Manic Monday: Payson Book Festival this weekend

by with No Comment Blind Date BrideCher & DerrickMusings

Payson Book FestivalTalk about manic weeks… When I’m not at work, I’ll be running around getting ready for the first-ever Payson Book Festival.

The festival is Saturday, July 25,  from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Gila Community College, 201 N. Mud Springs Road, Payson, Arizona. All kinds of authors will be there. I’m sharing a table with RWA chapter mate Susan Haught.

Activities will include:

  • Book readings by authors
  • Storytelling for kids
  • Book signings
  • Author exhibit tables
  • Local food vendors
  • Musical entertainment

I’m looking forward to interacting with readers, for sure! If you’re in Arizona, plan on stopping by. It’s a beautiful time of year for a road trip to Payson!

Speaking of getting ready, I had to unearth my box of bookmarks and business cards. I hadn’t seen it since my move, and I had a moment of sheer panic last Thursday when I couldn’t find it immediately.

It’s my own fault, really. I snagged boxes from the Daily Sun office for my move. They were the perfect size — big enough to hold books and/or videos without being too heavy to move once filled. And they’re all stamped “Sedona Visitor’s Guide.” So I have a couple dozen boxes all with the same label … with no idea what’s actually in them. (Yeah, that’s a solid argument for labeling boxes as I pack them. I did that at first. Alas, when moving day came and we were still throwing stuff in boxes, the labels went by the wayside.)

Finally, I found my author promo items. Some other crap from my computer desk had been dumped on top of the precious stuff I sought.

My stash

If you stop by to see me Saturday, I’ll autograph a bookmark for you. I’ll also have copies of BLIND DATE BRIDE and HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS for sale.

Ready for Payson Book Festival

#MySexySaturday: A Good Ole Sexy Time

by with 2 Comments Excerpts

LynnSexySaturday_bannerDare I say this week’s My Sexy Saturday theme is right up my alley?

This week’s theme is A Good Ole Sexy Time and think about things like the Dukes of Hazzard or maybe Nashville or the Appalachian Mountains. This week is about…well…normal people. You know, the boys next door, the good ole boys, the boys of summer and everything in between. There is nothing more sexy than a man at the beach or getting done with his chores or doing his best at any task.

Fun—and I have just the snippet.

Blind Date Bride | Arlene HittleIn this scene from BLIND DATE BRIDE, Kari is grappling with her new reality. She and Damien, her faux husband of less than a week, have ceded the spare room she was planning to sleep in to the camera crew that will be taping their every move for a new series they’ve agreed to. Thus she finds herself reluctantly sharing his bed.

Damien is about the most normal guy I’ve ever had the pleasure of having in my head. (His buddy Cody is a close second.) He’s a veterinarian, a one-time band geek (trumpet), retired Casanova (he went a little crazy in college when he started running and playing tennis and grew into his gangly body) and armchair psychologist.

Enjoy!

***

“Stop looking at me like you’re on a diet and I’m a hot fudge sundae!” she snapped at him.

Damien rolled his eyes. “You think you’re that irresistible, huh?”

“Well,” Kari began. More concerned with her own response to the look he was giving her, she hadn’t considered how conceited the complaint would make her sound.

“Because I have news for you, sweetheart, I can resist. No problem.”

She stood and sat on the edge of Damien’s bed opposite him, but not before scowling at him. “You don’t have to be such a jerk about it.”

He glowered right back. “Why shouldn’t I be? You’re basically saying you don’t trust me to keep my hands to myself, right?”

“Uh—”

“Because I’ve never had to force my attentions on an unwilling woman before, and I don’t intend to start anytime soon. So until you decide you want my hands on you, you have nothing to worry about.”

Find BLIND DATE BRIDE at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo, and in print at CreateSpace or Amazon.

My Sexy Saturday: You’re so sexy

by with No Comment Excerpts

Long time no blog, eh? So much for those weekly posts I was supposed to be writing after coming home from San Antonio in July.

LynnSexySaturday_bannerJanuary has been a busy month. I started a new job in a new city. I’m still looking for a permanent place to live. I have to pack up 13+ years of crap that’s accumulated in the Flagstaff house.

I’m getting back into the rhythm of working days. Spoiler alert: It’s really cutting into my writing/editing time at Starbucks.

Since I’m fresh off the blog tour for BLIND DATE BRIDE, I’ve decided to share a moment from Kari & Damien’s story for this week’s entry into the My Sexy Saturday linkup.

In this scene, the reluctant bride and groom have just completed a couples’ yoga class — an intense experience that brings them closer than ever. In fact, it brings them so close that Kari’s willing to take a chance.

