Archives for September 2015

Cover design:  Okay Creations

Title:  Fall Back Skyward  

Genre:  Contemporary romance

Release date: TBD

BLURB

Seven years ago, I saved her. I loved her. I still do. But they took me away from her and locked me up. For two years, all I could think about was her. She consumed me. Took up every room in my head and gave me something to focus on, knowing I would see her soon.

Four years ago, I watched her as she walked down the aisle and into the arms of a man that wasn’t me. My brother. I promised him that I’d leave town.

I did and never looked back.

Now, I’m staring at seven letters, each envelope stamped with one word in bold, red ink: URGENT.

I have no choice but to go back home. Seeing her will be the hardest thing I’ll ever have to do. But in order to reconcile with my past, I have to face my present. Even if the thought of seeing her, knowing that she is out of my reach, kills me.

I have no idea what awaits me, but I can only hope that the demons of my past will finally be buried and put to rest.

ADD TO GOODREADS

EXCERPT

He grabs the pen and notebook on the desk and scribbles something on it. Then flips it around and slides it toward me.

You’re a terrible signer.

My face heats up. I look up at him. He’s smiling now. Grinning, actually. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

He pulls the notebook back, writes on it again, before pushing it back to me.

Use your mouth and speak slowly. I love to watch you while you speak.

Holy hell!

“You do?” Those are the only words capable of leaving my mouth. My brain cells. . . gone. Poof!

He nods, his gaze still fixed on my mouth. I lick my lips. The courage that acted as fuel when I walked in a few minutes ago has vanished after his words that are now causing chaos in me.

He scrawls on the book, Something got your tongue?

“More like Cole got my tongue,” I mutter under my breath. The boy with freckles on his face sitting two feet away from us snickers.

Shit. I didn’t mean to say that out loud.

Something brushes against my knee under the table. I jolt upright as the impact of it rushes through me.

Oh God, his knee is touching mine. Maybe it was accidental?

Yeah, right. I’ve known Cole for a few days now. Nothing about his actions are accidental or innocent. They are measured. Deliberate. Precise.

He applies pressure where our bodies touch. I’m no longer Eleanor. I’m a girl who’s hanging on by a thread, waiting to burst into flames. No other part of his body has ever touched mine other than the pinkie finger. The movement stops, and air finally finds its way to my lungs. I should move my leg, put a stop to this torture. But I can’t. There’s a force that tethers my body to his. I want to find out more about it because. . .I just need to.

Period.

Time to regroup. Why was I here again?

“Why do you come to my rooftop every night?”

His gaze leaves my mouth and fixes on my eyes.

He scribbles on the notebook. Do you want me to stop?

The thought of not having Cole’s body next to mine at ten o’clock every night makes my chest twist in pain. But I need to know.

“Why do you come to my rooftop every night?”

I don’t like to watch the stars alone, he writes, and then cocks one thick brow at me.

I don’t buy that excuse. I know he comes to my roof every night for more than just watching the stars. I want him to admit it.

I lean closer. His scent slams into me and I have to fight hard not to climb over the table and wrap myself around him for eternity. The muscles on his forearm tense as he grabs the beanie with his free hand from the table. He clenches it in his fist as though holding onto the hat gives him something to keep himself from drowning in the tension surrounding us. I know this because that’s what I’m feeling right now, like I’m being pulled towards something I’ve never felt before. Something indescribable. Something phenomenal.

His Adam’s apple bobs up and down. Do I make him nervous? Or Is there something else going on behind those stormy gray eyes?

I push my chin forward, aiming to goad him further. “Why do you come to my rooftop every night?”

He stares at me for a long time, more than it’s legally allowed for a person to look at another.

He closes his eyes and exhales shakily as though he’s forcing air out of his lungs. They open slowly and he looks down at the notepad. The grip on the pencil is tight, he might snap it any minute now. He lets go of the beanie and runs his fingers down his hair before hunching down and writes quickly. Once he’s done, he slides the notebook in my direction and then leans back in his chair, staring at me.

My heart’s beating out of my chest as I drop my eyes from his and to the words written in a careless scrawl.

Can I let you in on a little secret? 😉 I’ve imagined for a while now how your mouth would feel pressed against mine. That bottom lip between my teeth. I’ve wondered if you’d sigh if I kiss you, the way you do when you look at the stars. Or the way you moan while sucking on a lemon drop. I’ve fantasized about so many things about you, but most of all, I’ve wondered what you taste like.

Holy hell! How am I even sitting down?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Autumn Grey is the author of the Havoc series. And just like her characters, she is quirky, sometimes funny and definitely flawed. She writes sexy contemporary romances full of drama, steamy kisses and happy ever afters.

Links:

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Maris Forrester has a wonderful life with an amazing boyfriend and a fulfilling job. She’s happy and content . . . or so she thinks. Maris has always had huge dreams of being on Broadway. Ever since her very first performance as a child, she has envisioned herself on the stage under the shining lights. Now she has to decide whether she should to give up her wonderful life to chase those dreams.
When her parents announce they are moving, she comes across a long-lost family treasure. She doesn’t realize that this treasure may hold the key to her future and to all her dreams coming true.
And if that wasn’t sign enough, a mysterious stranger throws another wrench in the mix at a dazzling rooftop party benefiting the Arts. These could be signs of things to come.
But will she remain content in her perfect world, or will she step into the unknown world she has always dreamed of?

