Showing posts with label Donna Simonetta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Donna Simonetta. Show all posts

Friday, June 15, 2018

Donna Simonetta - #99cent #sale LOVE IS LOVELIER


Donna Simonetta is back with me today to tell us about her .99cent sale on her contemporary romance LOVE IS LOVELIER. The sale will run from June 9-22, 2018. Welcome back, Donna!


Love is Lovelier Blurb:

Heather and Mick have a long history together, and Heather wants to leave it in the past where it belongs. Yet, here Mick is, very much in her present, thanks to her brother Jeff, who hired Mick to be her boss at the Retreat at Rivers Bend.

It wouldn’t be so bad, except Heather and Mick are still attracted to each other like metal to a magnet. Oh, and her brother is considering offering Mick a partnership in the Retreat, which by rights should be hers. And even if they act on their attraction, Heather is a small-town, country girl, and proud of it, whereas Mick can’t get far enough from his West Virginia coal-mining roots.

Will they be able to get a second chance at their first love and find their happy ending together in Rivers Bend?


Excerpt:
“Stick close. I’ll get you out of here.”
He used his broad shoulders as a wedge to propel himself though the crowd; Heather scurried to keep up with him so she could take advantage of the gap he created, not wanting to be so close that she could feel the warmth of his body through his elegant suit, but because she needed somehow to beat this crush of people to the Retreat to make sure that everything was in place for the post-christening party she’d planned for Bethanne – only perfection would do for her BFF.
She watched Mick’s back as she stuck close to him; he looked so strong and fit – it was hard to imagine him the way he was ten years ago, when he’d suffered his NFL career-ending injury, but the same business acumen that kept him with the Portland Pintos organization back then was the reason Jeff and Cisco hired him at the Retreat.
He’d be good for business – she’d just have to keep chanting those words in her head like a mantra, or else she’d do one of two things she’d regret – kill Mick, or kiss him, and she’d gone the kissing route with him before. It did not end well. And tempting as the killing option was at the moment, it probably wouldn’t end any better.

Buy Links:


Author Bio:

My career has been a winding road. I worked in the business world for years, got my MLS and worked in a school library, and am now living my dream as an author. I love to read and write contemporary and fantasy romance. I live in Maryland, with my husband, who is my real-life romance hero. We both enjoy traveling to visit our far-flung family and friends, and spending time on the beach with an umbrella drink and a good book.
Author Links:

Friday, May 25, 2018

#.99cent #sale A SWEETER SPOT by Donna Simonetta

Donna Simonetta is having a .99cent sale on her contemporary romance A SWEETER SPOT. The sale will run from today, May 25 to June 8, 2018. Here's a sneak peak:



Blurb:
Magda knows a 28-year-old shouldn’t run away from home, but Rivers Bend is the ideal escape. Helping out her best friend will get her away from her uber-wealthy, controlling grandmother and duplicitous ex. She doesn’t expect the quirky little town to feel so much like home. Add in hotter-than-the-sun Jeff and his daughter, and leaving seems as unthinkable as it is inevitable.

Raising Sam alone, Jeff knew he wanted her to grow up in his supportive hometown. The arrival of a feisty new tenant sends Jeff's world spinning. Magda fills a void in his life that he’d like to make permanent.

Will love triumph over the most powerful woman in the country, and can they figure out how to make this happy-for-now in Rivers Bend into their happy-ever-after?

Excerpt:
“Being cheated on is no fun. It happened to me once. Up here,” he tapped his forehead. “You know it’s not your fault. But here,” he tapped his chest over his heart. “You feel like it has to be your fault – like you could’ve done something to prevent it. But you couldn’t have. It’s all on him, Maggie. Not you.”

She picked a dandelion, whose flower had turned into a puffball, and blew on it, scattering the fluff to the wind. “Maybe. Maybe not. But thanks for the support.”

She pushed to her feet and took a couple of steps toward the river. Jeff rose and followed.

How could he be so angry at a man he didn’t even know? How could this Pierce jerk have slept around on a woman like Maggie? And the prick had even made her doubt herself in the process. It was written all over her anguished face.

He stood behind her and gently kneaded her shoulders. He turned her to face him and cupped her face in his big hands.

