Catch Me is a 1NS story and if you’ve read any others in the series, you will agree they are absolutely AMAZING!

To celebrate, I’m blogging at CoffeeTime Romance today on the topic, Satisfying Your Inner Vixen

Look for my upcoming guest blog at Books-n-Kisses entitled The Lust Factor on Monday, February 20th.

Hmmm, do we have a theme going on for the month of love?

Stay tuned for more free book giveaways, free jewelry, and more FREE stuff (I love free). Hit the Books page, click on the cover, and there’s all the handy dandy links to buy. An excerpt is found at the Decadent Blog and Allromance links for a taste.

Also, I’ve finally added a super handy Subscribe to Me button for the blog. Click on the right, sign up and stay with me for more updates and fun.

Happy February everyone!

I have lots of funny tidbits and stories from Valentine’s day.

But it will all have to wait. Because I have news. Big news. (Nope…not pregnant. Why does everyone always ask that?)

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Lori Wilde’s Indulgence line at Entangled Publishing is officially launched. Let’s talk great covers, fabulous authors, yummy plotlines, and fresh writing.

I am honored to be one of the launch authors for the series, and am here to announce The Marriage Bargain is offiically released!

Yummy cover, huh?

So treat yourself to a little indulgence…a lot of heart…and some great humor.  Here’s the blurb!

A marriage in name only…

To save her family home, impulsive bookstore owner, Alexa Maria
McKenzie, casts a love spell. But she never planned on conjuring up her best friend’s older brother—the powerful man who once shattered her heart.

Billionaire Nicholas Ryan doesn’t believe in marriage, but in order to inherit his father’s corporation, he needs a wife and needs one fast. When he discovers his sister’s childhood friend is in dire financial straits, he’s offers Alexa a bold proposition.

A marriage in name only with certain rules: Avoid entanglement. Keep things all business. Do not fall in love. The arrangement is only for a year so the rules shouldn’t be that hard to follow, right?

Thanks for letting me share..and look for upcoming blogs, giveaways, and hops all ready to celebrate!

Besides getting ready for three new releases, my boys celebrate their birthdays in February. Usually, it’s a mad rush of chaos with too many presents and too little room left in the house, excitement that rivals Christmas morning, ice cream cakes and birthday candles, migraines at ChuckECheese, and eyes shining with the thrill of life.

I have always believed birthdays are special – for everyone.

Tomorrow my oldest son turns 7 years old.

I wrote a letter to him I published on this blog two years ago on his first day of kindergarten. A road was being turned, and I knew things would change. They did. School forced him to grow up a lot. It also revealed a sharp mind and a quest for knowledge that humbled me. As days flew by in repetitive motions, it became easier to ignore his growth spurts or his startling questions about God and the universe, and his sudden demands for play dates and more social stimulation other than me and his brother.

When I walked him onto the bus today, I kissed him and told him to have the best day ever. I explained he would never be six again – and this day must be cherished, enjoyed, and savored. He skipped off, back into his own world, and I watched him through my tears as I waved from the driveway.

It seems as if a mother’s job in life becomes watching our children leave as more birthdays rack up. I don’t think it will ever get easier. I just think I may get more used to it.

Every evening before his birthday, I watch the video of his birth so I can remember that moment. I tell my children about their birth stories so they can claim them as their own. As a writer, family sagas are the first real stories a child begins to hear and identify with. I embellish and dramatize and tell the truth of each moment, while they watch with glee and pride.

I think more people need to stop in the mad dash to the goal and savor the final or beginning days of something. The first of the month or year. The last day before one turns a year older. The beginning of a new book, or the end of one.

I have a new release that came out February 1st and another one in a week.

I have my first blog tour with a stop at Books-N-Kisses today.

I have writing deadlines, proofing deadlines, and an explosive schedule pulsing with demands.

But right now, today, I am celebrating my son’s last day he is six years old. And that is enough.

Happy Birthday, my sweet boy. Thank you for changing my life for the better.

Mommy

With three hot new releases coming up in the next month, I’m launching my first official blog.

On February 1st, Sex, Lies and Contracts releases on the Red Sage site, and will shortly be available through other online outlets such as Amazon.

On February 17th, Catch Me releases on the Decadent site and will also be avaialble at all other online vendors.

