Surprise parcel

My next door neighbour just came round with a parcel and inside was.....

Print copies of my first MM book, Cowboys Down. I just love this cover. It's one of my favourites.

Cowboys Down has had some great and not so great reviews. It's funny how parts of it some people love, others dislike intensely. I thought the little asides at the end of the chapters were funny but not everyone agreed. 

It's one of the very few books I've written where I've set part of the action in America. Chosen is set in the US and so is  The Princess and the Prepper, and also Just What She Wants but mostly I stick to the UK. I've been to Wyoming where Cowboys Down is set. A beautiful state! Fantastic views but I was allergic to the wild flowers there and both daughter and I were sick. We almost had to fly early to our next destination but luckily found a pharmacist who suggested a different antihistamine tablet. So we got to see Yellowstone and bison and deer and geysers. Wonderful. 

The Princess and the Prepper

When I was asked to write a story about prepping, I didn't even know what the word meant, though I could guess. Since I was a girl guide I've been the kind of person who likes to be prepared for every eventuality, so certain types of prepping were already second nature to me. For instance, I am the queen of lists. I make lists of lists. I once thought about setting up an internet business based on lists for every occasion, but writing got in the way.

I do think that the prepping mentality is something easier to understand in a huge country like America, than it is in the tiny overcrowded UK where I come from. The pioneer spirit that led to the growth of your nation is still strong in many of you. It's non-existent in the UK. A desire to protect what is yours, to look after your family and loved ones is of course universal but preppers have put more thought into it and come up with strategies to help them survive when others might not.
 Anyone with an ounce of common sense will stock up when products threaten to run out. If we're told there's going to be a water shortage, we make sure we have a supply to fall back on. Preppers take this to the next level and there are many levels of prepping, from those who just want to maintain their lifestyle in the face of adversity to those who prepare to face a massive nuclear fall out.
My prepper in The Princess and the Prepper - is at the lower end of prepping, the end that most of us will be able to identify with. And the story is also a reminder that no one can be prepared for everything. When push comes to shove, we just have to do the best we can.

The Blurb

Lili knows she shouldn’t accept a lift from a stranger, but as usual she leaps from one disaster to another. The consequence is being stuck in the middle of a snowy nowhere wearing next to nothing, and this time, being unprepared looks likely to kill her.

Grant lives in an isolated cabin for a reason. He’s prepared for almost every eventuality. The last thing he wants is some needy person interfering with his ordered life. When he gets into bed with a woman he rescued from certain death—just to warm her up, of course—Grant discovers something else he’s not prepared for. His heart opening.

A match made in heaven, until secrets come knocking. Lili is not just a simple woman in need of shelter, and unless she can survive dealing with her background, it doesn’t seem possible the happiness that’s fallen out of a blizzard can heal Grant’s own past.

Love and hate

I looked up a book on Amazon the other day because it was one of their best sellers and had been suggested to me as a purchase. I'm always interested to see what people say about a book. This particular book had around 5,000 reviews. FIVE THOUSAND! That's just amazing. When I look at some of my books that have less than 10, it makes me realize how low down I am. But when I looked at the stats of the 5,000 -  around 500 were one star. I think about 2,000 were 5 and 4 star. So obviously some people loved this story but a very high number had nothing good to say about it at all. The comments by those who hated it were balanced by those who loved it. Story lines were praised for being exciting, criticised for being dull. Am I tempted to buy now? Actually no. I can't get past the 500 not liking it and the reasons they gave. I'm more likely to be swayed by negative comments than I am by positive ones. I think that's something deep in my psyche. Am I missing a great book? The 500 make me think not but I have to admit, I'm still intrigued.

I won't name the book but it was a psychological thriller. So if anyone who likes thrillers would like to read and leave a review for my book "Chosen" - I'd be very grateful. You know, I might even make 20 reviews!

CHOSEN

Kate Evans doesn’t take risks. She chose her apartment with care—a safe district with a good neighbor—a place where she can live a quiet, unassuming, under-the-radar existence. Then she makes one mistake and opens her door to accept a delivery of flowers from a secret admirer and her life will never be the same again. A guy she’s never seen before bursts into her apartment and asks her to marry him. Jack Thompson won’t take no for an answer and drags Kate on a cross country journey to hell.