“This Pierce guy is the biggest fool on earth to go to someone else when he had you at home, Maggie.”

She blinked away tears, and he felt his heart constrict. Before he could think it through and decide it was a really bad idea, Jeff dipped his head and captured Magda’s lips in a gentle kiss.


Buy Links:
Amazon:
https://www.amzn.com/dp/B01N1S1K06/

TWRP:
http://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/4862-a-sweeter-spot.html

Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-sweeter-spot-donna-simonetta/1125338511?ean=2940157374921

Amazon UK:
http://amzn.eu/14pwrnP

Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-sweeter-spot-1


Author Bio:
My career has been a winding road. I worked in the business world for years, got my MLS and worked in a school library, and am now living my dream as an author. I love to read and write contemporary and fantasy romance. I live in Maryland, with my husband, who is my real-life romance hero. We both enjoy traveling to visit our far-flung family and friends, and spending time on the beach with an umbrella drink and a good book.



Author Links:
https://www.facebook.com/donnasimonettaauthor

https://twitter.com/donna_simonetta

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15422407.Donna_Simonetta

https://www.amazon.com/Donna-Simonetta/e/B06X415TWW/

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/donna-simonetta

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

LOVE IS LOVELIER with Donna Simonetta

I'm joined by fellow Wild Rose Press Author Donna Simonetta, who has a new contemporary release this week. LOVE IS LOVELIER is book two in Donna's Rivers Bend trilogy. She's here to talk about secondary characters, one of my favorite topics! Please welcome Donna Simonetta.



Every secondary character in a book is the lead character in their own story. I try to keep that thought in mind, and create well-rounded secondary characters in every book I write.  I also love to infuse my books with humor, and secondary characters are a great source for humor. They can also function as a sort of Greek chorus––helping the main characters find resolution.

In the case of a series, like my Rivers Bend trilogy, the secondary characters in one book LITERALLY become the main characters in the next. We first met Heather Braden, the female protagonist of Love is Lovelier in the first book in the series, A Sweeter Spot. We get to know a little bit about her sunny personality, and work at the Retreat. And get a glimpse of what’s to come in Love is Lovelier, when we see her reaction to the news that Mick Evans will be moving to Rivers Bend to become her boss. Spoiler alert––she is NOT happy:

Jeez! And Magda told him Chicago was cold! It had nothing on the icy glare his sister pierced Jeff with, as she sat on the opposite side of his desk from him. 

She spoke through tight lips, “It’s not enough that you’re bringing that cretin to work here—” 

Jeff held up his hands. “Hold on—Mick is not a cretin. He’s a good guy; I don’t know what you have against him, but unless he’s physically hurt you—in which case tell me, and I’ll kill him—I want you to cowboy up and get along with him here at work. He has a great head for business, and Cisco and I think he’ll be good for the Retreat. Which, need I remind you, benefits all of us.”

Heather crossed her legs and turned her head to glare at the wall. “He never physically hurt me—where do you get this stuff? I just don’t like him, and it will be uncomfortable for me to work with him. But, you’re the boss, right?” 

And throughout both of these books, we get to know the youngest Braden sibling, fun-loving, commitment-phobic, Jason––who is going to be the main character of the third book in the trilogy.  Here’s a glimpse at what his sister and mother have to say about him in Love is Lovelier, when he’s going out with a friend for a night on the town:

…Jason went with Chase.” She grinned at her mom. “I doubt he’ll be much help at the farm tomorrow.” 

Her mother laughed and turned to face Heather. She leaned her backside against the dresser. “We didn’t schedule any riding lessons tomorrow, for just that reason. Hank and I can take care of the animals without Jason for one day, but my charming son is in heavy demand as a riding teacher, and oddly all his students are single, young women.” 

Although, there are some indications in Love is Lovelier that Jason has met his match! We’ll find out when we read his story, in a book with the working title, What Was I Thinking.

I love the secondary characters in all of my books, but I have a real soft spot for the population of Rivers Bend. It may be a fictional town, but it’s real to me, and I wish I could go there someday. Since that’s impossible, I guess I’ll have to settle for visiting in the pages of the books.

