Merry Christmas!

Just a quickie, to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year. I hope your Christmas day is full to the brim with delicious food, loving family and friends and awful, yet highly addictive Christmas TV shows. I hope you pull lots of crackers, pop plenty of champagne corks and wear your Christmas party hat with full on joy! Enjoy your turkeys, roast potatoes and selection of precisely prepared veggies including the vile but insistently traditional Brussel Sprout! 

May 2013 be YOUR year and bring you and your families health, wealth and plenty of happiness. Lets all be extremely thankful for what we have in lives right at this moment in time...friends, loved ones, our health, a roof over our heads, food in our bellies ... it all seems so prominent at this time of year and even more so right now considering the tragic things that have occurred in the world recently. 

Now, I'm off to bed in hope that the big man himself will stop by our mad house and deliver a gift or two....seeing as we have been good boys and girls this year .... well, for most of the year! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

'Til next time

Sam :-)

X

And the winner of the Tree Change comp is...

Carmen Falcone!

Well done, Carmen! And thanks to those of you who participated and commented. (I used an online random picker tool as you can see by the photo!) 

Now, I understand that you are already a proud owner of Tree Change, Carmen, so therefore, we are going to have a little spin on a traditional 'giveaway'.

We thought perhaps as it is the festive season and sharing and giving are some of the fundamentals of Christmas time, YOU would like to do a bit of sharing yourself.

You can obviously keep the copy of Tree Change for yourself (if you want a second copy, hehe!) OR you can spread some Christmas joy and 'give' it to a special someone as a festive treat. 

Just pop on over to see Téa or drop her an email:teacooperauthor@gmail.com and she'll sort you out :-)

MERRY CHRISTMAS, One and All :-)

'Til next time

Sam :-)
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Guest blog...Please Welcome Tressa Messenger

Please show a warm and festive welcome to Tressa Messenger, who is here today to talk about her latest paranormal romance release,  Protect Us.

So, Tressa, take it away. Tell us a bit more about yourself...

Thanks for having me here today, Sam. I am a small town girl with big dreams. I grew up in a small coastal community called Pamlico County in the town of Reelsboro, North Carolina. Growing up in such a rural area there wasn't much to do, so I developed a wide fantasy finding solace in writing poetry and songs. After leaving high school I left my little secure coastal town to discover other parts of the country using life as my teacher. It was a sad and lonely time, but also a fun and exciting time in my life. I had too many emotions to process so I started to put it all down on paper. That became the start of my first novel, which I have yet to finish. 

A few years later I wrote my first complete novel entitled Protector. This novel was a dream come true, although I found out during the process, at 31 years old, I am dyslexic. Reading was always a struggle throughout my life and finding out why has really made a difference in me and my writing. Writing was such a wonderful and daunting process, but I have succeeded in doing something I never thought I would do. I have 4 novels published, Protect, Protect Me, Protect Us and Too Close To Home, with many more on the way. Writing is such a passion of mine and I hope my readers feel the love I put into my work.You can also find me on Smashwords Twitter: @tressamessenger and Facebook: Tressa Messenger.

And about your book, Protect Us...

Anna-Marie and Alessandro work hard to provide a stable life for their only child, Gemma. The child that was bestowed to them by their goddess Ameretat for reasons still unknown. Like Alessandro’s mother did to him, Anna-Marie works diligently to protect her special daughter and lead her away from following in her father’s footsteps in becoming a Protector. 

Weeks before Gemma’s eighteenth birthday Gemma has a magical night with a boy, Ford Chase, who just may have been “the one”. They laughed and danced and kissed under the moon light. That is before he was forcefully taken away from her by a Rogue. Gemma desperately chases after them, but to no avail. Heartbroken and angry Gemma vows right then and there, despite her parents pleading, she will join the Protector order on her eighteenth birthday and avenge Ford’s death. No one could foresee the events that would ensue thereafter and little by little the gifts that Ameretat blessed Gemma with become apparent and are far more than anyone could ever imagine.