Invalided out of the police, Nathan Beranson works as a private investigator in San Antonio, Texas where he spends too much of his time following unfaithful spouses and delivering the bad news to their partners. When his fiancée cheats on him with Jack Thompson, the half-brother Nathan’s only just met, he becomes obsessed with Jack in the same unhealthy way as his revenge-seeking clients. By the time Nathan finally realizes putting the ghosts of the past to rest is a wiser option than settling an old score, it’s too late. He’s already been drawn into his sibling’s latest deadly game and Nathan and Kate find their nightmare is only just beginning.

http://www.amazon.com/Chosen-ebook/dp/B00546EM5Y/ref=sr_1_14?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1356012782&sr=1-14&keywords=chosen

Tagged

I've been tagged in the Next Big Thing blog hop and have to answer a few questions or my ears will drop off and I'll catch the plague. Eeek. I'm supposed to nominate - ie force, torture, threaten - another five writers to take part but I've already asked those before who I know won't beat me to a pulp so I'm going to risk the wrath of khan or whatever and just answer the questions. Oh and suggest you try out the books of a couple of friends of mine if you haven't already done so.

1) What is the working title of your next book?

With or Without him - it really is a working title - I have no idea what to call it. Actually, it's on my laptop under Saying No. I might not settle on the name for months.

2) Where did the idea come from for the book?

A dream about a guy in a room, sitting on a window sill looking out onto a city. Er - he was naked.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

MM

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

This is Gaspard Ulliel. He would be Tyler. He's always one of my heroes! 

This shot of Robbie Williams is a good representation of Haris.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Think Pretty Woman but it's Pretty Man.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Not self pubbed.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

Still working on it. Started about two months ago and I've written a third.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Don't know of any.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

A deep interest in damaged guys and their interactions.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

I pose the question of how far would you go to get what you want. If the price is right, is there anything you won't do?



My writer pals - Dawn and Arlene have been my friends for several years. We started out on the publishing trail together and we've all found homes for our stories. We've supported each other through the depressing times, when we had rejections or tough reviews and we've celebrated the acceptances and the reviews that made us cry with joy. We have our strengths and weaknesses and have been a perfect balance for each other over the years. Laurie Green is the other member of our pack and now she has an agent, we're expecting great things from her. Laurie has been as supportive as it is possible for anyone to be and I can't wait to see her sci fi romances out there for everyone to enjoy.

http://authordljackson.com/

http://www.arlenewebb.blogspot.com/

http://www.laurie-green.webs.com/

Just What She Wants - out today!!!

My second in Decadent Publishing's 1NS series is out today. It's a contemporary menage set in Orlando, Florida. Another holiday story. The first - On the Right Track was about New Year's Eve. This one is set at Christmas.

The blurb

 With a name like hers, Indiana Jones knows she ought to be adventurous and daring but when she’s tricked into taking a vacation on her own, and discovers she’s staying at a swinging resort, she wants to spend the week in her room. But the place is run by two of the most tempting men she’s ever seen. She could have just what she wants and no one would ever know.

Marc finds it hard to see his partner Kyle in physical and mental anguish but if the guy won’t talk about it, what can he do? Finding a third might be the answer and he has just the woman in mind, unless she runs off before he can make her smile.

Crippled and depressed, Kyle can’t even kiss his partner and wonders why the guy puts up with him. If only he could let the past go and move on. Maybe, just maybe, an intriguing guest will show him the way.

Now - little did I know when I started to write this that my daughter would give her son the middle name of Indiana. Oops. At least she didn't have a girl - that would have been awkward.

The story was inspired in part by the huge Christmas tree in Orlando International airport. It got me thinking - how horrible it would be to not enjoy any of the trappings of Christmas. Hence, Indie was born. 

Actually - this tree is at Orlando airport but it's not the biggest one. I got trawled so fast through security, I missed it! 

http://www.decadentpublishing.com/product_info.php?products_id=680&osCsid=4cb4cd65d04de490039775421c6595eb

Early morning walk

This is Celebration in Orlando

Hot air balloons - as near as I want to be!

Our house - ooops - a lie. I think it's a hotel

A scary squirrel

Oh my God - deer!

So cute. Where's my gun.