Smoke by Emily Mims #Romance #RomanticSuspense

Emily Mims will be awarding a  $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
 

If your book were made into a movie, who would you want to play your main characters?  Complete unknowns.  Established actors bring every role they ever played to your character.

How do you come up with the titles of your books?  For the Smoky Blue series, I’m using single words that describe various aspects of the Smoky Mountains.

What does your writing space look like? A computer desk tucked into the corner of my bedroom.  At the lake house, it’s a computer desk looking out on the water.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not writing? Making music.  I play piano, organ, dulcimer and ukulele.

What is your favourite colour?  Fuchsia.  The brighter the better.

What is your favourite pleasure food? Chili rellenos stuffed with cheese

What is your favourite season? Christmas.  I live in south Texas and we don’t do much in the way of seasons.

What is your favourite television show?  Fixer Upper, maybe?  I watch very little television.

What is your favourite movie? Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Who is your favourite actor?  Charlton Heston

What is your favourite song? ‘Over the Rainbow’ by Bruddah Iz

What is your favourite comfort clothing attire? Aloha shirt and Bermuda shorts

What books might we find on your bedside table?  What is this book of which you speak?  You will find my I pad with a Kindle app loaded with the latest romances.

Describe yourself in three words.  Smart, funny, and hopefully very kind.

BLURB

A concert violinist and musical prodigy, Francesca Giordano is internationally acclaimed and always in the spotlight—right where she doesn’t want to be. Not after she’s witnessed a murder. Suddenly on the run, she finds her way to Bristol, Tennessee, and to the music club Acoustics. There, as “ Chessie Hope,” she can hide out in the open. But with this newest gig comes a different kind of danger. Older and impossibly sexy, bluegrass singer Cooper Barstow is everything she’s ever wanted in a man, and his daughters are just as easy to love. Yet Francesca cannot enjoy the luxury of such a relationship, not even if he could protect her from the men on her trail or if she could be honest with him about who she is. Cooper is as wounded as he is strong, and he needs someone who will stay by his side for the rest of his life. Just as Francesca does. And the smoke on the mountains and the haze of desire almost make her believe that could happen.

EXCERPT

“No, it was more than that.  You’re wise for your tender years, Chessie.  How did you get to be so smart?”

“I’m not all that smart.  You’d eventually have figured it all out.”

They stared into one another’s eyes for a moment.  “I was jealous.”  Cooper was abrupt.  “Of Jeremy.  When he came on to you.”

Chessie cupped his face between her hands.  “Cooper, why?”

Cooper put his good hand on Chessie’s shoulder.  “He’s young and he’s cute and he has both his arms.”

“If I were into boys, I might have been impressed.  But I’m not into boys, Cooper.  I’m into men.  One man, in particular.  And you know what?  I’m going to kiss that man, right now.”

Cooper stood, not moving, as Chessie went up on her tiptoes and placed her lips against his.  She held his face in her hands and nibbled, touching and seeking in the gentlest of caresses before deepening their embrace.  At first Cooper let her take the lead, but as hiss torment became unbearable he crushed her to him, her soft curves fitting just right into his hard, muscled body like a cool drink of water in the parched Arizona desert.  She wrapped her arms around his body and held him even closer.  Her nipples stiffened with desire and poked into his chest.  Cooper was overcome with longing.  He wanted this woman so badly he could taste it.

AUTHOR Bio and Links

Author of thirty romance novels, Emily Mims combined her writing career with a career in public education until leaving the classroom to write full time.  The mother of two sons and grandmother of six, she and her husband Charles live in central Texas but frequently visit grandchildren in eastern Tennessee and Georgia.  She plays the piano, organ, dulcimer, and ukulele and belongs to two performing bands.  She says, “I love to write romances because I believe in them.  Romance happened to me and it can happen to any woman-if she’ll just let it.”