****

Blind Date Bride | Arlene HittleTentatively, Kari traced the muscles of his shoulders and back. Slowly, her hand trailed to his rear end and then around front to flutter over his now-raging hard-on.

It was Damien’s turn to groan. Even that featherlight touch through the fabric of his yoga pants was driving him wild. Roughly, he yanked her pants down over her hips and cupped the mound of her sex.

When she made a soft sound of protest and pushed his hand away, he groaned again. So, she wasn’t quite ready yet. He captured her lips again, stroking her face, shoulders and thighs as his tongue plunged in and out of her mouth in an imitation of the sex act he wanted to be engaged in.

Slowly, he felt Kari’s resistance melting. Sending another thank-you into the universe, he pushed down his pants and positioned himself between her thighs.

Bright light flooded the Element.

“What the—?” Damien spat a curse.

A split second later, he had his answer. Sam’s voice announced cheerfully, “Found ’em.”

Find BLIND DATE BRIDE at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo, and in print at CreateSpace or Amazon. 

My Sexy Saturday: Our Sexy Thanksgiving

by with No Comment Blind Date BrideExcerpts

LynnSexySaturday_bannerI’m in the throes of NaNoWriMo…and way behind, so this blog post has to be quick. Friday was Day 21, and I just crossed the halfway mark (25K) Thursday. Needless to say, I don’t think I’ll make it to 50K

Chalk up another one for “plotting rules, pantsing drools.”

This week’s My Sexy Saturday theme is “Our Sexy Thanksgiving.”

Say what?

“… This week show us all the characters love family. Maybe it’s someone who doesn’t have one and suddenly they find themselves with one. It could be about someone who has always looked in and wanted a home with all the trimmings including a family. There are many ways to be thankful and we’d love to hear some of those wonderful stories.”

Okay. I think I can find something that fills the bill.

Blind Date Bride | Arlene HittleIn BLIND DATE BRIDE, Damien is the only child of college professor parents—and when he meets his reality TV wife’s family, he’s a bit overwhelmed. Her sisters ogle him, her brothers threaten him and he earns dirty looks for being a Cubs fan in a house full of White Sox lovers. In this seven-sentence snippet, Damien and Kari have arranged an after-dinner walk to keep her parents from watching the latest installment of “Just Married” (because it contains some embarrassing footage of Kari and Damien making out in his car).

A quick primer: Steve and Sean are Kari’s brothers. Claire and Shannon are her sisters. Frank and Sarah are her parents.

***

When they got back to the house thirty-five minutes later, Kari and Damien exchanged a glance. She took a deep breath and whispered, “Here goes nothing.”

Damien pushed open the door and was immediately greeted by Sean’s hostile stare. Steve, however, flashed him a thumbs-up, mouthing the words, “Good job.”

Kari’s other sister greeted them with a harsh laugh. “I stand corrected.”

Beside him, Kari’s face flamed fire engine red. Damien narrowed his eyes at the other woman. For some reason, he didn’t like this sister much.

It was then that Shannon came rushing to the rescue. “Mom, I have some bad news: The DVR malfunctioned.”

Sara Parker stamped her foot in frustration and looked at Kari. “I so wanted to see you in action, dear.”

Kari sucked in a breath at her mother’s word choice. Even Damien found it unfortunate. He was about to say something to come to her rescue when her brothers threw in their two cents’ worth. Sean tried unsuccessfully to stifle a snort and Steve quipped, “Trust me, Ma. You didn’t miss a thing.”

Find BLIND DATE BRIDE at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo, and in print at CreateSpace or Amazon.

My Sexy Saturday: On the beach

by with No Comment Bethany & CodyExcerpts

LynnSexySaturday_buttonSaturday again? Now that I don’t have a day job, the days are all running together.

Lucky for you—or maybe for me, I got an email reminder to sign up for My Sexy Saturday. This week’s theme? Love on the road … I think.

This week, show us the characters who who love each other so much that it doesn’t matter where they are, who they are, what they have or don’t have. Show us that these characters are going to stick with each other through thick and thin. These are the ones who just want to be with each other, love each other and always be together, no matter how long or short the time.

I’m sharing a snippet from TROUBLE IN PARADISE, a work-in-progress. This companion to BLIND DATE BRIDE, my June indie release, tells the story of Bethany and Cody, the friends that got Kari and Damien into the winners’ circle. They met the day of Kari and Damien’s bogus wedding…and ended up getting more wedding night action than the bride and groom, as Kari pointed out.

