OFF THE CLOCK Won a RITA for Best Erotic Romance of the Year!

I know it's been a little while since I've blogged, but I've just returned from a week in Florida at the Romance Writers of America conference. I had the best time and...I won a RITA! I'm thrilled and flattered and all the happy words to announce that OFF THE CLOCK won for Best Erotic Romance of the Year! 

Me, RITA, and my writer buddies Genivieve Lynne and Dawn Alexander.

This year I managed not to ugly cry on stage...but just barely. You can watch all of the awards on the replay video (my award is at the one hour and 22 minute mark if you're interested. But I look WAY more calm than I felt, lol.) Also, you may have to fast forward a little to get the video started.

And if you'd like to see ALL the winners in all the categories, check out the list here and go add to your TBR pile! : )

Thanks to RWA and the judges and congrats to all the winners!

COVER REVEAL for The Ones Who Got Away!

Heroes and Heartbreakers is revealing the cover for The Ones Who Got Away, book one in my brand new contemporary romance series coming from Sourcebooks! They're also giving you an exclusive sneak peek at the FIRST THREE CHAPTERS! Go! Now! Do it!

Click on over to see the cover and let me know what you think! :D

And if you like to plan ahead, feel free to pre-order the book. I won't stop you. ;) 

Have a great weekend!

I'm a Double RITA Award Finalist!!!

Just popping in to share my good news. Today is the day romance writers wait by their phones with bated breath, hoping to get a call from the Romance Writers of America (RWA) because today is RITA call day. The RITA is the romance community's equivalent to an Oscar.

I was lucky enough to win one last year for NICE GIRLS DON'T RIDE and this year, I've had two books final!!!! I'm super excited. This never, ever gets old. I'm over the moon.

Off the Clock is a finalist for the Best Erotic Romance of 2016

and 

Wanderlust is a finalist for the Best Mid-Length Contemporary Romance of 2016

I'm so beyond thrilled. And the Wanderlust nomination is extra special to me because Wanderlust is the first romance I ever wrote. I wrote it before I had an agent or book deal, before I wrote Crash Into You (my debut novel) and it lived "under my bed" for years. When I revamped it and Berkley decided to put it out last year, I was so happy to finally see my first book baby out there. I never expected it to get a RITA nomination on top of that. :)

The awards will be given out in July at the RWA national conference so I'll keep you posted. But for now, go check all the finalists. If you're looking to add new books to your TBR pile, this is a great place to start. RITA finalists are judged by other romance writers and we're a picky bunch, so this is a good list to find your new favorite read. I know I'll be buying a bunch of these. :)

Happy reading!

My Favorite Bookish Podcasts (AKA My Happy Listening Place)

Reading has always been my go-to stress reliever. When I want to escape from the noise and stress of the world, I can curl up and lose myself in a great book. Stories are magical that way, and that will always be my first respite when I need some quiet space.

However, there are times and places where reading isn't convenient, like when I'm driving or doing dishes or walking to pick up my son. Yes, I could listen to audiobooks, but I've never gotten into listening to a book. It's just not something my brain processes well. Maybe that will change one day, but for now, audiobooks aren't my jam. However, over the last year, I've discovered the perfect alternative for me for those times and places I can't read: podcasts ABOUT reading. :)

I blogged a while back about how I'd recently discovered the joy of podcasts and listed some of my favorites. But at the time of that post, I hadn't yet discovered the full world of podcasts about books. Now I'm totally and completely hooked.

Somehow, listening to people talk about and recommend books is wildly soothing--even when they may be talking about a book I'm not interested in reading. And in many cases, books I would've never thought about picking up suddenly become my next must have. (So fair warning: book podcasts can be a hit to your wallet because you're going to want to buy ALL THE BOOKS. But it's so worth it.)

Now, there are many different types of podcasts about books. Ones that discuss a book at length. Others that focus on author interviews. But my particular favorites are ones that recommend books to specific readers because a) I love hearing what readers are seeking in their reading life and b) I love the idea of tailored book recommendations. It's like going into a great local bookstore and having someone in the know personally shop with you for the books that fit exactly what you're seeking. How great is that?

And because the focus is totally on books, you can kind of escape from everything else while you're listening. There are no news breaks to distract you, no arguing, no stress. It's just this happy little place where you can listen to people describe books and get excited about them. It's the best. And did I mention podcasts are free? Bonus. :)

So, I thought I'd pass along my very favorites if you think you could use your own happy nerdy listening place.

My Top 3 Bookish Podcasts

 

What Should I Read Next with Anne Bogel of Modern Mrs. Darcy 

This one is my absolute favorite of all. I've listened to every episode in the backlist and look forward to new episodes every Tuesday. For each episode, Anne hosts a reader guest and has them list three books they loved and one book they hated and then asks the guest what they're looking to change in their reading life. Based on all that, Anne then recommends three books for them. 

I love this one so much because it just feels cozy and warm to listen to. Anne is a welcoming host with a soothing voice and her love of books comes through. I can also listen to this one with my kiddo in the room without worry, so that's nice. And though this podcast focuses on mainstream fiction, literary fiction, and non-fiction for the most part (in other words, no romance recommendations), I have gotten SO many great recommendations from this podcast. In fact, I found my favorite read of the year so far, One True Loves, from one of the episodes. And inevitably, you'll also find yourself thinking about how you'd answer the "three books you love and one book you hate" question if you were a guest. Highly recommended.

