Tuesday, January 11, 2022

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME by Alana Lorens #NewRelease

Alana Lorens is here to give us a glimpse into her character Marisol's character by talking about the clothes she wears--and the ones her altar-ego Jerrika wears. The clothing characters wear say so much about their personality and their attitude toward life. Thanks for sharing with us, Alana! 

How wearing just the right outfit can make a day

In A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME, Marisol Herrera Slade has been a single mom on her own with her son Mark for many years. She never received support from Mark’s dad, who split on them when Mark was very young. So her life in Ocala, Florida has not been the glorious beachside life one might expect.

Instead, she has become quite the expert at checking through secondhand stores to find their clothing, as well as most everything else they own. Her one “new” purchase was her laptop, from which she writes her blog Mothering Without a Man…or rather her alter ego Jerrika does.

But I digress.

During the time of our story, in 2005, Marisol returns to Pennsylvania to her high school reunion. She’s staying with her school friend Analisa, who’s grown comfortably plump and works as a nurse. When they decide to get dressed up for the ‘80s dance, Analisa sets Marisol up as her proxy for a real ‘80s flash:

When they arrived at Grove City, Ana took the button from Marisol, but kept hold of her hand. A very serious look set on her face. 

“What?” Marisol guessed whatever Ana wanted to say must be unpleasant, or at least distasteful, because of the way she bit her lip. 

“Maricita, I want you to have a wonderful time tonight. If what you want is to be able to hold your own with Russell Asher, then I want that for you, too.” 

She gestured toward her purse. “I thawed all my plastic out of the ice tray. Because you are my friend, I want you to let me buy you something incredible to wear tonight, something to make them all know you are truly, through and through, Miss Jerrika Jones, feminista.” 

Marisol didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She did the first till she did the second. “Feminista? Really?” The thought made her laugh harder. 

“Hell, yes. You need something with attitude, amiga, and I want to buy it for you.” 

Ana's smile was so sincere, Marisol wished she could let her do that. But her pride stung at the thought that what she had wasn't good enough. She'd bought a few new things for the trip. Most of her clothing was in good shape, some of it even designer label, but purchased at consignment stores, not off the designer rack. 

“Ana, I don't think so.” 

“No discuta! I'm going to buy the outfit, whether you wear it or not.” She looked down at her own ample form. “And you know it won't fit me.” 

Torn between her pride and her desire to be that woman with attitude, Marisol sighed. “All right,” she finally said. “But I'll pay you back.” 

“Write about me in your blog, chica. Then I can be famous, too.” 

That was a small enough request, Marisol thought. Wouldn't cost her much, and Ana would score a lot of points with her co-workers. “I'll still pay you back,” she insisted. 

Ana grinned and hugged her. “Then let's shop.” She pinned on the Jerrika Jones pin and urged Marisol to do the same. The next three hours was a whirl of trying on clothes and shoes and searching for accessories to match. Ana insisted the best outfit they found was a close assemblage of pieces copying Madonna's outfit from the movie Desperately Seeking Susan, which they'd all defied their parents to go see back in 1985. A cropped black-knit top, tight black pants, a shiny brown jacket with animal print lapels; all this topped by a tangle of silver and black necklaces, and finished with sharp mid-heel, low-cut black boots. 

“I'll do your hair just like hers, with a black scarf tied in,” Ana said, admiring over Marisol's shoulder in the dressing room mirror. “If only you were blonde.”

“No! I am not going blonde!” 

“Oh, yeah. One nasty blonde in town's enough.” Ana grinned. “All right. Take it all off again.” 

“What are you wearing?” Marisol worried, reaching for the boot buckle. 

“Me? Eh. What I always wear. Polyester. I've got some chunky belts, though, and I'll layer those on.” She shrugged. “No point in anyone looking at me, is there? You're the one who'll be the star.” 

The dressing room attendant knocked and peeked in. “Oh my gosh! You're channeling the Material Girl, right?” She studied Marisol a minute. “Wait right there. You're not quite perfect.”  

She vanished, leaving Ana and Marisol to exchange puzzled looks. 

“You looked good to me.” Ana leaned back against the wall of the changing room. 

“Here!” The saleswoman opened the door and handed Marisol some square-framed sunglasses. “Try those.” 

Marisol slipped them on and looked in the mirror. With her hair up… She scooped her hair into her hand and held it at her crown, where the ends dangled appealingly. That was it. A snappy chick with style and attitude.  

Jerrika lived and breathed. 

"Perfect!” Analisa clapped her hands. “We'll take it all.”