On March 1st, The Marriage Bargain releases with Entangled Publishing and will be avaialble at all other online vendors.

Wow. We have a lot to talk about.

Here is the schedule of the blog tour with dates and sites. I’ll be mixing it up, talking about each of the books, doing character interviews, spotlights, interviews, and blog posts. And of course, I’m giving away free books!

February

Thursday, 2nd – Book Spotlight @ Books-n-Kisses *Catch Me www.books-n-kisses.com

Monday, 6th – Book Spotlight @ Tamaria Soana *Sex, Lies, and Contracts* http://tamariasoana.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, 8th – Book Spotlight @ Everyday is an Adventure *Sex, Lies & Contracts* Http://everydayadventure11.blogspot.com

Wednesday, 15th – Guest Blog & Giveaway @ Sexxy Bloggerhttp://salaciousreads.blogspot.com/

Monday, 20th – Guest Blog @ Books-n-Kisses www.books-n-kisses.com

Tuesday, 21st – Interview @ Mike Woody http://woodyswritings.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, 22nd – Book Spotlight @ Tamaria Soana *Catch Me* http://tamariasoana.blogspot.com/

Saturday, 25th – Guest Blog @ Reading Between the Wines http://readingbetweenthewinesbookclub.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, 28th  – Guest Blog & Giveaway @ I Just Wanna Sit Here & Read *The Marriage Bargain* http://www.sithereandread.com/

Wednesday, 29th – Book Spotlight @ Everyday is an Adventure *Catch Me* Http://everydayadventure11.blogspot.com

Keep me company on the journey…and thanks as always for your support! 

Of course, this meant my two young children had to go outside. If you’re a mom, this means simply you will be tortured for the next hour. First, you need to dress them, which takes time because of the many layers of clothes. When I was young, I couldn’t understand why my mother thought a little bit of snow could make me sick. Now, I find myself stuffing them like a sausage in the hopes they won’t get wet and come down with pneumonia. Way to go, mom, for giving me this type of karma.

Anyway, you dress them, shove them out in the snow, and follow them out to build snowmen that never look good, and shovel, and wipe running noses. Then about half an hour goes by at the most (at least with my kids) and they are ready to go in. This involves wet clothes, struggling with stripping them back off, dogs jumping and barking, and then they want to take a hot bath. In the bath, they scream for hot cocoa, and of course you need cookies with that (anyone reminded of the series If You Give A Mouse A Cookie?), and then they want to cuddle in their pj’s with their hot mugs and watch a DVD.

So..I did all this and then exhausted, collapsed and watched them.

My heart swelled to monstrous proportions.

They were so happy. And so was I. They were snuggled up in warm clothes, in a safe place, and had all of their needs met. There was nothing else on their minds except the moment, and being happy.

They were in their safe place. At their age, if I am doing my job right, that is their home.

This brought me to the question of safe places. When I was young, my safe place was also my home. As I grew older though, this changed to reading. I was sucked away from the peer pressure of perfection and coolness and swept into a world of romance and perfection. I read a book a day, and I read anything I could get my hands on. From poetry, to romance, to mysteries, and fantasy. Life cracked open and exposed itself in a fruitful manner, and I loved every moment.

I changed in my teens. My safe place became my writing. When life got stressful, when I was confused, I fell back on my words, my writing voice, my own creation where I was God and everything was mystic yet controlled. I wrote stories of love and romance and healing and I made it a beautiful world. My safe place. In my own mind.

When I got married, writing and reading were key, but my safe place became my family. The comfort and love that surrounded me made me feel complete, in a way I never experienced before. And as I age, I expect my safe place to change yet again.

But writing will always remain, in my heart, a main place to rest my head and my worries. As long as writers never lose that, they will be able to follow the twisting path of this very unique journey. Always come back to the voice and you will never be truly wrong.

I was having some trouble with character development for my feisty heroine, and decided to pose the question to her. What’s her safe place? The answer surprised me…and deepened my heroine for me to catch a secret peek into her soul. This helped fuel the story.

If you’re having trouble with a character, this is an important question to ask. Where is your hero’s safe place? Your heroine’s?

And you, my reader. Where is your safe place? Home, family, church, books, writing, or something else? Something buried deep?

Take a moment to share with me and leave a comment.