Heres an excerpt from Chapter One

She watches him from behind as she crouches down, hidden behind a pile of cut wood, as he circles the beast with slow graceful strides, a shiny blade gripped in his right hand. His eyes are as black as the darkening night that surrounds them.
Hunched in an animalistic pose, the beast glares at him through slanted hateful yellow eyes, waiting for the man to strike. The man smiles a defiant smile at the beast then runs towards him with non-human like speed. But instead of striking, the man jumps into the air over the beast’s seven foot tall stature, taking the beast completely by surprise. Before the beast has a chance to turn around to face the man, the shiny blade slices through the beast’s neck like a hot knife through butter. The beast stares at him blankly for a split second, stunned that the man got the drop on him. And to think he thought he was invincible! The beast soon drops to the ground in a bloody heap. A dark mass pools around him, his eyes still open staring at nothing.
Frozen in place, the girl continues to watch with wide eyes, unable to stop staring at the dead beast covered in his own retched, diseased blood and the dark man breathing heavily over him. Surprisingly, she isn’t afraid but rather curious. She shifts her body, causing the loose gravel to crunch under her feet. She freezes at the sound and slowly turns her head towards the man to see if he heard it, too, knowing all too well that he did. The breath catches in her throat when she sees that he’s nowhere to be seen. She looks around wildly for the man, but finds no one. Feeling terrified and alone, she turns again to leave the way she came, staying close to the ground but instead comes face to face with the man, well his knees anyway. She looks up the length of his body, his black-as-night eyes changing to a softer shade of brown as he glares at her. Speechless, the girl falls back onto the ground in complete surprise and stares up at him with eyes as wide as the moon above.
“Damn it, Gemma! What the hell are you doing out here?”

Protect Us (Kindle version) can be purchased from Amazon . com and Amazon. co. uk

And Paperback from Amazon. co. uk and Amazon. com

First book, Protector and Second book, Protect Me, can also be found on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com in Paperback and Kindle versions. 

Here's a chance to win some goodies (giftcards, books, etc)...Just enter the rafflecopter through the various options to earn extra opportunities of winning! 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/12f33a0/

Wishing you the biggest success with Protect Us and the rest of your line, Tressa. It's been a pleasure to have you stop by today. Everyone, keep your eyes peeled as Tressa is currently in the midst of a blog tour ending on the 5th January 2013! 

GOODLUCK!

'Til next time! 

Sam :-)
X

Tree Change update...

Hi guys,

Just a quick update with regards to the Tree Change competition....Thank you all for the great comments you have left so far by the way! 

I do believe all of you that have commented are already proud owners of a copy of Tree Change, therefore, we are going to extend the comp just for another 4 days and see if we can drum up a few more views/comments from those who haven't purchased a copy. Just pop over to my earlier blog post with Tea here and comment to be in to win! 

So, please feel free to spread the word of Tree Change through the power of your social networking accounts and lets show Tea how welcoming us UK folk (and all of my other global friends out there!) can be! 

:-)

'Til next time!

Sam :-) 
X

Today, we're on the beach with Téa Cooper

I'm really excited to have the talented Téa Cooper here at my somewhat chilly, (-2 degrees at the moment) UK blogspot!

Hi Téa! Great to have you here today. Huge congratulations on your latest book, Tree Change. Now I don’t want to get myself a reputation for making all of my guests tipsy on alcoholic beverages, but can I offer you a small virtual tipple or two? It is the festive season and all.

Thank you – I wouldn’t say no to a glass of champagne especially as it’s so hot in Australia this summer!

Let's start off with an introduction to your book...
Why not – it makes a change…Tree Change?

Forced to choose between the world she wants and the man she loves, Cassia opts for fame and fortune. But it's not enough—one taste and she's hooked again…

Despite her success in the Sydney art world Cassia yearns for the idyllic life she once lead with Jake in their shack over looking the Pacific Ocean. Seeking closure she falls, like a recovering addict, straight back into his arms, and out again equally quickly. Not only has he his taken up with his brother's wife but it seems they have a child.

