My Sexy Saturday - Funny Snippet from "Always a Bridesmaid"

Happy Saturday! Here's 7 paragraphs from my soon to be released (Uncial Press, January 17, 2014) contemporary romantic comedy "Always a Bridesmaid". Zach and Dani are pretending to be boyfriend/girlfriend to fend off the unwanted attentions of Zach's former fiance Chantal. In this snippet which takes place in front of everyone at the breakfast table, Chantal is making it clear she wants Zach back, or at least wants him back in her bed. But Zach has other ideas:

He felt her hand on his knee. What game was Chantal playing? "Modern art's not my thing."

"I guess that's true. You always liked the works of the old masters better. All those Rubenesque women. But I really think you should give this exhibit a try. Perhaps you'll come to a new appreciation of the art form."

Her hand inched up his thigh. Sweat broke out on his forehead. "I don't think so. I have other interests."

"There's no reason you can't appreciate two art forms at the same time."

Her hand drifted to the top of his thigh. For the first time she looked at him, giving him a triumphant smile. Then her hand moved to his crotch.

He shot to his feet, his chair scraping against the wood floor and nearly tipping. Just at that moment, Dani entered the dining room with a bowl, and after setting it on the sideboard, turned to smile at him. He reached her in three strides, enveloping her tightly in his arms and covering her mouth with his before she had a chance to protest or even say good morning. He wanted to make sure Chantal understood in no uncertain terms that he was with Dani now.

For several heart beats, she held herself rigid. And then something remarkable happened. He felt her sigh against his mouth as her arms wound around his neck and she pressed herself against him. His own response was swift and totally unexpected. He held her close, running one hand over the lush curves of her bottom, her softness speaking to a primordial part of his being. The taste of berries on her tongue made him want to strip off her clothing to taste every inch of her naked skin. Though he was vaguely aware of people entering the room, he ignored them. Urgency built inside him, demanding to be released.

Hope you enjoyed my snippet. For more sexy bits, go to www.mysexysaturday.blogspot.com

My Sexy Saturday - Sweet scene from "Always a Bridesmaid"

Welcome to another Sexy Saturday at a my blog! Today I've got a sweet and sexy seven paragraph snippet from "Always a Bridesmaid", the third novel in my Left at the Altar series. "Always a Bridesmaid" will be released January 17, 2014 from Uncial Press. For information on the other books in this series, please check them out on my website.

This snippet comes from the first chapter of "Always a Bridesmaid". Zach Morrison was standing at the altar, ready to say 'I do' when his fiance's ex-husband bursts into the church and informs everyone assembled that he and the bride-to-be have been sleeping together. Zach is devastated. But Dani, who is an old friend, helps him through the worst day of his life:

Wanting nothing more than to comfort, she wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug. He held her tightly, pulling her against him and burying his face in her neck. Dani inhaled the intoxicating scent of spicy aftershave laced with underlying notes of warm, clean male. How could Chantal treat a wonderful man like Zach this way? She gently pulled away, keeping him at arm's length. "You're going to get past this, Zach."

"It doesn't feel like it right now."

"I know, but someday, when you're old and grey, you'll be sitting on the front porch with your wonderful wife of fifty years, and you'll say 'Thank Heaven Chantal cheated on me or I never would have met you.'"

He made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob. "Fifty years, eh?"

"Trust me."

Some lucky girl would snap Zach up in a minute, and if she was smart, she'd shower him with the love and consideration he deserved. Some lucky girl, but not me.

Reluctantly, she took a step back. He squeezed her fingers before letting her go. With her heart pounding in her chest, and regret nipping at her heels, she hurried from the church. Before she did something stupid, like kiss the jilted groom.

I hope you enjoyed this sneak peak. For more great sexy snippets this Saturday, please go to www.mysexysaturday.blogspot.com Have a great Saturday!

If J.K. Rowling can't do it, how am I supposed to?