Buy Links:

https://www.thewildrosepress.com/book-post/a-rose-by-any-other-name

Paperback  

https://www.amazon.com/Rose-Any-Other-Name/dp/1509239294/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Ebooks 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09KQWTDPF/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i3

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-rose-by-any-other-name-alana-lorens/1140380664?ean=9781509239290

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-rose-by-any-other-name-25

https://www.walmart.com/ip/A-Rose-by-Any-Other-Name-Paperback-9781509239290/182573222


Book Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8qEjPOBzds&t=3s


Blurb: 

Up-and-coming mommyblogger and single mom Marisol Herrera Slade returns to her old hometown in western Pennsylvania for her 20th high school reunion in 2005, reluctant and yet compelled to see her high school sweetheart, Russell Asher, who dumped her for the homecoming queen.

Russell's marriage to the golden girl, however, ended in a nasty divorce, and he has been systematically excluded from his sons' lives. In his Internet wanderings, he's found feminist blogger named Jerrika Jones, who glorifies single motherhood, essentially putting a stamp of approval on what's happened to him. His group of single dad advocates have vowed to take this woman down.

What Russell doesn't know, when he thinks to rekindle what he had with Marisol, is that Marisol and Jerrika are one and the same. When his group discovers the truth, will their drive for revenge derail any chance the couple have to reunite? Or will they find they have more in common than they ever expected?


Author Bio:

Alana Lorens has been a published writer for more than forty years, after working as a pizza maker, a floral designer, a journalist and a family law attorney. Currently a resident of Asheville, North Carolina, the aging hippie loves her time in the smoky blue mountains. She writes romance and suspense as Alana Lorens, and sci-fi, fantasy and paranormal mystery as Lyndi Alexander. One of her novellas, THAT GIRL’S THE ONE I LOVE, is set in the city of Asheville during the old Bele Chere festival. She lives with her daughter on the autism spectrum, who is the youngest of her seven children, and she is ruled by three crotchety old cats, and six kittens of various ages.

Author Links:

Website http://Alana-lorens.com          https://alana-lorens.com/a-rose-by-any-other-name/

Facebook    https://www.facebook.com/AlanaLorens/

Goodreads   https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4829967.Alana_Lorens

Amazon Author Page  https://www.amazon.com/Alana-Lorens/e/B005GE0WBC/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8qEjPOBzds&t=3s

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/alana-lorens

Twitter:  @AlexanderLyndi

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexander_lyndi/ 

Friday, January 7, 2022

DELICIOUS HEAT: #NewRelease in the Bangers Tavern series from Sadira Stone

Sadira Stone joins me with book 3 in her Bangers Tavern series which just released on January 4, 2022. I love the premise of this story; imagine finding the love of your life when you're pregnant with your ex's baby. Talk about conflict! Sadira tells us five things about DELICIOUS HEAT that give us great insight to this story and to the complete series. Thanks for joining me, Sadira!

5 Things to Know About Delicious Heat: Bangers Tavern Romance 3

1. Why a pregnant heroine?

Anna and Diego’s meet-cute played out in Book one of the Bangers Tavern series, Christmas Rekindled, the story of Anna’s older sister Charlie and River, Bangers’ flirty bartender. Readers asked for Anna and Diego’s story, and I was glad to oblige. They’re so stinkin’ cute together! 

2. What was the hardest part of writing this story?

Anticipation of reader push-back gave me many a sleepless night, but in the end, I wrote the story as it wanted to be told. “No cheating” is a hard and fast rule for many romance readers, and Anna is technically still married throughout her courtship with Diego, though she’s trying her best to end the marriage. Here’s the thing: it took me a long, long time to legally untangle myself from my toxic ex who, like Anna’s Brock, kept throwing up obstacles to the divorce out of spite. And I fell in love after we separated but before the divorce was final. That does not make me a bad person, nor is Anna a bad person or mother for accepting love when it came her way. 

3. Is Bangers Tavern based on a real bar?

Kinda/sorta. Tacoma’s 6th Avenue District is very real and very much as described in the Bangers Tavern Series. The bar itself is an amalgam of a few bars on The Ave, other bars I’ve known and loved, and my imagination. I wanted to create a place like TV’s Cheers, where everyone feels welcome, where folks can relax and play darts or pool, meet friends, dance, sing karaoke, play trivia, celebrate holidays, eat fabulous bar food—a home away from home experience. 

4. Why foodie romance?

Honestly, is anything sexier than flirting over a delicious meal? I’m a frustrated wannabe chef at heart, so I love writing about foodie characters. 

5. Why is found family so important in your stories?

Modern life often takes us far away geographically from our families of origin, and our blood relations don’t always understand or appreciate us. Yet we all need a clan who accept us no matter what, our family of the heart. These kinds of relationships have enriched my life, and I love constructing them for my characters.

 

Blurb:

Cupid has lousy timing.