Love is Lovelier Blurb:

Heather and Mick have a long history together, and Heather wants to leave it in the past where it belongs. Yet, here Mick is, very much in her present, thanks to her brother Jeff, who hired Mick to be her boss at the Retreat at Rivers Bend.

It wouldn’t be so bad, except Heather and Mick are still attracted to each other like metal to a magnet. Oh, and her brother is considering offering Mick a partnership in the Retreat, which by rights should be hers. And even if they act on their attraction, Heather is a small-town, country girl, and proud of it, whereas Mick can’t get far enough from his West Virginia coal-mining roots.

Will they be able to get a second chance at their first love and find their happy ending together in Rivers Bend?

Excerpt:

“Stick close. I’ll get you out of here.”

He used his broad shoulders as a wedge to propel himself though the crowd; Heather scurried to keep up with him so she could take advantage of the gap he created, not wanting to be so close that she could feel the warmth of his body through his elegant suit, but because she needed somehow to beat this crush of people to the Retreat to make sure that everything was in place for the post-christening party she’d planned for Bethanne – only perfection would do for her BFF.

She watched Mick’s back as she stuck close to him; he looked so strong and fit – it was hard to imagine him the way he was ten years ago, when he’d suffered his NFL career-ending injury, but the same business acumen that kept him with the Portland Pintos organization back then was the reason Jeff and Cisco hired him at the Retreat.

He’d be good for business – she’d just have to keep chanting those words in her head like a mantra, or else she’d do one of two things she’d regret – kill Mick, or kiss him, and she’d gone the kissing route with him before. It did not end well. And tempting as the killing option was at the moment, it probably wouldn’t end any better.

Buy Links:

Amazon: 

Barnes & Noble:

The Wild Rose Press:

Amazon UK:


Author Bio:

My career has been a winding road. I worked in the business world for years, got my MLS and worked in a school library, and am now living my dream as an author. I love to read and write contemporary and fantasy romance. I live in Maryland, with my husband, who is my real-life romance hero. We both enjoy traveling to visit our far-flung family and friends, and spending time on the beach with an umbrella drink and a good book.

Author Links:





Tuesday, December 5, 2017

A SWEETER SPOT #sale #99cents!

Today Donna Simonetti visits to tell us about her .99cent sale on A SWEETER SPOT. This contemporary romance (ebook version) can be purchased at all major online retailers. All the best with your sale Donna!




Blurb:

Magda knows a 28-year-old shouldn’t run away from home, but Rivers Bend is the ideal escape. Helping out her best friend will get her away from her uber-wealthy, controlling grandmother and duplicitous ex. She doesn’t expect the quirky little town to feel so much like home. Add in hotter-than-the-sun Jeff and his daughter, and leaving seems as unthinkable as it is inevitable.

Raising Sam alone, Jeff knew he wanted her to grow up in his supportive hometown. The arrival of a feisty new tenant sends Jeff's world spinning. Magda fills a void in his life that he’d like to make permanent.

Will love triumph over the most powerful woman in the country, and can they figure out how to make this happy-for-now in Rivers Bend into their happy-ever-after?

Excerpt:

“Being cheated on is no fun. It happened to me once. Up here,” he tapped his forehead. “You know it’s not your fault. But here,” he tapped his chest over his heart. “You feel like it has to be your fault – like you could’ve done something to prevent it. But you couldn’t have. It’s all on him, Maggie. Not you.”

She picked a dandelion, whose flower had turned into a puffball, and blew on it, scattering the fluff to the wind. “Maybe. Maybe not. But thanks for the support.”

She pushed to her feet and took a couple of steps toward the river. Jeff rose and followed.

How could he be so angry at a man he didn’t even know? How could this Pierce jerk have slept around on a woman like Maggie? And the prick had even made her doubt herself in the process. It was written all over her anguished face.

He stood behind her and gently kneaded her shoulders. He turned her to face him and cupped her face in his big hands.

“This Pierce guy is the biggest fool on earth to go to someone else when he had you at home, Maggie.”

She blinked away tears, and he felt his heart constrict. Before he could think it through and decide it was a really bad idea, Jeff dipped his head and captured Magda’s lips in a gentle kiss.