Recently, it came to light that J.K. Rowling had published a crime novel called The Cuckoo's Calling under the pen name Robert Galbraith. I'm sure Ms. Rowling is pleased that her new book received critical acclaim when everyone thought it was written by an author no one had heard of; no one was influenced by her well-known name to give the book either a glowing or a bad review. However, until it was discovered that Rowling was the actual author, no more than 1,500 copies had been sold. Of course now that everyone knows who the real author is, the book has become a commercial success.

This story begs the question: if quality determines success, shouldn't every well-written book be commercially successfully?

In his article in Bloomberg News, Duncan J. Watts challenges that theory. He collaborated with colleagues Matthew Salganik and Peter Dodds several years ago at Columbia University to prove that "market success is driven less by intrinsic talent than by "cumulative advantage," a rich-get-richer process in which early, possibly even random events are amplified by social feedback and produce large differences in future outcomes."

In other words, Watts believes that if an author becomes popular with one book, that popularity will continue with subsequent books. He and his colleagues devised an experiment in which almost 30,000 participants were recruited to listen, rate and download songs by bands they had never heard of. These participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups; an independent group, which saw only the names of the bands and the songs, and a social influence group, whose participants could see how many times songs had already been downloaded by others in the group. They found that success was driven disproportionately by a few early downloads. "When people could see what other people like, the inequality of success increased, meaning popular songs became more popular and unpopular songs became less so."

Watts says that it's "clear that being good, or even excellent, isn't enough. As one of the hapless editors who turned down the Galbraith manuscript put it, "when the book came in, I thought it was perfectly good--it was certainly well-written--but it didn't stand out."

Are you depressed yet?

I think most writers are aware that readers tend to buy books from authors they already know. Many authors' new books become an auto-buy for some readers. It makes sense; if a reader has enjoyed an author's work in the past, they trust them to provide a good read in the future. Readers only have so much time and money, so they must choose well.

So how does a lesser known writer like me get on that auto-buy list?

Joanna Penn, who recently attended the Bookseller Marketing and Publicity conference, points out these statistics: "23% of buyers surveyed bought a book based on an author they had previously read, by far the largest percentage. A further 6% followed/were a fan of the author and 5% bought from an author interview/event."

For an author, this means that once we have entertained a reader, we have a better chance of having them come back to read more of our books. Keeping in touch with readers through a newsletter is important in order to touch base with them on what you're working on, on contests and new releases coming up, and to generally let them know you still exist.

She encourages authors to persist with small, cumulative marketing strategies. It usually takes a multitude of marketing efforts to sell a book. Penn quotes Simon Scott from Push Entertainment: “it’s the little things that have a cumulative effect over time...the things that go viral are just little things that go big.” Penn says "The only way to aim for that kind of success is to keep plugging away at the little things, because no one really knows what tips a book or a song or a video over the edge into virality (or we’d all be doing it!)"

So I think there's hope. I'll keep plugging away and trying to connect with readers through social media and blog tours. I'll also investigate different ways of reaching an audience. At the same time, I'll keep working on my craft. Who knows? Perhaps one day I'll be the writer on everyone's auto-buy list. I can only hope!

If you're a writer, what methods do you use to connect with readers? If you're a reader, what criteria do you use when buying a book? Do you ever buy books by writers new to you?

My Sexy Saturday - First and Again

Here's seven more sexy paragraphs from my October 7 Carina Press release, First and Again. I'm excited that First and Again is now available for pre-order at Amazon. Yay! Here's a sample:

It took only a few seconds for him to sheath himself, but it seemed ages to Bridget. She sighed in relief when he returned to her. Placing his hands under her buttocks, he lifted her. With two fingers, she guided him inside.  He filled her completely, pushing at all her boundaries. It felt almost as if he could break right through her. The thought was frightening and exhilarating. Instinct made her wrap her legs tightly around his waist.

He braced himself, pushing her against the wall. With each thrust, he seemed to go deeper inside her. She madly pushed back, their frenzied coupling building to a crescendo. A moment later he cried out his release. She followed him into the abyss, descending into a vortex of sensation where only he existed. She clung blindly to him as wave after wave of ecstasy washed over her.

Finally the spasms ended and he carried her to the bed, laying her down and collapsing next to her. He flung one arm over his eyes.

