Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Looking Back On My Favorite Reads For 2021

The first book that has to make my favorite's list for 2021 is Filthy Rich Revenge by Lynn Raye Harris. 

 

I'll be honest. I'm not a huge fan of the enemies to lovers trope, but I picked this one up because it was Lynn Raye Harris and I love her stuff. She didn't disappoint. I LOVED this one.

 

These two characters pulled me in from the start and didn't let go. I would highly recommend this if you're looking for a great enemy to lovers story with a sexy billionaire hero.

 


Amazon

 

The second book to make my best of 2021 list is All That Matters by Erin Nicholas.

 

I'm not sure there's a book this author has written that I haven't liked. I don't think so. And this year, I read several of her stories. This one, however, is at the top of my list. I loved the story from start to finish and found myself picking it up every chance I got.

 

This is the third book in a series, and while it can be read as a standalone, I would highly recommend reading them in order. We meet the heroine as a fourteen year old girl in the first book, and the hero is introduced in book two. Seeing these two progress was part of the fun!

 


 Amazon | Nook | Kobo

 

And my biggest surprise find for 2021 was a book by a new to me author. She also happens to be one of my co-hosts in the Bound by Books Podcast.

 

I wasn't sure what I was going to get when I started reading The First 100 Kisses by Danielle Bannister. She warned me it wasn't going to be as spicy as my stuff, but that there was some steam. What I discovered was a fun story about exploration and lots of sexual tension.

 

If you're looking for a book filled with angst, this is the book for you. This is a friends to...sort of lovers...romance that is full of angst.

 


 Amazon | Apple | Nook | Kobo

 

Monday, December 27, 2021

The Year In Review: 2021


 

It's time to say goodbye to 2021 and hello to 2022, but not before we take a look back at some of our favorite moments.

 

This week's podcast is a little different. We've each selected clips from our favorite episode to share. 


Click below to listen.





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The Hosts 










Friday, December 24, 2021

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday. We need family and friends more than ever right now and to remember how precious spending time together is.

 


 


Monday, December 20, 2021

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas


 

Tina Moss and I are talking all about the holidays. We're talking writing challenges and Christmas traditions.

 

Click below to listen, or go to www.boundbybookspodcast.com to find out more about all the hosts of the show.




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The Hosts 







Friday, December 17, 2021

I Can't Believe It's Taken This Long For Me To Pick Up This Book

 

This book has been on my TBR list forever. Why I never read it when it was fan fiction, I don't know. I read another story from this author back then and enjoyed it. This one, however, just didn't sound as appealing to me.

 

But...I'm taking the plunge. Hopefully, I'll like this one as well as I did her other story.

 

Have you read Wallbanger by Alice Clayton?

 

Caroline Reynolds has a fantastic new apartment in San Francisco, a Kitchen Aid mixer to die for, and no O (and we’re not talking Oprah here, folks).

She has a flourishing design career, an office overlooking the bay, a killer zucchini bread recipe, and no O. 

She has Clive (the best cat ever), great friends, a great rack, and no O.

 Adding insult to O-less, she also has an oversexed neighbor with the loudest late-night wallbanging she’s ever heard. Every moan, spank, and—was that a meow?—punctuates the fact that not only is she losing sleep, she still has—yep, you guessed it—no O. 

Enter Simon Parker. When the wallbanging threatens to literally bounce her out of bed, Caroline, clad in sexual frustration and a pink baby-doll nightie, confronts her heard-but-never-seen neighbor. 

Their late-night hallway encounter has…well…mixed results. Because with walls this thin, the tension’s gonna be thick. 

A delicious mix of silly and steamy, this is an irresistible tale of exasperation at first sight.

Amazon | Nook

Monday, December 13, 2021

10 Gifts For Booklovers


 

Not sure what to get the book lover in your life? Want to treat yourself this Christmas? This week's podcast is for you! Danielle Bannister and I are talking holiday gifts for those who love to read.

 

Click below to listen to the podcast, or go to www.boundbybookspodcast.com to find out more about the show and more about all our hosts.




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The Hosts 


 






Wednesday, December 8, 2021

The Most Common Question I Get About Being An Author

There are a lot of things I love about being an author. The biggest one is that I get to put the stories that float around in my head down on paper. I love flushing out story ideas and seeing them come to life on the page. But when I meet someone new, or someone I haven't seen in a while, the question 'so, what have you been up to?' always comes up.

 

Every now and then I get that strange look along the lines of 'yeah, but what's your real job.' But more often than not, the announcement that I've not only written but published books, is met with fascination.

 

As the conversation continues, I'm almost always asked where I get the ideas for my stories.

 

I've been published for over a decade now. I've met my fair share of authors and we all pretty much have the same answer. We get our ideas from just about anywhere and everywhere.

 

Inspiration tends to strike when least expected. I was driving to a book conference when I got the idea for my military romance, Longing for His Kiss. A song came on the radio that talked about a soldier that had written a letter to his family. By the time the song was over, I knew the set up for the story.

 

That is the only time I've gotten a story inspiration from a song, but it was extremely powerful. I spent the rest of the drive plotting the details of the opening scene and how the characters would meet.

 

Like in the song, the soldier had written a letter. One that was to be delivered to his wife if he didn't make it home. He gave it to his best friend, a fellow solider, with the insistence that should something happen to him that his friend would deliver the letter to his wife personally.