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A Mother’s Love by Charlotte Hubbard #Inspirational #Romance #Amish

Charlotte will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

BLURB

It’s been a year of tragic loss and difficult decisions for widow Rose Raber. She thought providing for her young daughter was the greatest challenge she faced. Until her dying mother revealed Rose was adopted—and her birth mother is someone with much to lose if the secret comes out. As Rose struggles to reconcile the truth with her faith—and her troubling curiosity—outgoing newcomer Matthias Wagler is another surprise she didn’t expect. His optimism and easy understanding inspire her. And his prospective partnership with wealthy deacon Saul Hartzler promises a possible new life for them—together. But with this second chance comes yet another revelation for all involved.

When Saul’s wife unexpectedly turns up at Rose’s new job, their bond as mother and daughter is instant and unmistakable. It isn’t long before an unforgiving Saul discovers the truth, threatening Matthias’s livelihood and Rose’s future. Now with more than just their happiness at stake, Rose and Matthias must find the strength and courage to stand strong—and trust God’s enduring miracles of motherhood, forgiveness, and love.

EXCERPT

Pausing at the door of the downstairs bedroom, where Mamma was staying now because she could no longer climb the stairs, Rose nipped her lip. Mamma’s face and arms were so withered and pale. It was a blessing that her pain relievers kept her fairly comfortable. When Mamma realized Rose had returned, she beckoned with her hand. “Let’s talk about this before I lose my nerve,” she murmured. “There’s a stationery box . . . in my bottom dresser drawer. The letters inside it . . . will explain everything.”

           

Rose’s pulse lurched. In all her life, she’d never known Mamma to keep secrets—but the shadows beneath Mamma’s eyes and the fading of her voice warned Rose that this was no time to demand an explanation. Rose sat down in the chair beside the bed again, leaning closer to catch Mamma’s every faint word.

           

“I hope you’ll understand . . . what I’ve done,” Mamma murmured. “I probably should have told you long ago, but . . . there just never seemed to be a right time—and I made promises—and your dat believed we should let sleeping dogs lie.”

           

Rose’s heart was beating so hard she wondered if Mamma could hear it. “Mamma, what do you mean? What are you trying to—”

           

Mamma suddenly gripped Rose’s hands and struggled, as though she wanted to sit up but couldn’t. “Do not look for her, Rose. I—I promised her you wouldn’t.”

           

Rose swallowed hard. Her mother appeared to be sinking in on herself now, drifting in and out of rational thought. “Who, Mamma?” Rose whispered urgently. “Who are you talking about?”

Mamma focused on Rose for one last, lingering moment and then her body went limp. “I’m so tired,” she rasped. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

Rose bowed her head, praying that they would indeed have another day together. She tucked the sheet and light quilt around Mamma’s frail shoulders. It was all she could do. “Gut night, Mamma,” she murmured. “I love you.”

She listened for a reply, but Mamma was already asleep.

AUTHOR Bio and Links

Many moons ago—like, in 1983 while she was still a school librarian—Charlotte Hubbard sold her first story to True Story. This launched her into writing around seventy of those “true confessions” stories over the years, and she’s been a slave to her overactive imagination ever since. Over the course of her writing career, she has sold nearly 50 books—most recently, Amish romance series she’s written as Charlotte Hubbard or Naomi King.

Charlotte lived in Missouri for most of her life, so her Amish stories are set in imaginary Missouri towns. These days she lives in St. Paul, MN with her husband of 40+ years and their Border collie, Vera.

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Waiting for a Girl Like You by Gina Conkle #Contemporary #Romance

Gina Conkle will be awarding an Amazon Kindle Fire 7” to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

How do you come up with the titles of your books? Half my books have been titled by my editors. I missed out on the natural title gene, but I’m getting better! I looked to music for inspiration with Waiting for a Girl Like You. The novellas inside got some help from my husband. He really liked Proper Care and Feeding of a Broken Heart (the first novella).

What does your writing space look like?

I go from neat-freak organized to random chaos. I use big chart paper to map a series but have limited wall space. I have two Viking romance series going here in one picture. I also track word count on multiple projects (my messy system by the light switch…I color in an excel spreadsheet cell for every 1000 words on a WIP).