Truth is Jake is living a lie, sworn to secrecy and hamstrung by a promise. Cassia’s fey, artistic character and magical body possess his imagination and his heart. Can he convince her to trust him long enough to save the crumbling remains of their relationship?

Enjoy that teaser? Stay tuned as there will be a chance to win an electronic copy of Tree Change.

I love to learn a bit more about the author when I do an interview, so can you tell us a little about yourself, if you’d be so kind.

Where to start…born in UK, lived and worked in India, travelled South East Asia and ended up in Australia and never went ‘home’. The sunshine and high Australian sky sucked me in. I always wanted to write fiction – I’ve been a journalist, editorial assistant, teacher, alpaca and protea farmer and finally I’m doing what I always wanted to do. 


How did the first ideas for Tree Change come about and how long did it take to write the first draft?

The beach where Cassia and Jake lived is one of my favourite beaches. It’s called Pearl Beach, on the NSW Central Coast. I wrote the opening chapters there and submitted them to New Voices 2011. I hadn’t finished the story and had no idea where it would go but Cassia and Jake took over and Breathless Press offered me a contract in June 2012.


Cassia, your heroine and Jake, your hero…can you tell us a little more about them?


Cassia and Jake are a match made in heaven before the beginning of the story but circumstances get in their way. Cassia is a successful artist – sculptor, and Jake is an environmentalist, a greenie. Cassia has to move to the city to make a name for herself and she doesn’t expect Jake to take off with his brother’s wife, Madeleine and father her child….


I adore your cover art. Did you have much say with it?


I had to describe the characters but the wonderfully talented Victoria Miller at Breathless Press is responsible for the artwork. I am in awe of her ability to read my mind – the couple are Cassia and Jake before, after and always.


Did you decide on the title, Tree Change or did you have some input from elsewhere?

It was originally called The Shack – the name of Cassia and Jake’s beach house but somewhere along the line it became Tree Change. Something to do with the panster thing I think.

What’s the meaning behind the title?


Tree Change - it’s an Australian expression and is explained in the story. Sea Change is when you toss in your city life and move to the beach and Tree Change when you toss in your city life and move to the bush (countryside) Cassia and Jake did it a bit differently but you’ll have to read the book to find out!!


What’s your favourite and least favourite thing about being a writer?


Favourite is meeting the characters and having their story spring to life. Least favourite would have to be the business side. I’m a garret kind of person – I’d rather just write the stories not deal with the real world!


Are you a plotter or pantser?


I started out a panster and have become more of a plotter as time has gone on but my characters tend to take over and change the ending.

I plotted everything into oblivion for NaNoWriMo and Entangled Smackdown in November and still Matilda took over – she didn’t tell me the whole story until nearly the end! (Matilda’s Madness is the sequel to Lily’s Leap. They are both Australian historical romances. Lily’s Leap will be released in May 2013.)


Print or E-reader?


Print really I have hundreds of books, in fact I’ve just turned the garage into a library but the convenience of an e-reader….

I like to throw a random question out there once in a while....If you could have a BBQ on Pearl Beach with three guests (absolutely anyone - alive/deceased/human/you name it!) who would they be? 

My grandfather, Poppy (the dog) and my best friend, Caro.

Lastly, what is the best piece of ‘writing’ advice that has been given to you…

Start the story where your character’s life changes – a rather bad paraphrase from Liz Fielding’s Little Book of Writing Romance.

***

Excerpt

She dismissed his words with a wave of her hand, but her eyes betrayed her. He knew her too well. The burn of hurt behind their velvety depths had nothing to do with the here and now, but everything to do with the past. His fault? Lyle's fault? No one's fault? Just circumstance.

"I need answers, and I need them now. I can't go on like this. Either we are together or we are not. You have to make a choice: Madeleine or me. I can't be a convenience you can pick up and put down as the mood takes you."