Buy Links:

Amazon:
https://www.amzn.com/dp/B01N1S1K06/

TWRP:
http://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/4862-a-sweeter-spot.html

Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-sweeter-spot-donna-simonetta/1125338511?ean=2940157374921

Amazon UK:
http://amzn.eu/14pwrnP

Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-sweeter-spot-1


My Social Media Links:

https://www.facebook.com/donnasimonettaauthor

https://twitter.com/donna_simonetta

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15422407.Donna_Simonetta

https://www.amazon.com/Donna-Simonetta/e/B06X415TWW/

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/donna-simonetta


Author Bio:



My career has been a winding road. I worked in the business world for years, got my MLS and worked in a school library, and am now living my dream as an author. I love to read and write contemporary and fantasy romance. I live in Maryland, with my husband, who is my real-life romance hero. We both enjoy traveling to visit our far-flung family and friends, and spending time on the beach with an umbrella drink and a good book.

Monday, July 3, 2017

On #Sale: ANGELS FLY by Donna Simonetta

Donna Simonetta makes a return visit to Journeys with Jana to talk about ANGELS FLY which is currently on sale for .99 cents. Read all about Donna's book here, and then get your ecopy of ANGELS FLY from your favorite ebook retailer! Here's Donna!



I got the idea to set a book in San Diego, after a visit to my brother-in-law there several years ago. He lives on a houseboat in a marina, near where James and Kelly live in Angels Fly. I fell in love with the neighborhood, and since it’s a little out of my price range, I gave my characters the waterview condominiums I would love for my own. One of the benefits of being an author is getting to live vicariously through my characters.

Until I started writing this post, I didn’t realize that James and Kelly actually live out two of my real estate fantasies. Their hometown is Rye, New Hampshire, which is the next town over from a place where my husband and I lived many moons ago. One of my favorite drives when we lived there was through Rye. It is located along the New Hampshire seacoast, and I coveted some lovely homes there with their amazing ocean views. I let Kelly and James grow up in two of those homes.

To celebrate the one-year anniversary of the publication of Angels Fly, I’m thrilled that my publisher has put it on sale for only $.99 cents! If you haven’t read Angels Fly yet, and would like to visit my dream San Diego condominium within its pages, I’d be honored if you took advantage of this limited time sale to read Angels Fly!

Blurb - ANGELS FLY:

Two years after her husband’s death, Kelly believes her romantic life is done. Until she reconnects with her girlhood crush on social media, and as fate would have it, he lives across the street.

James is over the whole true-love thing. His grasping ex-wife tore that belief out of him, when she left him for a rich, old man. Then he finds out his first love moved to San Diego too, and their attraction burns as hot as ever.

What they don’t know is that Fate didn’t bring them together – the Guardian Angel Corps did, led by two unlikely Cupids – Kelly’s late husband and Zane, a rough and tumble, 19th century cowboy. When a Fallen Angel decides to tear Kelly and James apart, cherubs and harps aren’t going to cut it, and Zane’s unique skills might be just what they need to get a second chance at their first love.

Excerpt:

She flashed a bright smile at her old friend. “I sent a friend request to Susie Davidson, and I want to see if she’s responded.”

“Susie Davidson,” Grace’s voice dripped with disdain, “we didn’t badger you into doing this so you could reconnect with Susie Davidson.”

“Hey, what’ve you got against old Susie? She was an integral part of our nerd squad in high school,” David said. “Right, Kel?”

When she didn’t reply, he glanced over at his old friend to see her frozen at her computer, all the color drained from her face. “Kel, what’s wrong?”

“I didn’t hear from Susie, but I did get a message from James Flynn,” she whispered.

David jumped to his feet and peeked over her shoulder at the computer screen. “Yummy James Flynn from Rye?”

Grace snickered, “Sounds like a sandwich. I’ll have a Yummy James Flynn on rye. Hold the mayo.”

Kelly and David swung their heads in unison to stare at her.

“What? It’s not my fault you two come from a town named after a bread.”

David shook his head mournfully and intoned, “Californians.”

“Native, baby.”  The blonde woman grinned playfully, “And don’t you New England Yankees forget it.”