TROUBLE IN PARADISE picks up where BDB leaves off. Bethany, concerned that Cody is losing interest, convinces him to audition for the network’s new show, “Invitation to Sin,” a “Survivor” meets “Temptation Island” reality show she thinks will test his love for her. A reluctant Cody agrees, figuring Romance TV lightning won’t strike twice. But it does, and the couple flies to Bora Bora for a month to shoot the show. Little does Beth know she’s the one who’ll be failing all the network-manufactured tests.

Here, they’re strolling on a moonlit beach, away from the cameras, as they have a heart-to-heart about the day’s events.

****

Trouble in Paradise | Arlene HittleWhen she tipped her head up this time, he saw laughter in her eyes. “You said we’re the sum of all our experiences, right?”

“I did.”

Her fingers hovered over the knot at her waist. “There’s an experience I’ve never had and I want to share it with you.”

Cody’s mouth went dry when she scrambled to untie her sarong. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”

The cover-up pooled in the sand at her feet, quickly followed by her bikini top and bottom. She stood before him, her milky skin glowing in the moonlight. “Guess.”

Cody gulped. “Skinny-dipping?”

“In the ocean under a full moon.”

TROUBLE IN PARADISE … coming soon to e-bookstores everywhere.

My Sexy Saturday: Back in the swing of things

by with 3 Comments Blind Date BrideExcerpts

RWA14 was a blast—not that I doubted it would be. For me, it was a true road trip. Two of my chapter mates and I carpooled from Flagstaff to San Antonio (more on that soon). I caught up with friends old and new, and learned so much from the workshop sessions I attended. I went to so many marketing/social media sessions that my head threatened to explode.

One of the key points emphasized in many of them? You need a blog.

Umm … Does it count if I have a blog but post sporadically?

The experts’ answer, of course, is a big, fat “NO.”

So now that I’m back in Flagstaff, trying to resettle into what passes for a normal routine, I’m going to aim to blog more regularly. (How is it possible that my last post was in mid-June?) Blogging is heaped on top of all the Twitter/FB/Pinteresting things I should be doing—and none of them are as important as actually writing the next book.

Anyway …

LynnSexySaturday_buttonIt occurred to me that My Sexy Saturday is a great way to guarantee I post something fresh on my blog every week.

A quick refresher on the rules:

Post 7 paragraphs or 7 sentences or 7 words ONLY. The choice is yours. It can be from a WIP or something you already have published. Your post should be live by 9 am US Pacific Time on Saturday. Put those lucky 7s to work for you!

Here’s a snippet from my June release, BLIND DATE BRIDE. Who needs “Married at First Sight” when you have Kari and Damien?

***

Damien leaned across the table, and for a second, Kari thought he’d kiss her again. Her lips parted in anticipation. However, he merely turned her hand over, palm up, and ran his thumb over the skin at the base of her fingers. She watched it move back and forth, fast then slow, fascinated by the friction-generated heat.

His eyes never left hers, so she saw the instant his desire flickered back to life. Her thighs clenched as her body answered Damien’s call.

The dampness she felt provided a rude wake-up call. She clamped her knees together as she jerked her hand out of his grasp, ruthlessly reminding herself how badly her last run-in with lust at first sight had ended.

Seemingly undeterred, he grinned. “You ready to head to my place?”

“Y-your place?” Surely he wasn’t a mind reader.

“Or yours, I suppose.”

“My place?” This time, Kari’s voice came out in a panicked squeak.

Blind Date Bride is available now as an e-book at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo, and in print at CreateSpace or Amazon.

Think it couldn’t happen here? Think again

by with One Comment Blind Date BrideMusings

Complete strangers getting married the first time they meet?

Sounds crazy, right? There’s no way it would happen in real life.

Umm … think again. Turns out the premise of BLIND DATE BRIDE isn’t so far-fetched after all. It was just years ahead of its time.

When I came up with the idea of two losers at love finally winning the “Get a Love Life” contest they never entered (way back in 1990-something), it might have been out there. Not so today, when reality TV show premises get nuttier and nuttier.

One of the latest? “Married at First Sight,” an A&E networks presentation.

Married, an adaptation of a hit Danish format, will also include four specialists who will create what they believe are three perfect couples based on scientific matchmaking. The first meeting for these couples, each comprised of people who’ve had no prior luck in the love department, will be as they walk down the aisle.

(Emphasis is mine.) Sounds vaguely familiar, doesn’t it?

Of course, my Kari and Damien don’t win the contest’s grand prize based on scientific matchmaking. They’re merely the folks with the worst love lives in America, as selected by a panel of experts that includes Dr. Drew and Danielle Steel. And they marry and live together to get the prize money, of which there appears to be none in the A&E show.

“Married at First Sight” premieres on A&E’s FYI network (formerly BIO) on July 8. Find more info here.

