Friday, March 31, 2017

Friday Five...Previewing Snowcroft


Tomorrow is April 1st. To most that means April Fools Day.
For writers that means the first day of the April Camp NaNoWriMo.


I have big plans. Writing 80,000 words in a month kind of big plans. 

Yes, you read that right. 
I'm hoping to write all of Snowcroft Restoration during April.
For those of you keeping track, this is finally Law's book!

But to get ready for that, I've had to delve into the 128,000 words that is Intertwined Hearts
^^^(that's the printed out version of the rough draft...460 pages!!!)^^^


Both Law and his hero (the main characters in Snowcroft Restoration) make an appearance in that one...and yes, it very much sets up their book. 

So I thought for today's Friday Five, we'd discuss the five main characters in these two books. 

Yes, I said five...because Intertwined Hearts is a menage (m/m/f)...and it starts with a day that drastically changes the lives of all three characters in the story...May 27th.

Leigh
You all know Leigh as Jamie's younger sister (Jamie is Trevor's hero in Snowcroft Lost).

Leigh is not a girly girl. She grew up with her dad and big brother, running Vaughn Construction. Her life has been surrounded by men. As a result, she doesn't have a whole lot of traditional feminine skills. (The story of her sending the entire Vaughn Construction crew to the hospital with food poisoning is legendary around Snowcroft.)

But while she may not be feminine in the traditional sense, she does have all the necessary equipment to do something only a woman can do. She can have a baby...and that's how this story begins...with her volunteering to become a surrogate for Jamie and Trevor.

It's been years since she's had any kind of real romantic involvement and has pretty much given up on ever having kids of her own. Becoming the best aunt in the world is good enough for her. 

But of course, you know that fate is going to throw her for a loop. 

As soon as her body is not her own, she meets a man...well, actually two of them.

But that's a little more complex than it sounds.


Hudson

You've met Hudson before, too. Hudson was Jamie's friend-with-benefits in Snowcroft Lost that lived in Austin. He's a chef and gay. But a horrific attack at his restaurant after hours leaves him floundering. He can't step foot in his kitchen anymore, so sells his restaurant which had been his dream...and life goes downhill from there.

Jamie brings Hudson to Snowcroft to recover and hopefully recuperate. After his trauma he can't stand to be around men without having flashbacks, so Hudson moves in with Leigh. She's pregnant and can't cook. Hudson is a chef and needs a woman's caring touch. Jamie is hoping that with him being at Leigh's and focusing on caring for someone else that Hudson will find some mental healing.

David
The final character in this new trio is a new character in Snowcroft. David was a police officer in Albuquerque who had his police partner turn on him. He can't stomach working for the big-city police force any longer, so he applies for the newly created police chiefs position. 

David is bi-sexual and has a bit of history with Leigh...dating back to the day when his career in Albuquerque blew apart. And things progress from there...

Law
And you all know Law. He's been in every Snowcroft book. In the first one, his life imploded and he's still dealing with the fallout from that...both professionally and personally. A former FBI agent, Law has a lot of ghosts haunting him, but maybe we can get his life straightened out in Snowcroft Restoration. The guy has been through the wringer. He deserves some happiness. It just may take a bit to get him there.

???
Do you really want to know who Law's hero is?
I'll give you a hint...
I honestly think he has more angst than Law does over what happened two years ago (at the end of Snowcroft Lost).

Any ideas?
Yes, you've met him before, but have never really gotten to know him. He hasn't had much page time...although that does change in Intertwined Hearts where he has a couple of significant scenes.

I will tell you before either of these guys can truly find happiness they're going to have to face what happened out there in the woods of Snowcroft, and it's not going to be easy. This promises to be an emotional book, but those always are the best kind, aren't they?
*****

Are you getting excited yet?

I am. 

Maybe I can be convinced to share blurbs with you.

I think Intertwined Hearts has been shared, but Snowcroft Restoration hasn't been yet. 
How bad do you want to know who Law's hero is?

Have a great weekend, everyone!
smiles,
christi

Friday, March 24, 2017

Friday Five...OOPS!



Have you ever had one of those weeks? That's been me this week...dang, I'm exhausted. Every single day this week, my alarm has had to go off 2-3-4 times before it came even close to getting me up. (The week after spring break is always killer.)