 

Both the song and the story I wrote are very emotional. They deal with moving on after death. And in the case of my book, Longing for His Kiss, falling in love again after losing the love of your life.

 

If you're looking for a second chance at love, check out my military romance Longing for His Kiss.


Amazon | Apple | Nook | Kobo | Google

Monday, December 6, 2021

Boundaries And Burnout


 

In this week's episode of Bound by Books, authors Hannah Byron and Marianne Morea are having a frank discussion about Boundaries and Burnout.

 

Click below to listen, or go to www.boundbybookspodcast.com to find out more about all the hosts of the show.






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The Hosts 


 

Amazon







Friday, December 3, 2021

What I'm Currently Reading - What Matters Most by Erin Nicholas

 

I just began listening to the second book in Erin Nicholas' Billionaire Bargains series. I enjoyed the first book, No Matter What, where we got to know the hero's brother, Tony. What Matters Most is Tony's story and I can't wait to dive into his story.

 

Things come easily to Tony Steele. Money. Women. A good time. It's all a piece of cake. Until that cake turns into the wedding cake of Tony's best friend and the woman of Tony's dreams, Reese Chaplin.

Tony can't fix this problem by writing a check. And when Tony finds out that his "friend" has been cheating on Reese, he doesn't hesitate to steal her away. Even if it's her wedding day.

Nothing about Reese's big day goes according to plan. She walks down the aisle to marry one man and winds up in a Vegas wedding chapel with another. After a hot night with Tony, the only thing Reese regrets is that her new husband doesn't remember anything about it. Reese suspects that the marriage is going to end badly, especially when Tony offers her a million dollars a month to stay married. But walking away from him turns out to be harder than she'd thought. Especially as she starts to get to know the man behind the wallet.

 

Amazon | Nook | Kobo

Thursday, December 2, 2021

I've Reached The 75% Mark on His Forbidden Kiss

Because of all the writing I accomplished in November, I've hit the 75% mark in His Forbidden Kiss. In honor of reaching that mile stone, I'm sharing a teaser from the story.

 

The story is in draft form, so it is unedited. I hope you enjoy this little glimpse into Justin and Kim.



Add His Forbidden Kiss To Your TBR On Goodreads

Wednesday, December 1, 2021

My Writing Goals For December 2021

 


It's a new month and that means it's time to set some new writing goals.

 

November was a bitter sweet month. I'd set a goal of writing 30,000 words and while I got close, I didn't quite make it. My total word count for the month of November was 27,008. Not exactly small potatoes.


Even though I didn't quite make my goal of 30K, it did make me realize that writing roughly 1,000 words every day was doable...at least most days.

 

At the moment, I'm working on the third novel in my Serpent's Kiss series, His Forbidden Kiss, a brother's best friend romance. I'm starting the month of December with 60,130 words written in the story and I'm thinking another 20K will finish it up. Which means, I should be able to finish writing the first draft by the end of the month!

 

I know it will be close and there is a major holiday in there, but I'm going to keep plugging along. If all goes well, I'm looking at a spring 2022 release for this one.

 

So keep your fingers crossed, your positive vibes flowing, and all that good holiday cheer. I have a book to finish writing.

Monday, November 29, 2021

Writing Lessons From The Marvel Cinematic Universe


 

This week Danielle Bannister and Tina Moss are continuing their discussion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. What lessons can writers learn about characters, world building, and writing from this multi-layered franchise.

 

Click below to listen, or go to www.boundbybookspodcast.com to find out more about the show and more about all our hosts.



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The Hosts 


 






Thursday, November 25, 2021

Happy Thanksgiving!

 


It's been another rough year, no matter where you are in the world. Today, however, is a day to celebrate all that we are grateful for. 

 

It's been almost eleven years since I published my first book. I never dreamed of becoming a writer like so many authors I meet, but it's a gift I'm grateful for. Becoming an author has given me an opportunity to explore, write down, and share the stories that have been in my head for years.

 

When I sat down to write my first story fourteen years ago, I had zero expectations. It was a way to give characters I loved the chance for the happily ever after I felt they deserved. Little did I know that it would open up a whole new world of writing and publishing.

 

The best thing about becoming a published author has been all the wonderful readers I've met along the way. I have some of the best readers who, despite my slow publishing schedule, are anxious for my next book whenever I decide to release it. Thank you all for your support and love of my stories.

 

Make sure you grab a copy of my second chance holiday novella, Tangled In His Embrace, while it's on sale for only 99 cents. 

 

Jax Brooks has made a lot of mistakes in his life, but the only one he regrets is when he walked away from Gabby and their newborn daughter. Now he's back in St. Louis and he's determined to make things right. No matter what it takes.

Having Jax in her life again is both a blessing and a curse for Gabby Lewis. He's gone out of his way to spend time with their daughter, but it's also meant facing some hard truths—like the fact that she's never gotten over him.

Can Jax convince Gabby to give him another chance? Or has he left a hole in her heart too deep to repair?

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/30qcTwb

Apple: https://apple.co/3bQLvtS

Nook: https://bit.ly/3bVFzzv

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3quP8hJ

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2Tgqa1N

 


Monday, November 22, 2021

Virtual Vs. In-Person Conventions


 

Tina Moss and Marianne Morea are talking all about book conferences on this week's episode of Bound by Books.

 

Click below to listen, or go to www.boundbybookspodcast.com to find out more about all the hosts of the show.



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The Hosts