As a romance writer, I sincerely hope they succeed. Realistically, I know they probably won’t.

Luckily, my BLIND DATE BRIDE can satisfy your need for happily-ever-after. Find it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo, and in print at CreateSpace or Amazon.

Party time!

by with No Comment Blind Date BrideContests

I’m celebrating the release of BLIND DATE BRIDE with a Goodreads giveaway.

Three print copies of the book are up for grabs. The giveaway ends July 10 and is open to readers in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. (Expanding my reach this time around …)

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Blind Date Bride by Arlene Hittle

Blind Date Bride

by Arlene Hittle

Giveaway ends July 10, 2014.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

If you don’t want to wait that long to read Kari and Damien’s brush with reality TV stardom, you can snag a copy from your favorite e-bookstore.

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

One reviewer on Amazon gave BLIND DATE BRIDE a 5-star review and said:

“Ms. Hittle’s books are sassy, sexy and easy reads, perfect for the summer, the beach, a cabin, or just about anywhere.”

Confessions of a reality TV junkie

by with No Comment Blind Date BrideMusings

I have a confession: I love reality TV.

Well, not all reality TV. I’ve never watched a full episode of “Big Brother” or “The Amazing Race”—and I quit watching “Survivor” several years ago, about the time the networks decided to make me choose between it and “Grey’s Anatomy.”

But before my day job became a “night job,” forcing me to work through prime time TV hours, you could find me glued to shows like “Mr. Personality,” “Joe Millionaire,” “Temptation Island” and “My Big, Fat Obnoxious Fiance.”

Notice a pattern there? All FOX shows, the trashier the better. 😉 Seriously. If it had train-wreck potential, I tuned in and eagerly awaited the derailment. (Anyone remember “Playing It Straight”?)

My love of trash-tastic reality shows probably made it easier for me to dream up BLIND DATE BRIDE. I had no problem imagining a reality show run amok.

RealityTVbitesScreen

The story starts with two reluctant grand-prize winners in Romance TV’s “Get a Love Life” contest. Their “prize” for having the worst love lives in America—as selected by a panel of experts that included Dr. Drew and Danielle Steel—is a blind date wedding. To claim the prize money, Kari and Damien must marry and live together for ninety days.

When the ratings from the wedding special are through the roof, the network offers Kari and Damien another opportunity: More cold, hard cash to let a camera crew film them 24/7 for a “Newlyweds”-type show called “Just Married.” Because they both have plans for the cash, they agree.

And that, my friends, is where the craziness really begins. Because marrying someone you’ve never met before isn’t crazy enough, right?

BLIND DATE BRIDE, my first single title indie-pubbed novel, goes on sale tomorrow. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing it.

Blind Date Bride | Arlene HittleThe blurb:

Nearly a decade ago, accountant Kari Parker shed 220 pounds of dead weight — her hulking, abusive college boyfriend. The last thing she wants in her life is another man — especially one as tall as a Windy City high rise. Yet when her best friend enters her in Romance TV’s “Get a Love Life” contest, another man is exactly what she gets. As much as she’d love to just say no, she can’t turn down the prize money that will allow her to help her parents save the restaurant they’ve run all her life. Sparks fly between Kari and her bogus groom, and as she and Damien share close quarters, intimate meals and — gulp — his bed, Kari doesn’t stand a chance of resisting his considerable charms. Even worse? She might not want to. But building a real future out of their sham marriage will be tougher than baking a wedding cake from scratch … with no flour … in a broken oven.

A little Monday Motivation …

by with No Comment Musings

Writers, take note!


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Today must be the day for motivating thoughts, because this Ruby Slippered Sisterhood blog post also has me thinking: What I really want to say on Twitter by Liz Talley.

I’m pretty sure that’s what every author really wants to say on Twitter (and everywhere else), but can’t. “Look at me! Look at me!” gets really old, fast.

An endless stream of RT’s of fellow authors’ books, all at once — bang, bang, bang — also doesn’t cut it. That’s why I use Buffer to space out my tweets.

Liz also talks about planting butt in chair to write the next book, which is something I need to get back to doing. With releases coming from TMP in March and April, as well as plans to self-pub in June, I haven’t written any new words in too long. Been self-editing BLIND DATE BRIDE and prepping for the release of BEAUTY AND THE BALLPLAYER and SLIDING INTO HOME (formerly Untitled Book 3).

Speaking of SLIDING INTO HOME, I don’t think I’ve shared the cover on my blog yet. Look for it later this week.

At least Saturday’s plot group meeting got my creative juices going again. I now have some ideas for a fourth Love & Baseball story, thanks to some brainstorming with the NARWA crew. I’ll be back to banging out new words in no time.