. For someone else to join them, anyone else.

He stalled and took a second to settle his arms on the tabletop. He pushed at the file and offered her an anemic look of confusion. “Here?”

“Yes. Here. In this room. In Aspen Lake. In the parking lot of my school.” She spread her hands out and motioned around her. “Here!” She averted her gaze and inhaled a deep breath before spotlighting him, apprehension darkening her eyes, deepening the blue color.

“My job.” To him, it was that simple.

“Your job?”

“I’ve been transferred to the Aspen Lake detachment.”

“You’re a cop?” Her look of skepticism said it all. The air of disbelief pricked at his ego. He shifted in his chair. Like all the times in fifth grade when his teacher, Miss Carlisle, had asked him why he had no lunch. Had asked questions about his father.

“Is that so hard to believe?” He had worked his ass off to get where he was, and he was a damned good cop. The work he did with the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, and his reputation, proved his dedication to his job. None of which she’d be aware of, or care about if she did. When he burnt a bridge, the only thing he left behind was ash.

BACKLASH

What he’s sworn to protect, she’s willing to sacrifice to save those she loves...

When dedicated teacher Lily Wheeler interrupts a vicious gang attack on one of her students, she vows it won’t happen again. But her rash interference puts her in the path of a cold-blooded killer and the constable tracking him—a man she has little reason to trust, but can never forget.

Constable Chase Porter returned to Aspen Lake to see justice done, not renew old acquaintances. But when he rescues the woman he once loved from a volatile situation, he realizes his feelings for Lily haven’t lessened over the years.

Now, the dangerous killer Chase has sworn to capture has Lily in his sights. Can Chase and Lilly learn to trust each other again before it’s too late—or will old insecurities jeopardize their future?

Excerpt #2 - BACKLASH, Romantic Suspense

There's nothing like a book to share a lazy Sunday afternoon with. A quiet spot to curl up in, maybe in the shade with a cool drink. How about on a towel on a sandy beach with the cool lake water near by? Could be your on a train travelling through a country by rail. Sitting on a park bench. The possibilities are endless. The enjoyment is priceless!

Excerpt

“We have to work together, Chase.”

Right. Against one of the most vicious gangs in the country. He caught sight of her pretty pink toenails peeking out from under her blanket. Him and the pretty little small town teacher up against Raphael Tessier. Maybe the bad guys would die laughing.

He meant to back away. To leave. Before her clean scent began absorbing into his skin. But with Lily, things never quite worked out the way he planned. Good intention turned into forward movement. Until they were chest-to-chest and hip-to-hip.

“Chase, be reasonable.”

Reasonable? He could smell her. Her breasts pressed against his chest with every breath. He’d left reasonable so far behind he’d need a map to find it.

Then it was too late anyway. He needed to know if she tasted the same. Felt the same. And she was right there. In front of him. All he had to do was bend his head. Just a fraction of a movement and his self-imposed exile would end.

And he was only human

.

So he tipped his head and put his mouth on hers. Ran the tip of his tongue over her bottom lip and got a yes to question number one.

His hands did a slow glide up her arms, over her shoulders to her face. He gently tilted her head and waited. Waited for the slight parting of her lips, the invitation to enter. When it came, it almost brought him to his knees.

He dove in like a man who’d been too long in the desert and she was his first taste of water in years. He needed his tongue in her mouth, tasting, savoring. He needed the warmth pulsing through his system to burn forever.

What he’s sworn to protect, she’s willing to sacrifice to save those she loves...

Available From The Wild Rose Press , Amazon , Barnes and Noble ,  Bookstrand  ,  All Romance Ebooks

Backlash by Karyn Good

Backlash by Karyn Good

From The Wild Rose Press

Backlash Blurb

What he’s sworn to protect, she’s willing to sacrifice to save those she loves...

When dedicated teacher Lily Wheeler interrupts a vicious gang attack on one of her students, she vows it won’t happen again. But her rash interference puts her in the path of a cold-blooded killer and the constable tracking him—a man she has little reason to trust, but can never forget.

Constable Chase Porter returned to Aspen Lake to see justice done, not renew old acquaintances. But when he rescues the woman he once loved from a volatile situation, he realizes his feelings for Lily haven’t lessened over the years.

Now, the dangerous killer Chase has sworn to capture has Lily in his sights. Can Chase and Lilly learn to trust each other again before it’s too late—or will old insecurities jeopardize their future?

What's a party with a contest? I'm hosting a Beach Reads Contest for the month of June. To win a $10.00 Amazon gift card all you have to do is comment with a great romance summer read! 

My hero: Constable Chase Porter

Fantasizing didn’t have any place in his game plan. He needed to strategize. He had zero time for small town, freckle-faced schoolteachers who smelled like blue sky, wheat fields, and the toughest decision he’d ever made.