"My feelings for you, Cass, are a million things but convenience isn't one of them." He shook his head in sorrowful disbelief. How could she not recognize the bond they had?

"Madeleine?" Her raised eyebrows challenged him.

"Right now I can't explain what happened with Madeleine, but her safety is paramount."

Her body shuddered as if she was trying to lift a great weight. What was he doing to her? Madeleine, Madeleine, always Madeleine. "I can't do this again, Jake. I need to go home." Jake slipped her cardigan over her frail shoulders and then stepped back to allow her to lead the way past the bar and up the narrow stairs to street level.

He unlocked the car door and held it open. Her skirt caught on the ribbons of her espadrille and, as he leaned down to untangle them, she flinched. Closing her door with exaggerated care he walked around to the driver's door and let himself in. He clicked his seat belt into its clasp before he twisted the key in the ignition. The engine sprang to life, and he pulled out into the darkened street.

"You have to trust me, Cass. I know it is difficult, but you just have to trust me and wait. Everything will be sorted out soon."

Her sigh filled the car. "Jake, I can't. How can I? I've tried and look where we've ended up. Me in Sydney, and you living with your brother's girlfriend."

"Wife," he corrected, regretting the word the moment it left his lips.

Ok, peeps, Téa has kindly agreed to give away an electronic copy of 'Tree Change' to one of you lucky folk! All you have to do is comment on this post.... Téa will then pick a winner by random in 5 days time. 

You can find Téa here, here and here...

Website  

Facebook 

Twitter 

Pinterest 

Email: teacooperauthor@gmail.com

And you can purchase Tree Change from:

Amazon UK

Amazon Com

Breathless Press

Lovely to have you over here, Téa! All the very best with 'Tree Change'. I'm sure it will be a huge hit. Now, I need to get saving so I can visit Pearl Beach and maybe join you for a BBQ one day! :-) 

'Til next time! 

Sam 

:-)

X 

More Chocolate brownies

Just a short blog today.... remember those gorgeous brownies I spoke about a while ago.... well I ordered another batch yesterday and before I touched it (it was very difficult to resist!!) I took a couple of photos so you guys could see it/them in full and glorious perfection! 

        

There's also a little hot chocolate spoon in there....which I must say are amazing! So, people, go and check out Eat Me CuppyCakes and tell her I sent you! :-)

'Til next time! (I'm off to nibble....heck, who am I kidding...scoff more brownies!)

Sam :-) 
X

Sharing the festivities with Zara Stoneley

GOOD ENOUGH TO SHARE (Good Enough, Part 1 - Christmas)

One Christmas, four friends - will they still be together by New Year?  Divorce wasn’t part of the plan for Holly, but then again nor was spending the festive period with two sexy men and Santa’s little helper! With a disastrous marriage behind her, and three good friends who are willing to share, moving on could be fun – if only she can accept that sometimes her heart is wiser than her head.  Dane doesn’t do commitment, which suits Holly just fine. But when things heat up between the four friends, he’s forced to face up to his past. Will realising he’s good enough mean he no longer wants to share…? Laid back Charlie knows that if his best friend becomes his lover he could end up losing big time. But can he resist? And when the girl he once loved comes back, who will he decide to spend the New Year with? …And Sophie just wants to have fun. She’s got the answers to everyone's problems, except her own …. is she the one who needs good friends most of all? Will a caring, sharing, lust and love filled Christmas lead to the happy ever after they all desire? WARNING - Christmas may never seem the same again!

Has this festive teaser warmed your cockles? Thought so! Well, hold tight and make yourself a snowball because there is MORE to come!


Hi Zara!
A warm, Christmassy, jingle-bells welcome to you! It’s great to finally have you over here at my blog.  Make yourself comfy. Tea, coffee? Or an alcoholic beverage? The bar is just down the hall and on the left! Chink Chink. (Tis' the season to be merry...I mean jolly, after all!)