Add to that, this week has been super busy (sent a book to alpha readers, sent a novella to an editor, applied final proofread edits to another book, did formatting on one book, AND am now doing a reread of the first draft of another book...and those were ALL different books...OMG!).

And today is hubby's birthday.

So in other words, I haven't had a spare moment to even think about my Friday Five list this week. Let me see if I can come up with something for you on the fly....hehe!

Who's waiting for Law's book? (Men of Snowcroft)
I wrote the blurb for it today...which means I'm about to start writing on it. OMG, I'm just as anxious as you all are about him. But you know what...I'm pretty sure his hero is more wounded than Law is...I can't wait to share their story with you. 

And I know...that was a huge tease, but just know...it's COMING!! 

My goal is to write it (estimating it at 80,000 words) for Camp NaNoWriMo in April. That's a lot of words, but I believe I can do it. I'll probably do a weekly report in on my word counts every Friday that month so you all can keep me accountable.


Writing a book set in Arizona?
That may be on the agenda soon. My oldest (who just went through Air Force basic training and is at tech school right now) just got his base assignment...Arizona. 



I'm pretty happy about this. He's a 10 hour drive from me and halfway between him and me is where my parents live (the real town that's the basis for Snowcroft). I see lots of fun trips out there in my future...and if it's done in the name of research, I have double the reason to go. 


A new favorite read...
Do you read male/male romance? If so, let me share my favorite read this week. 


This one doesn't come out until April 4th, but I highly recommend you preorder it. It was so good. And...shocker... this is a Carina Press book which is traditionally an ebook only line (with just a few exceptions.) 

For some reason this book made their exceptions list and I couldn't be more excited to be able to buy it for my keeper shelf. This is only this author's second release (her first one was really good, too) and she is now on my auto-buy list. 

My review won't be up until the release date, but I gave this one a huge five stars!!


How to party it up right when you live in a small town...
We live in West Texas in a town that has about 100,000 people. It's really a great town, but we've lived here for a while (almost 7 years) and feel like we've pretty much done it all. Last year our main source of entertainment...the bookstore...closed. So to go out and do something is kind of depressing as far as options. 

So tomorrow, to celebrate my husband's birthday, we're driving to a town 2 hours away that's slightly bigger. They have a bookstore (god bless Barnes & Noble) and good restaurants. Yes, we'll drive 4 hours round trip just for a decent bookstore. We are those people. 


Harlequin does it right...
This video cracks me up. I would have loved to have been in this bowling alley the night they filmed it. I love that publishing company...they're always doing fun things like this...plus they have some fabulous books, too!



Have a great weekend everyone! I hope you get to visit a bookstore near you, too.
smiles,
Christi

Friday, March 17, 2017

No Friday Five...but Four Sexy Men...

I'll admit it. 
My brain is in the Spring Break Zone, which means no Friday Five post for today. 
Instead I gift you with four sexy men standing in the middle of a lot of green for St. Patrick's Day. Forgive me? 
I'll be back next week...
smiles,
Christi

Sunday, March 12, 2017

Hope...

I feel like I need to put this quote into the beginning of Found At the Bookstore. The idea of hope plays such an integral part of that story.

Friday, March 10, 2017

A late Friday Five...3/10



Being an eclectic writer...

I know it feels like it's been forever since I had a release. Believe me, I get it, and I'm over here working feverishly trying to fix that. 



In the past week, I have worked on four books:
1. I finished the first draft of Found At the Bookstore.
2. I sent a secret project to the proofreader.
3. I sent Believe in the Wish to my editor.
4. I'm writing on the first draft of Shiver.

In other words, please be patient with me for a little bit longer. I have a TON coming at you. 

But with that being said, I realize my release schedule for this year is very m/m heavy...with only an m/m/f thrown into the mix. 

So, I'm trying to push through and carve out time to finish an m/f romantic suspense that I started a couple of years ago. I love the start of it...but other projects have just taken precedence...so it's never been finished. 


M/f readers, don't abandon me. I promise I have things coming for you...despite how it looks right now.