“What does he say, Kel?” David asked with interest.

Kelly gulped. “He wanted to get in touch and maybe meet for a drink.”  She twisted her head to look up at David, her eyes huge on her pale face. “He lives here, David. In San Diego.”

Buy Links:

Amazon:
https://amzn.com/B01G46DQQ8

Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/angels-fly-donna-simonetta/1123842226?ean=2940158160998

Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Angels-Fly-Donna-Simonetta-ebook/dp/B01G46DQQ8/

The Wild Rose Press:
http://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/4409-angels-fly.html

Author Bio:



My career has been a winding road. I worked in the business world for years, got my MLS and worked in a school library, and am now living my dream as an author. I love to read and write contemporary and fantasy romance. I live in Maryland, with my husband, who is my real-life romance hero. We both enjoy traveling to visit our far-flung family and friends, and spending time on the beach with an umbrella drink and a good book.

Donna's Social Media Links:





Friday, February 24, 2017

#AuthorInterview with Donna Simonetta

Fellow Wild Rose Press author Donna Simonetta is my interview guest today. Donna has just released a brand new contemporary romance called A SWEETER SPOT. Donna says her characters bear a lot of similarities to her and her husband. Well, like they say, write what you know! Please welcome Donna Simonetta!



How many books do you have under the proverbial bed? Will they ever see the light of day?

I have the first two books of a projected trilogy stashed away. They were the first two novels I wrote, and as such, have a lot of beginners’ mistakes. It was fantasy romance series, where the heroine was half-witch and half-Fae, and the hero was a Weretiger. I adore this series, and hope it sees the light of day sometime. I always intend to go back and polish it up, so I can try to sell it, but demands on my time, especially now that I’ve been published, never seem to allow it.

Where did you get the idea for your new novel?

A Sweeter Spot is the first contemporary romance novel I wrote that has no fantasy elements to it, so I wanted to write something I felt comfortable with, since I was uncomfortable without having the help of angels, shapeshifters, or fairies! You always hear people saying to ‘write what you know’, and that was my kicking off point for A Sweeter Spot. While we are unfortunately NOT the grandchildren of a billionaire and a former NFL player, my husband and I do share some similarities to Magda and Jeff. Like Magda, I am a librarian from Connecticut. And my husband is a native Virginian; therefore, a true gentleman to his core, as is Jeff. When I first went to visit his family in Virginia, I remember some funny culture clash incidents and thought they might be the kernel of a contemporary romance. 

What was the most difficult thing about writing this book?

See the answer above! Having Jeff and Magda share some character traits with my real-life husband and me, makes me feel vulnerable now that people are about to read it! What if a reviewer hates them? Usually I can take constructive criticism pretty well, but if someone disses my honey? I’m not so sure. 

Do you work on more than one book at a time?

Since The Wild Rose Press published Angels Fly last summer, I’ve had to. Write now, I’m working on the third book in the Rivers Bend trilogy. A Sweeter Spot is the first, and I’m waiting to hear back from TWRP about Book 2.  When I do, then I will begin edits on it. I’m also working on a ghost story that I’m really excited about! Obligations for contracted novels have forced me to put it on the back burner, but it’s been on my mind lately, and I’m antsy to get back to work on it.

Do you have any words of advice to beginning writers?

Writing is a personal endeavor, and every writer goes about it their own way. For me, I let the first draft flow. I don’t like to interrupt the initial creative process with worry over grammar or word choice, I save that for the second draft. And once you begin to put your work out there to sell it, you need to develop a thick skin. You can’t take criticism personally. If it’s constructive, and in my experience the vast majority of criticism is, then try to learn from it and move on with your work. When I first began querying agents with the fantasy trilogy I told you about earlier, I got my first rejection within half an hour of sending my email. Half a freaking hour! I got a little teary-eyed, and then picked another agent and sent it out again. 

Tell us a bit about you. Where do you live, and how long have you been writing?