Hi Samantha, Well normally I’d say it’s a bit early to drink, but it is Christmas after all! Bucks fizz would set me up for the day. Cheers! 

So, lets kick this off…. firstly tell us all a little bit about yourself…. 

I actually don’t like talking about myself, but seeing as it’s you!  I've always wanted to be a writer – I submitted my first novel, a thriller, when I was twelve years old. I sent it direct to a publisher (ignorance can be bliss), with a handwritten note and no return postage! I had a lovely letter in response encouraging me to try again. As I hit my mid teens my writing tastes shifted from action to romance, and I was soon addicted to alpha heroes, and what could be better than writing about them? So I had another go. I started off writing contemporary romance with a bit sizzle, and then discovered I like hot and erotic too, so my Susie side writes hot romance and my Zara persona gets much naughtier!

My days are now spent daydreaming, and writing, about good looking, well built men who know what they want and know how to get it, men who know the meaning of sensual and put a girl's needs before their own... men who have a sensitive side (for your eyes only) as well as a rough edge...men who love women for what they are... men who aren't afraid to take on an intelligent, sassy woman.... And I try to fit a day job in too! I've had an exciting and varied life, which feeds into my stories... I've got an Honours degree in Computer Science ...a teenage son... a cat...a cottage in the English countryside...and my own sexy alpha hero!

Congratulations on the release of your new book, ‘Good Enough’. Where did the idea for this saucy little number come from? 

Well… you know how we’re always told Christmas is for sharing? I thought I’d push the meaning a bit and share more than the presents! But I also wanted to keep other festive themes in there, like family, and giving, looking after each other…  But I think Christmas is a time when we often take stock and think about what people really mean to us, and who and what is important in our lives – so that’s what is at the heart of the story.

How long has it taken you to write? And have you enjoyed writing a story specific the christmas period?

Erm, now there’s a question… I think it took 2 months. It was fun to write – the story is very much about the characters, with Christmas as a backdrop – an excuse to chill out and have fun!

You have four central characters in ‘Good Enough’… indulge us in a little unknown something about each of them. (The hottie on your cover – phwoar! I wouldn’t mind sharing him. Hehe!)

Hehe, sorry I can’t share my hottie at the moment, he’s mine!! Oh, okay you can have him on Boxing Day after I’ve worn him out! Dane is the guy on the cover, a real alpha hero who would love to find the woman he fancies tied to his bed one day (any volunteers?!). Holly was the school geek and thinks she’s still too boring, until someone unlocks the naughty side of her (bit like me, hehe). Charlie is actually quite posh, but is trying to run away from it and be normal… he’s a real softy, with a tough streak when he’s going after what he wants. And Sophie ran away from her upsetting home life, but it was actually more than that, she has her secrets… involving a man… whoops have to stop there – that’s in the next book! Sorry. You seem to have a knack for dragging my secrets from me Samantha – must be this Bucks Fizz!

Where do you do your writing?  Computer or old-fashioned handwriting?

I plan on paper – just can’t do it on my laptop, I need to be able to see all my scribbled notes. I write the story directly onto my laptop, but if I’m having problems with a scene I have to print it out and scrawl all over it (then find I can’t read my handwriting!).

What’s the biggest hurdle you’ve had to overcome during your writing career to date?

Time and money! I love writing, at the moment I have so many projects on the go, but have to work part-time. I will be so happy when I’m making enough money to spend all day with my characters.

Any pearls of wisdom you can share with us aspiring folk?

Consider alternatives, try anything. This time last year I was writing contemporary romance aimed purely at M&B, and mimicking the writing style of their existing authors. It wasn’t until I tried something completely different, aimed at a different publisher, that I found my ‘voice’. I know erotic romance isn’t for everyone, but I just found a genre that came naturally for me – I also want to go back to thriller type stories and I now feel braver about trying different things! Write what you love (which isn’t necessarily what you read), and let the real you come out.

So, with just over three weeks left until the big day….what are your plans for Christmas this year? Are you ready for it?