My heroine: Lily Wheeler

Pride kept her standing, but didn’t stop the flush of anger or the chaser of fear. Big time gang members were terrorizing one of her students. Chase Porter was moving in next-door, only a hedge and a poplar tree away. Her brain was going to need disaster relief.

I hope you're having a wonderful Sunday checking out books and deciding which ones your going to read in your favorite summer spot!

Backlash Excerpt

Backlash by Karyn Good

Romantic Suspense from The Wild Rose Press

Excerpt

“You’re being ridiculous, you know.”

Hell. On. Earth. It had to be. Where else would he find himself stuck in a confined space with someone who looked and smelled like candy coated chocolate and thought like a Rottweiler?

“And unreasonable.”

“If by unreasonable you mean right, then, yes I am.”

“Turn left here.”

“I know where to turn.”

“See what I mean.”

Someone shoot him. He knew from firsthand experience it was less painful. “So besides ‘female intuition’ do you have any other reasons why he might be hiding in the woods?”

“Not really. But it’s a small town and there aren’t that many places to hide. So, I’ve been trying to think of any abandoned buildings, that kind of thing.”

Her idea made sense, and it stung. Hell, he should have thought of it. Would have thought of it if lust and rational thinking made a compatible combination. “Okay, we’ll give it a shot.”

His old hideout in the woods was a bust. No sign of recent habitation, nothing but tall grass, wild bush, and bad memories. “Any other ideas?”

“One or two. There’s an old house, you might remember it, used to be the Danforth place. It’s close enough to town without being in town. It’s empty, has been for a while.”

“I remember it.” Without thinking he offered a smile and held out a hand to her like he had numerous times in this same spot. “Come on, let’s go check it out.”

She paused for a couple of seconds. Her thought patterns played across her face. He kept his hand out anyway. She ignored his offer and his hand. Instead, she walked past him to climb into his truck. He swiped his hand through a patch of thigh high grass. Message received.

Thanks for reading!

http://www.karyngood.com/

The Appeal of the Small Town Romance by MJ Fredrick

I’m a city girl—born and raised in San Antonio—but lately I’ve been on a small-town contemporary reading kick. I’ve read Barbara Freethy’s first Angels Bay book, Suddenly One Summer, and Susan Wiggs’s Summer at Willow Lake, Toni Blake’s One Reckless Summer and now Blackberry Summer by RaeAnne Thayne. (Notice something else similar about all those books? Hey, I’m a teacher, summer is my favorite time of year!) I’m a bit behind on Robyn Carr’s Virgin River books and Meg Benjamin’s Konigsburg series, but I love those books, too.

So what is the appeal of the small-town romance? Here’s what I think. Feel free to add your own.

1) A slower pace. I know I’m not alone in running dawn-to-dusk during the school year. I’ve been known to hit the grocery store at 6 AM before heading to school, squeezing in as many errands as I can after, then coming home, cooking a healthy dinner, keeping house and finding time to write! But in small-town stories, there doesn’t seem to be this urgency. Yes, the characters keep busy and have responsibilities, but everything is calmer. No rush-hour traffic. No business meetings that run late. No crowds at the grocery store (unless they’re there to gossip!)

2) Traditions. My city has traditions, too. We have Fiesta and parades and fireworks on the Fourth (except this year—danged drought!) But people don’t feel as compelled to be a part of them as characters in small-town romances do. For instance, in the book I’m reading now, Blackberry Summer, the elementary school puts on a Spring Fling production, and most of the town goes. Doesn’t that sound cool? It reminds me of the Little House on the Prairie books, where they’d have the spelling bees and the singing school and other things that everyone in the town was a part of.

3) Everybody knows your name. This can cause lots of delicious tension in a small-town romance, especially when the hero and heroine are just getting started. Do they approve? Disapprove? Other people are invested in the relationship. It’s not a book, but I love the show Gilmore Girls. When Lorelei finally slept with Luke, and came downstairs to the diner wearing his shirt, then wondered why no one in town was talking about it…what a neat twist to the nosy neighbor trope!

4) Family. I come from a close-knit family, but it’s small. I love to read about family dynamics in small-town romances, because they seem to play a large part. Even if the characters don’t have a large family by relation, they have close neighbors or other people who love them and want their happiness.

5) Idyllic settings. Small towns are generally born out of an author’s imagination, so they can be set on the California coast or in a small town in the Rockies or on a lake in Ohio. The characters can make a sustainable living running a bead store or an art gallery or a sporting goods store while living in this beautiful place.

I set Something to Talk About, from Lyrical Press, in a fictional small town and made the setting part of the conflict. Everyone knows my hero and heroine and NO ONE wants them to get together.

So what do you think the appeal of the small town romance is? What are some of your favorites, and why?

*****

Where to find MJ:

Twitter: @MJFredrick

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mjfredrickfanpage

Blog: http://mjfredrick.wordpress.com

Website: www.mjfredrick.com