Get Booked by Book Riot

Get Booked is hosted by Amanda and Jenn over at Book Riot and has a really energetic, fun vibe to it. This is also a show where the hosts recommend books to specific reader requests, but instead of having the reader on the show, readers write in and their questions are read on air. And though this seems similar in style to What Should I Read Next in concept, it's completely different and pairs nicely with the podcast above because they recommend books in a much wider variety of genres. So you'll get your romance, YA, sci-fi, graphic novels, non-fiction along with some mainstream and lit fic. I often hear recs on this show of books I've never, ever heard of, which is a plus. Plus, the titles of their episodes (Intergalactic Trailer Park, Sunburn Up Your Nose, It Sucks to Be a Princess) are the BEST.

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books with Sarah Wendell

This show is more of an interview style show with authors, readers, and bloggers. However, it is all about the romance genre, so you know it has a special place in my heart. Romance novels are often left out of book discussions and I love that this podcast (and the website from which is came: Smart Bitches, Trashy Books) gives romance a place in the bookish spotlight. Smart ladies talking about sexy books is always a win.

So, those are my top three favorites. If you give them a try, let me know what you think!

New to podcasts?

If you're new to podcasting, do not fret, your next addiction is easy to access. :) 

If you have an iPhone, you have the Podcasts app already. Just search for these podcasts from within the app and subscribe. You'll be able to access old episodes and it will alert you when new episodes are available. Then just hit play and listen. (You can also download episodes to listen to when you're offline, which I took advantage of on the flights I took this week.)

There are also many apps you can use. I prefer the Overcast app because it has a few more features than the native Apple one, but there are many to choose from. For a detailed guide on how to listen to podcasts from all different kinds of devices and some of the apps available, check out this post at Digital Trends.

That's all I've got for your today. Do you listen to any bookish podcasts?

Friday Reads: Texas Destiny by Lorraine Heath

This Friday I have a bit of a throwback book for you. I've mentioned before that I didn't grow up reading romance, so I'm playing catch up with some of the oldies but goodies. And one thing I couldn't ever remember reading was a historical western romance. So I decided to give one a try, and I'm so glad I did.

I'm not sure what originally made me download Texas Destiny by Lorraine Heath. I believe someone recommended it to me but my memory fails me. But I saw it when I was skimming through my Kindle titles, seeing what I was in the mood for, and I thought, "Oh, well, I'll read a few pages and see if it captures me." You know how this goes, I didn't stop and finished the book in about two days, lol.

So this one has a mail-order bride set-up in the American West. The brother of the man the heroine's supposed to marry picks her up and is supposed to bring her on the month-long journey to the ranch. Well...guess how that works out? ;)

I really liked the hero in this one. Houston Leigh was injured, half of his face disfigured in the war, and he's a guy who would just rather keep to himself. And though he does some brooding, he's gentler than your normal brooders. Tough on the outside (he's a real deal cowboy after all) but he's more beta hero on the inside. Sweet and kind. And tortured. Because what good is a hero if he's not a tortured one? ;) (Oh, how I love my tortured heroes.)

The heroine, Amelia, also holds her own. She's tough, kind, and good-natured. You root for her.

What was particularly interesting about this book for me is that it *felt* kind of steamy but there really wasn't much sex on the page. Usually, I like my romances burning hot, but this felt like the right amount and tone for this story. And there's a scene with a tent and a latern that totally made me smile.

Be warned that the Kindle version of this did have a few formatting issues, at least on my Kindle. There weren't always breaks between dialogue so I'd stumble on figuring out who was speaking. And there were some paragraph breaks missing. But it wasn't enough to distract too much. I think that's just the nature of the beast when pre-ebook stories are converted into electronic form. 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have bought the next one in the series because the two brothers in the story are really strong side characters, especially the youngest, who will get his story in the third book.

About the book:

She was his brother's wife...

Arriving on the Fort Worth train, Miss Amelia Carson, mail-order bride, had never met Dallas Leigh, the Texan she promised to marry. The tall cowboy at the station wasn't Dallas. He was Houston, Dallas's brother, sent to escort her on the rugged three-week trek to the ranch where Dallas waited. Brought up in war-ravaged Georgia, Amelia thought Dallas's letters made Texas sound like heaven, a place for her dreams to grow with the right man beside her.

And his only love...

By all appearances, Houston Leigh would hardly be considered the "right man." The war he survived had scarred him inside and out, and he was little competition for his handsome brother. But from the moment Houston met Amelia, he knew she possessed the courage this wild land needed. She had eyes that could see past his wounded face to his soul. And he would fight any man—except his brother—for her heart. Now he and Amelia were riding down dangerous trails, sleeping under the stars, and God help them, they were falling in love. 

Find the book: Amazon | B&N | Goodreads

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Book of the Month Club

It's that time of the month again--the Book of the Month club picks come out! I have to say I get excited each month to see what's chosen. This month I had a hard time deciding so I ordered three of the five. 

I chose Behind Her Eyes because it's supposed to have some crazy shocking ending. I chose Perfect Little World because it sounded like a fascinating premise that will play to my psychology nerd background. And last I picked The Possessions because it sounded really unique and interesting with a heroine who is a medium and falls for the guy who's dead wife she's channeling. Who doesn't want to know how that's going to turn out?

If you want to sign up for your own trial membership, check it out here. (That is an affiliate link which will earn me free books, but I'm a paying member and they haven't asked me to post about it. I genuinely just enjoy the service.)

That's all I've got for you this Friday. If you missed it earlier in the week, the theme word for February's Read & Watch Challenge was featured along with a ton of recommendations for books, TV shows, and movies. Be sure to check it out. :)

Hope you have a relaxing weekend!