Eek *runs away and hides* don’t say it’s only three weeks!! My OH very kindly invited the whole family over here for Christmas Day – and I’m now living in a small cottage so it’s going to be a cosy old-fashioned affair! I do love seeing all the family on the day, but I’m not ready for it. I’ve only got as far as buying cards and ‘thinking’ about presents!

As promised, Zara's kindly showed us a sneaky peak from her book - where Dane's Christmas fantasy looks like it might just come true!

I was turned on something rotten. And I felt mildly ridiculous, if that’s possible. And I didn’t know which feeling was winning. But one thing I did know was that Sophie had gone and the bang of the door meant that Dane was back and I hoped to God he was on his own.

There was a click which I was sure was the door to the boot room opening, then excited yapping. Shit, don’t let them out, don’t let them up here. I closed my eyes and tried to shut out the image of ten tons of Irish Wolfhound crashing on to the bed, following by hysterical yapping terrier and the nervous whippet diving under the covers. Shit, shit, shit. Nervous tension flooded my body and I pulled against the ties, no way was I getting out of this. No escape. Being tied to the bed had seemed, momentarily, like a good idea. Well, the way Sophie had sold it had made it irresistible. Now Sophie had gone, and Dane was back it seemed fucking stupid. Particularly her finishing touches of a blindfold and gag. Okay, it was loose, but I couldn’t exactly yell out a warning and tell him to go away again until I got rescued.

My scalp tingled as I heard a creak, the bottom step. No pattering of tiny doggie footsteps, thank the fuck for that. Then another creak. Oh. My. God. What was I doing here? A squeak which could have been the door opening, then silence. My ears were doing their best to prick up so I could hear more, but it wasn’t working. All I could hear was my own uneven breathing, and the pounding of blood in my ears.

“Well, fuck me.” His voice was so low, so deep, so unexpectedly close it made me start and every tiny hair on my body prickle to attention. Not a good look I’m sure. And fucking him wasn’t quite the idea, not yet. I swallowed hard and my sex gave a little involuntary squeeze. There was another heavy footstep and I knew he must be at the foot of the bed.

I jumped, well my whole body did, when his hand came down on my naked skin and the low chuckle made me want to moan, except it was more of a strangled groan given the gag. He rubbed the large capable hand round on my stomach, his rough fingertips sending little sparks straight through my skin and into my bloodstream.

“I thought Christmas came but once a year.” And as he spoke he loosened the gag with one hand and before I had time to draw breath his sweet, sweet lips came down on mine. He tasted of beer, and burger, of mustard, tomato and hops and it should have made me retch, but it was heaven. I reached up to hold his head, to prolong the kiss, well I tried to reach up but my bound wrists stopped the movement abruptly and his lips briefly twitched into a smile at my little grunt of frustration.

His tongue skated along the outside of my teeth, along the tops of them, explored my mouth and then circled around my own tongue as though inviting me to play. So I did. And as my tongue met his the warmth of his hand stroked down my side from chest to hip, straight over the erogenous zone I call my waist and I took a sharp intake of breath, my teeth closing around the tip of his tongue.

PHEW! Somebody open a virtual window in here. :-)

Thanks for stopping by and I wish you the biggest success with ‘Good Enough’ Zara. It sounds like a HOT read that will no doubt steam up the windows during this chilly season. It'll certainly be on my to read list over the christmas period! (Reckon you could fit Dane into my stocking....?)

Thank you so much for having me here. Have a wonderful Christmas and thanks for kicking off the Christmas festivities for me! (Any more of that bubbly going?) **Tops you up.** Bottoms up, love!

You can find Zara and 'Good Enough' here, here and here...

Amazon(UK), Amazon (US) (It’s free on 4th, 5th, 6th Dec!!)
Where to find me - Website - http://www.zarastoneley.com Blog – http://zarastoneley.blogspot.com
Twitter - @zarastoneley
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/zarastoneley 
Amazon author page – http://amazon.com/author/zarastoneley