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not writing? I like to experiment with cooking when I don’t have to do the dishes. I also enjoy movies, light gardening, light exercise, and hanging out with family and friends.

What is your favourite color? Teal green

What is your favourite pleasure food? Mexican food is my downfall.

What is your favourite season? The stretch of holidays from Thanksgiving to New Years

What is your favourite television show? I love History Channel’s Vikings.

What is your favourite movie? Gladiator

Who is your favourite actor? I don’t have one. I admire Brandi Chastain, Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Chris Pratt, Tom Hardy, Tom Hanks…

What is your favourite song? Don’t have one. My music quirk is I love ‘70s songs.

What is your favourite comfort clothing attire? I like my jammy days.

What books might we find on your bedside table? Right now for fiction I’m reading Wolf and the Dove by Kathleen Woodiwiss and for non-fiction I’m reading Deep Work by Cal Newton.

Describe yourself in three words.  Reserved. Creative. Determined.

BLURB

(Two stories in one Book)

Proper Care and Feeding of a Broken Heart

Bookstore clerk Abbie is off-the-charts nervous her first night moonlighting in a sex-for-hire job. If she only kept her mouth shut…but nothing goes as expected, including the intense blue-eyed surfer who walks through her door. Mark wants to work out a few kinks —and leave the lifestyle for good. Past mistakes still haunt him, but sweet Abbie turns Mark’s plans upside down, and two broken hearts discover honesty is the hottest aphrodisiac.

Anything But Safe

Former trophy wife Jennifer wants to thrive again, but when her new life hits a speedbump, her unlikely hero is rough working man AJ. The woman he rescued is out of his league, but the two together are magic. Jennifer smooths his hard edges, and when she’s with AJ, her true, quirky colors show. A surprise threatens to derail the two who quickly learn…love is anything but safe.

EXCERPT

Waiting for a Girl Like You

“I don’t know what Mrs. Smith told you but when she said ‘fresh face’ that was code for I don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve never done this before. Any of it. Not sex for hire. And certainly not BDSM. Much as I want to bolt, I need the money. So can we get this over with?”

           

Another dry chuckle. “You know how to get a man going.”

I glared at him through my bangs and hugged myself tighter. Music pulsed from the room next door, but I couldn’t say what the song was. Did they need a sound track to get going? The frazzled side of me surrendered to how little I knew about sex. Despite standing bravely, I was small and adrift on an unknown sea.

Surfer Man stepped within touching distance, his blue eyes on the verge of grey, lit with a strange mixture of hard shell and tender patience. A faint line traced the left side of his mouth like contempt came easy.

           

“First rule,” he said evenly. “You only talk when spoken to.”

“Then what am I supposed to call you?”

The question startled us both. I was throwing out the no names rule and for good reason. Something dawned on me. With the closed door, it was just the two of us. This square room was my island. Control could go either way. Surfer Man’s mouth opened, but an adrenaline rush took over and my hip cocked sideways. In the world of fight or flight, my body tensed with its version of fight.

“Oh, let me guess. You’re going to say Call me master or some crap like that. I work at a bookstore. I’ve read those please spank me Mr. Billionaire books.”

I liked a few of them. Reading the books was one thing. Living them was another.

           

One side of his mouth curved up. “Maybe you should tell me how you really feel.”

I exhaled slowly, blowing bangs off my forehead. No sense in telling him what I really thought. Talk about a mood killer. No man wanted to hear me say this place is for losers who can’t find a girl. Yet, this guy was no loser.

“Real billionaires don’t look like you do in those jeans of yours.”

He chuckled, his blue eyes flaring wider. “I’m no billionaire.”

Oh, but you are one hot man. Thankfully my filter worked and I kept that to myself.

AUTHOR Bio and Links

Gina Conkle writes Viking and Georgian Romance with a new dip into hot Contemporary Romance. She grew up in southern California and despite all that sunshine, Gina loves books over beaches and stone castles over sand castles. Now she lives in Michigan with her favorite alpha male, Brian, and their two sons where she’s known to occasionally garden and cook.

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The book will be on sale for $0.99.

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