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Fall In Love With Fall

By- Melissa Baldwin

What’s your favorite season? This is a difficult question for a girl living in Florida. Here in the sunshine state we don’t exactly see the changing of seasons. Technically, we only have two; these being six months of unbearable hot weather and six months of fantastic weather.

This being said this doesn’t change my excitement that Fall is around the corner. I love everything about this time of year- the looming excitement of the holidays, Halloween celebrations and pumpkin everything. Every year when September arrives my husband knows that he may arrive home one evening to a house full of Fall décor and pumpkin candles burning. The question is when is too soon to go Fall crazy? In years past I have taken this question to Facebook, and every year I’m given the go-ahead to pull out the Fall wreath.

Our family also has several Fall traditions that we enjoy. My daughter is nine years old and one of our favorite things to do this time of year is to visit a pumpkin patch. She loves running through the isles that are filled with pumpkins of all different shapes and sizes and she loves to choose her own pumpkins to decorate and carve. Another new tradition we started a few years ago is our family thankful jar. Throughout the season until November we write down the things we are thankful for and add them to the jar. We love to look at those things we added to the jar the year prior.

This wonderful season represents warmth, family, and fun and I’m look forward to another fabulous Fall!

About the author:

Melissa graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications; she has always had a love for writing. An avid journal keeper, she took her creativity to the next level by fulfilling her dream with her debut novel, An Event To Remember . . . Or Forget. Since then she has written and published two more novels, Wedding Haters and See You Soon Broadway within 14 months.

Melissa resides in Orlando, Florida, with her husband and young daughter. When she isn’t writing, this multi-tasking master organizer is busy being a mother, wife, chauffeur, PTA President, and Fitness Trainer.
When she has free time, she enjoys traveling, running, fitness, fashion, and taking a Disney Cruise every now and then.

Follow the author:

Facebook | Website  | Twitter  | Instagram | Pinterest | Literary Addicts 

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If you could change your life for less than $5 would you?

It’s true–you can stay home with your children and still earn money! Work-at-home businesses are on the rise, and Mandie Stevens has been living this life for almost ten years.

Do you need to pay for dance lessons for your kids? Do you want to pay off credit card debt? Or do you need full-time income? You can do it. Find out how to get started with this book.

Purchase on Amazon / Barnes and Noble / iBooks / Kobo

Amazon Review – This book has websites and gives help as to how to build your audience. For someone like me it has to be dumbed down enough for me to understand and I had no problem following her how to’s. Other how to books lose me, they offer so much information that after a while it all seems Chinese to me. This book was point on and she tells it to you straight, you have to put yourself out there if you want to get something out of it.

Amazon Review – It gives real life tips and advice on how you can get started including websites you can visit. This is not a get rich quick scheme, but honest to goodness ways you can start a business from the comfort of your own home. The author does not sugar coat anything by saying it’s easy and will just fall into your lap. She lets you know you have to work for it, but shows that it can be achieved. The book includes her testimony as well as that of several others who have been successfully doing this for years. This book is the real deal.

Mandie Stevens has always been accused of living in her own world so she decided to put it to paper. When she isn’t writing you can catch her lounging on the beach reading. Mandie has penned both non-fiction and urban fantasy. She has ridiculously little feet and would be happy eating seafood every day.

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Abby Donavan came to the small beach community of Crystal Cove to start over. After a painful affair broke her heart and derailed her burgeoning career, taking over management for the just-opened bed-and-breakfast was the safe choice. In this sleepy town, Abby figured she could bury her memories and forget the pain.

When the chance to have her own hotel falls into her lap, though, she can’t resist the temptation. Making the old Riverside Inn into the showplace she’s always dreamed of running offers the second chance she never expected.

Abby didn’t expect another kind of second chance to land on her doorstep at the same time. Ryland Kent wants to help her bring the Riverside back to life, and his passion for restoration is irresistible. But as much as she wants to ignore it, she can’t help seeing another spark in his eyes . . . one that offers to reignite her own flame.

Sometimes the path to a happily-ever-after is anything but smooth.

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Why Second Chances Are Sweeter

When I wrote THE POSSE, it came to me all in one piece, a complete story rather than just a character (as is my typical MO). I knew Jude, but I knew what had happened to her more fully than I knew her as a character. Jude was a widow. She’d lost her beloved Daniel, her husband of many years, a year before the story began. She was a mom of mostly-grown kids. She felt as though the bulk of her life, the really important parts, were behind her.

She was wrong.

Jude and Logan’s love story unfolded sweetly and slowly, against the backdrop of their friends and family. It was meant to be a one-shot, stand-alone contemporary romance. But of course it was not. A number of supporting characters popped up, and it became clear that they each had a story to tell. And not surprisingly, all these tales had something in common: they’re all second-chance loves.