After kicking her cheating husband to the curb, nurse Anna Khoury discovers she’s pregnant. When Bangers Tavern’s hunky chef makes heart eyes at her, she dismisses that delicious thrill as the last thing she needs. Single motherhood will take all her strength and focus. Anna’s battered heart can’t take another blow.  

Chef Diego Vargas is aiming higher than burgers and tater tots. His dream—his own food truck, the Empanada Angel, but he’ll need his family’s support to pull it off. Meeting Anna leaves him thunderstruck, even though his attraction to her threatens all his plans. Call it fate, call him crazy, but he’s determined to prove he’s in it for keeps. 

With a belligerent ex-husband and two overprotective families set on breaking them up, Anna and Diego will need more than red-hot passion to pull them through. His career and her baby’s future are on the line. 

Come back to Bangers Tavern for a spicy tale of forbidden love that will warm your heart…and other parts…and make you hungry for empanadas!

Pre-order links:

Order your copy of Delicious Heat today!

https://books2read.com/deliciousheat


Excerpt:

When the tots were crispy and golden, Diego layered on the toppings: shredded extra-sharp Tillamook cheddar, crumbled pepper bacon, paper-thin slices of green onion, sauteed garlic mushrooms, pickled sweet-hot pepper slices, sour cream, and a drizzle of his house-made spicy ketchup. Heart attack on a plate. He hoped Charlie’s sister was hungry. Was she as pretty as Charlie? 

He smoothed his apron and blotted his sweaty forehead. “I’m just gonna deliver these.” 

At the bar, he found bartenders Kiara and River, along with all three servers, huddled around a brunette knockout in a curve-skimming red dress. 

She glanced up. Their gazes met and held. Everything else slowed down.

Those last few steps to the bar felt like being towed through honey. Her espresso-dark eyes widened, sparkling under the Christmas lights. Her plump lips parted. Her chest rose and fell.

She’s a goddess. 

He set the container of tots before her, removed his cap, and scrubbed a hand through his squashed hair. She echoed the gesture, winding a chestnut curl around her slender fingers.  

Abuelita had told him the story of when she and Abuelo first met. “It was like a golden rope wrapped around my heart and pulled me to him. It holds us together still.” 

At the time, he’d laughed off her hyperbole. But now, in this electric moment, Diego understood exactly what she meant.

“Hi.” The angel murmured, her voice low and musical, like a cello. “Did you make these?”

Dumbstruck by her beauty, he could only nod.

She lifted a tot to her lips, inhaled the steam rolling off it, and sighed.

He thanked the kitchen gods for the apron hiding his erection. 

She took a bite, then her head lolled back on a groan. “Soooo good.”

Charlie narrowed her eyes and moved closer to her sister, bristling with protective vibes. He’d do the same if someone was eyeing his little sister like a tasty snack.  

Say something, idiot! He cleared his throat. “They go really well with the Port Angeles Amber.” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder toward the beer taps.

Her gaze dropped, and the corner of her mouth hitched up in a shy half-smile. “Wish I could try it, but I’m pregnant.”

No ring on her left hand, but a pale indentation where one had recently been. Divorced? Please let her be single. Please, please, please.

“Oh. Well then, enjoy, Miss…” 

“Anna.” Though it didn’t seem possible, her wide smile made her even more beautiful.

Flushed and breathless, he backed toward the kitchen and bonked into something soft. 

“Watch where you’re going, Romeo.” With a chuckle, Dawn grasped his shoulders, spun him around, and sent him on his way with a gentle shove. 

What are you doing? his common sense shrieked. She’s pregnant! But he allowed himself a final glance over his shoulder. She popped another tot into her lush mouth and winked. He waggled his fingers and pushed through the swinging doors, then collapsed against the wall, clutching his heart.

“Whatsa matter with you?” Shelby asked with a snort.

He closed his eyes and heaved a happy sigh. “I just met the woman I’m going to marry.”


Order your copy of Delicious Heat: Bangers Tavern Romance 3:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09HRJW5CN

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w?ean=2940162472384 

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/delicious-heat

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1592832791


Author Bio:


Award-winning contemporary romance author Sadira Stone spins steamy, smoochy tales set in small businesses—a quirky bookstore, a neighborhood bar, a vintage boutique... Her stories highlight found family, friendship, and the sizzling chemistry that pulls unlikely partners together. When she emerges from her writing cave in Las Vegas, Nevada (which she seldom does), she can be found in belly dance class, or strumming her ukulele, perhaps exploring the West with her charming husband, or cooking up a storm, and always gobbling all the romance books. For a guaranteed HEA (and no cliffhangers!) visit Sadira at www.sadirastone.com.


Visit Sadira on All the Socials!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sadirastone/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SadiraStone

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18568049.Sadira_Stone

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Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Sadira-Stone/e/B07KWK5FBX

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Author newsletter: https://eepurl.com/dKLMP2