What I'm listening to...
Last week while we were in San Antonio, the new Ed Sheeran album dropped. I love it so much, but this song works for me so much. Even my 9 yo came in when it was playing and stopped everything to listen and download it. I love it!




Reality TV is back...
95% of the time, I don't watch TV. I haven't since I took up writing full time. Something in my schedule had to give...TV was it. But it's not fair to my husband to ignore him in the evenings, so I tend to be in the living room in the evenings. I just don't watch whatever's on while I work on my laptop. 



This time of the year, that all changes. We religiously watch two reality shows and they're both back. I love them so much and am so happy to have these shows back in my life (and upon typing that, I'm now feeling like maybe my life is more than a little sad...LOL!)


Lemon Zinger Tea is a gift from the germ gods...

If you're on any of my social media, you know I've been sick this week (if you aren't on my FB, be thankful...because I'm seriously whiney when I'm sick). But this week I'm so thankful for Lemon Zinger Tea. It's not a miracle cure, but when I have a cold/sore throat there is nothing better. I've lived with this in my mug this week...you know, in between all the whining.



Hallelujah...Spring Break is next week!

Nine straight days of sleeping in. 
I am so ready. 
I love my bed. 
I can't wait.


Have a great weekend, everyone! I hope you find a great read this weekend AND spend some quality time in your bed, too. 
smiles,
Christi

Friday, March 3, 2017

Friday Five...Military Edition for 3/3...


Today's Friday Five has a very special meaning for me. 
It's the military edition of the Friday Five...


Why a military edition today?

Today I'm in San Antonio at Lackland AFB for my son's graduation from Air Force Basic Training. 


Yes, there have been a few tears shed. Seriously, i love this kid so much and I'm so proud of him today. He's turned 22 since he left for basic...and I look at that photo above and see the man that he's become...a man that I am so happy to have raised.

This right here (below) is my whole heart in a single photo....


*****



The military man I loved first...
I met him his first year in the Air Force...and then spent 20 years as a military spouse. 

He's retired now, but there's still something about him when he puts on that uniform that makes my heart clench. I come by my fascination with military romance naturally that way. 

I've loved a military man and lived through the deployments and the stresses. 
But there's something about the military that just makes them special. 
It takes a special kind of hero to do what our military does day in and day out.


*****



Now, let's talk books!

Today is the release day for a new military romance. I got to read an early copy of this book and loved it. This series (this is the first book in the series) features two military heroes...Walsh is the hero of this book. 

Walsh and Damian (hero in book #3 in the series) were part of a squad who lost four members in Afghanistan when an IED blew up their MRAP. Now they work at Ghost Squad Charities...doing work in those fallen heroes' hometowns to honor their passions. 

Right now, this book is available at a special new release price of only $.99. I dare you to go try out this debut author. I think you'll like the writing.

Story Blurb:
My parents were conmen and I was their tool. I learned how to cheat, connive, and charm my way out of any circumstance. But now I’m respectable...kind of. Yeah, my life is still a lie, but that’s because I have no choice. My best friend, who’s also my boss, needs me to lie to keep our billion-dollar charity going. It’s complicated. 

But all the lies are about to end. I just have to finish one final task...taking over a brewery. Easy, right?

Not so much. Because that brewery is part of a custody battle between mother and daughter. The mother owns it. The daughter thinks it should be hers. I’m caught in the middle. Not normally a bad place to be when it comes to two feisty women.

But I’m falling for the daughter and when my lies come to light, everything is going to unravel. And then my future with the brewery and the girl will be shot to hell. 

My boss probably won’t be too happy with me either...

*****


My top 5 military romantic suspense writers:
1. Suzanne Brockmann
2. Cindy Gerard
3. M.L. Buchman
4. Julie Ann Walker
5. Abigail Roux

I've been a superfan of military romance for a long, long time. There are so many authors who do it incredibly well, but those five above are my absolute auto-buy authors. They're awesome!!
*****


Some military eye-candy...

You all have been very sweet to let me brag about my military men, I thought you earned some military eye-candy. Because let's face it...there's nothing better than a man in uniform...unless he's part way (or all the way) out of it...




Have a great weekend everyone!
My challenge to you...go find you a  military romance story to cuddle up with this weekend.
smiles,
Christi