In an age when we’ve elevated the magic of first love to an almost-transcendent status, the idea of having to fall in love all over again—after your first happily-ever-after—can be unsettling. We want to believe our first real love will last us until we both draw our last breaths, hopefully simultaneously. That’s not always the case. As a matter of fact, statistics tell us it’s not even usually the case.

And guess what? Falling in love again can be even sweeter. When we’re a little older, a little more aware of who we are as individuals and the reality of our own needs, strengths and weaknesses, love can be fuller. Deeper. And definitely sexier.

While the Crystal Cove Romances all deal with couples who are new to each other, it’s possible to find a second chance at love with your existing partner. In fact, sometimes that’s the best kind of love there is. We love in a steady, comforting base line, but we fall in love over and over again.

May we never stop falling in love.

Wedding bells will soon be ringing in the Rawley family, but gearing up for Van and Kay’s nuptials revives old insecurities for Kay’s sister-in-law Meg. When she learns that her ex-husband is asking for her from his hospital bed, Meg must confront the painful memories of her past.

Family is everything for Jeremy Rawley. Most important is the one he and Meg created together. But their beginning was tangled in memories he wishes his wife could forget for good. A call from her past brings them back to a place he thought they’d never have to be again.

Forgiveness may be the key, but the first step is finding the locked heart that needs it.

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On this anything but typical Monday morning Jenna Scali, who works part-time for a shrink, opens an email that depicts the brutal death of a young girl. On that same day the police uncover a dead coed two blocks from Jenna’s house. The e-murderer’s description creepily echos the death described in the newspapers.

When Jenna receives other emails, she takes what she knows to the police and thus begins her journey in the path of the e-murderer. Her curious nature impels her from e-messages to dead coeds to a ring of prostitutes. With the help of her quirky friends, Jenna learns that she’s more than a conduit for the killer. She’s his target. New secrets unfold, and finally her love life takes a tumble when the true killer emerges.

THE E-MURDERER is a race to find a psychotic killer before he kills again.

This new mystery series with a young female sleuth promises to keep you glued to your seat until the last page.

Buy on Amazon / Barnes and Noble / Kobo Books / MuseItUp Publishing

Excerpt  from e-Murderer

All I wanted in life was a good man and a million bucks. With my lucky penny I rubbed off a lottery ticket, hoping to reach one of those goals. I tossed the losing numbers in the trash, sipped my skinny latte, and turned on the desktop.

Halfway down my Inbox, this jumped out at me.

I stabbed her to death last night. The life flowed from her body and her flesh turned sallow. Oh, the sheer pleasure of it. It’s the first time I’ve killed anyone, BUT IT WON’T BE THE LAST.

I blinked twice and reread the message. Good grief, what a way to start the week.

“Mornin’, Jenna,” said Starr, tossing her purse on the desk adjacent to mine.

“Look at this,” I said.

Starr peered at the screen. Her large blue eyes widened as the words registered.

“What do you make of it?”

“Not much, considering where we work. Probably just a message from some

sick weirdo. What’s fi mean?” she said, referring to the return address–

anon@anon.signet.fi.

“I’ve no idea. It was probably meant for Dr. B—”

My words were cut short when another e-mail flashed on the screen.

The smell of blood really turned me on. I had no idea it would excite me like

this. Can’t wait to do it again.

Silence

Starr asked, “What are you gonna do with them?”

“Given a choice I’d flush them down the proverbial commode, but I guess I’m gonna show them to Dr. B, and then I’m gonna hit that delete button and hope to never see anything like this again.”

“Good plan. I’m sure Dr. B will know what to do.”

The author is giving away two prizes: One, a $15 Amazon or BN Gift card (their choice) and Two, a signed copy of the award-winning book, The Clock Strikes Midnight.

About the author:

Joan is an award-winning writer who has published 6 books and numerous stories. Readers compare her to the great Southern writer, Fanny Flagg. “She writes characters and a story that will stay with you.”

Her debut mystery/suspense novel, The Clock Strikes Midnight, won the silver medal for fiction/suspense in the Global eBook Awards for 2015 and is a finalist for the Royal Palm Literary Award. The e-Murderer won first place in the Malice Domestic Grants competition for new writers.

Joan has been an avid reader for as long as she can remember. She reads all kinds of books, including women’s fiction, mysteries, biography, and nonfiction. Mystery/suspense with a psychological twist is exactly the kind of book Joan loves to read.

“I write about characters who remind me of myself at times and my sister at times, but never fully so. My stories are told from a woman’s point of view with a destiny. Characters drive my writing and my reading.”

Having grown up in the South with a mother from Westchester County New York, Joan has a unique take on blending the Southern traditions with the eye of a Northerner. She spent most of her childhood in North Carolina and now resides in Athens, Georgia.

Author website: http://www.joancurtis.com | Author’s blog: http://www.joancurtis.com/blog

Facebook Author page: http://www.facebook.com/joanccurtisauthor | Twitter page: @joancurtis http://www.twitter.com/joancurtis

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