I live in Maryland now, although I’m originally a New Englander. I was born and raised in Connecticut, went to the University of Massachusetts, and lived in New Hampshire for a year. I’ve been writing about ten years now. I actually had a health scare, and it made me re-evaluate my life. I realized that I always wanted to write fiction, but it kept getting pushed aside for real-life issues. At first, my husband was the only one who knew I was writing. I asked him to read the fantasy romance I was working on and to be brutally honest with me. Fortunately, he really liked it! Then I ‘fessed up to a friend, and he asked to read what I’ve been writing, and he enjoyed it too. I knew that as men they were not the traditional audience for a romance novel, but felt encouraged to keep writing. Getting published was a long road, paved with rejection letters, but in a way I’m glad for it, as I feel that it inspired me to continue to edit and improve my work.

Do you have another occupation, other than writer? If so, what is it? Does it help you with your writing?

I do. I have my MLS, and work part-time in the library at a private boys middle school. And, yes, it has helped my writing. It’s great to be surrounded by books all day, and we also have our regular ‘library guys’–students whose enthusiasm for books and reading is inspiring! Over the years, more female faculty and staff have joined our team, but when I first started we were a definite minority. Working in such a testosterone-heavy environment, has really taught me a lot about men–how they speak, and interact with one another–and I believe it’s helped to make my male characters more realistic.

If money were not an object, where would you most like to live? Why?

I would live on a beach. I’m not sure where, probably a Caribbean island. Definitely somewhere that stays warm year-round! Maybe it’s the fact that I lived in New England the first 35 years of my life, but I am so very over cold, snowy winters.  

How can readers reach you or find you online?

I have an author page on Facebook and am on Twitter…here are the links to find me online:

https://www.facebook.com/donnasimonettaauthor

https://twitter.com/donna_simonetta


Blurb for A SWEETER SPOT:

Magda knows a 28-year-old shouldn’t run away from home, but Rivers Bend is the ideal escape. Helping out her best friend will get her away from her uber-wealthy, controlling grandmother and duplicitous ex. She doesn’t expect the quirky little town to feel so much like home. Add in hotter-than-the-sun Jeff and his daughter, and leaving seems as unthinkable as it is inevitable.

Raising Sam alone, Jeff knew he wanted her to grow up in his supportive hometown. The arrival of a feisty new tenant sends Jeff's world spinning. Magda fills a void in his life that he’d like to make permanent.


Will love triumph over the most powerful woman in the country, and can they figure out how to make this happy-for-now in Rivers Bend into their happy-ever-after?

Excerpt:

“Being cheated on is no fun. It happened to me once. Up here,” he tapped his forehead. “You know it’s not your fault. But here,” he tapped his chest over his heart. “You feel like it has to be your fault – like you could’ve done something to prevent it. But you couldn’t have. It’s all on him, Maggie. Not you.”

She picked a dandelion, whose flower had turned into a puffball, and blew on it, scattering the fluff to the wind. “Maybe. Maybe not. But thanks for the support.”

She pushed to her feet and took a couple of steps toward the river. Jeff rose and followed.

How could he be so angry at a man he didn’t even know? How could this Pierce jerk have slept around on a woman like Maggie? And the prick had even made her doubt herself in the process. It was written all over her anguished face.

He stood behind her and gently kneaded her shoulders. He turned her to face him and cupped her face in his big hands.

“This Pierce guy is the biggest fool on earth to go to someone else when he had you at home, Maggie.”


She blinked away tears, and he felt his heart constrict. Before he could think it through and decide it was a really bad idea, Jeff dipped his head and captured Magda’s lips in a gentle kiss.

Buy Links: 

Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Sweeter-Spot-Rivers-Bend-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B01N1S1K06/

The Wild Rose Press:
http://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/4862-a-sweeter-spot.html

Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-sweeter-spot-donna-simonetta/1125338511?ean=2940157374921

Amazon UK:

http://amzn.eu/14pwrnP




Author Bio:

After years working in the business world, my love of reading led me to get my MLS, and I currently work part-time in a school library, a job that allows me lots of time to explore my other love - writing romance! I live in Maryland, with my husband, who is my real-life romance hero. We both enjoy traveling to visit our far-flung family and friends, and spending time on the beach with an umbrella drink and a good book.

https://www.facebook.com/donnasimonettaauthor


https://twitter.com/donna_simonetta