“Next time you go to the city, buy some more of that underwear. Damn fine investment.”

She chuckled. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. I’m looking to build my portfolio.”

He made a noise that sounded like something between a grunt and a laugh. “You keep building your portfolio like that and you’ll put me in an early grave. But I’d least I’d die with a smile on my face.”

“Always happy to oblige.”

I hope you enjoyed today's sexy snippet! For more fun and sexy bits, please go to http://mysexysaturday.blogspot.com

Another Sexy Saturday!

Happy Sexy Saturday! Here's another seven paragraph snippet from my next release, "First and Again". Enjoy!

Though he desperately wanted to touch her, he forced himself to wait. For all her bravado, he knew he needed to go slow, no matter how much it killed him. A part of him wanted to throw Bridget onto the bed and sink himself into her, pumping harder, faster, deeper until they both flew to pieces. But as satisfying as that might be for him, it wasn’t what he wanted for their first time together in twenty years.

He took a ragged breath. Their first time. Again. After all these years.

He contented himself by exploring her with his eyes. He estimated he could span her small waist with his two hands, and his palms itched to test his theory. From her narrow waist her hips flared, giving her generous curves for one so slender. Her legs went on forever. Long, slim and shapely, he’d dreamed about those legs wrapped around him and holding him tight. A moan escaped from his lips as he fought for control. How embarrassing would it be to come in his underwear like a randy fourteen-year-old?

Bridget stepped toward him, sliding her warm hands under his T-shirt once more. She ran her hands over his sides, her light touch scorching his skin. She caught the bottom of his shirt between her fingers and pulled it up and over his head, tossing it to the floor.

She kissed his chest. “You’re beautiful, Jack. I dreamed about you too.”

He tipped her chin to look into her face and saw that tears pooled at the corner of her eyes. He kissed each eye in turn.
  
“No tears, sweetheart. Not tonight.”

"First and Again" releases October 7, 2013 from Carina Press. For more Sexy Saturday snippets, please check out http://mysexysaturday.blogspot.com Have a wonderful day!

My Sexy Saturday!

It's My Sexy Saturday again! I've got another 7 paragraph snippet from my October 7 Carina Press release, "First and Again". Bridget and Jack are about to make love for the first time in twenty years:

She pushed her jeans down her hips, slowly, languidly. They fell to the floor, pooling at her feet. She stepped gracefully away from them, and for a moment she stared at them, her hands splayed over her abdomen as if she was trying to cover herself. At last she lifted her gaze to his, all traces of playfulness gone. Was she afraid he wouldn’t want her?  

“So what do you think?” she whispered.

He stepped forward and took her hand, kissing it tenderly. “I think that’s the sexiest bit of white cotton I’ve ever seen.”

She smiled tremulously. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

She took a step back, mischief evident once more in her eyes. Her thumbs found the elastic of her panties and teased them lower. “As much as you love these panties, I think it’s time for them to go.”

He swallowed. “I’m all for that.”

For more great sexy Saturday snippets, please go to www.mysexysaturday.blogspot.com

It's Sexy Saturday Again!

I've got seven sexy paragraphs from my soon to be released (October 7, 2013, Carina Press) contemporary romance First and Again. And since First and Again takes place in North Dakota, I thought I'd show you a prairie sunset. In this scene, Jack and Bridget are about to make love for the first time in twenty years. Jack confesses that he used to fantasize about her doing a little striptease for him, and Bridget decides to turn his fantasies into reality:

She opened the top button of her jeans and slowly slid the zipper down, her gaze never

leaving his. “Did I do this in your fantasy?”

“Yes, I believe you did.”

“What was I wearing underneath my jeans?”

He licked his lips. “Red panties. Silk.”

“Sorry to disappoint.” She ran two fingers along the inside of the waistband of her jeans. “No red silk panties. Just good old, serviceable white cotton.”

“Oh yeah?” His blood pressure spiked. His erection demanded freedom, pushing against his zipper and testing his endurance.

“Afraid so. Wanna see?”  

Check out more Sexy Saturday Snippets at http://mysexysaturday.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-sexy-summer-night-mysexysaturday.html