Butterfly by Clare Austin

Butterfly (paperback)
Story Length: Print
by Clare Austin


BLURB
Flannery Sloane is a free spirited bohemian with a soul blessed by Irish musical tradition. She doesn’t give a care for where she’s going or how she’ll get there. Joy and passion are her only map. And, though she’s not interested in falling in love, she wouldn’t mind a little fun with a fine looking man. Hunter Kincade looks like he could fill that bill and have a bit of change left over.

Flannery never wears a watch. She’s late for everything but the downbeat of a fiddle tune. She’s happy serving pints in the pub and playing for tips and smiles. Hunter thrives on punctuality. He is in the music business with his focus on the bottom line. The pretty fiddle player with the bright green eyes would make his next production worth the price of a CD.

Their only common ground is the belief that falling in love is a danger to health and sanity.

Will it take more than Irish magic to pull a man like Hunter into the spell of a woman like Flannery? They are all wrong for each other...and they are so right.


EXCERPT
He lost sight of the fiddler in the mobs of tourists enjoying the April sunshine.
No sooner had he decided to give up on his quest than he heard hands clapping in rhythm with the beat of the now familiar Irish drum.

Then he saw her.

She lifted her instrument and, with the surety of a bird’s wing slipping through the air, bow was laid to strings and life was breathed into melody.

He moved to the edge of the gathering where he could have an unobstructed view of the musicians. She looked up, and he thought she recognized him for an instant. Then her eyes turned and followed another. She smiled and nodded.

Cade had never thought of himself as the jealous type, but he did feel cheated out of that smile.
As soon as the last vibration of strings quieted, a man Cade recognized from O’Fallon’s came up behind the fiddler and, with disturbing familiarity, spoke in her ear. She responded with a hug and an adoring look in her eyes.

Cade had been raised to be competitive, in sports as well as in business, and the appearance of a rival on the field made him want to draw blood. He wanted the fiddler in his studio, and if she ended up in his bed, that might be as nice.

He stood and listened until the sun set and the air held a chill that thinned the throng. The musicians were packing it in.

He hadn’t realized he was staring, until she walked up to him and stood so
close he could smell the scent of her warm skin in the cool evening air. Her approach to introduction took Cade completely by surprise.

“Are you lookin’ at me or waitin’ for a bus?” she said, one hand on her hip and a sassy smile on her lips.



BUY LINK

http://www.thewildrosepress.com/butterfly-p-3542.html

I interviewed Christine Clemetson today!

Lookie who I get to interview today! Christine Clemetson was nice enough to stop by and answer my questions about her new book, A Daughter's Promise. I have added this book to my TBR and I hope you do too!

1. Did you always want to become and author or did you just fall into it?

I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. From the time I was little, I made up stories in my head. I watched people a lot and created “life stories” for them. Once I got old enough to realize I should put this down on paper, I did! And I’ve never looked back.

2. Did it take you a while to become published? If so, what made you keep going?
I didn’t start submitting seriously until after college. Once I learned the process, I started going to writing conferences so that I could pitch my stories. I think the thrill of writing and finishing a story kept me going. I also had a dream of seeing my name on a book cover, and that image alone keeps me going now!

3. When you sit down to write, is there a ritual you have to do before you start?
I first get a cup of coffee and pop a CD in. Depending upon the type of scene I’m writing (action, love, etc.) determines the type of music I listen too.

4. Do you plan the story out or just let it flow?
I’m a certified seat-of-the-pants writer! This means that I do minimal planning. I know how the story will begin and end, and the major turning points in between, and the rest I let free-flow! One of my favorite parts about writing is the story discovery.

5. What is A Daughter’s Promise about? Can you tell us a bit about it?
“A Daughter’s Promise” came out from The Wild Rose Press! The story is set in war torn Italy, 1944, where Serene Moneto made a promise to her dying mother. This promise is so haunting that it directs the course of her life. When she chooses to save an American soldier from death, she risks everything—her name, her life, and capture by the Germans. Finding forbidden love with this soldier tears her world apart.
As a writer, my goal was to show this time period in a way that readers would understand what life was like and the sacrifices people had to make during this time.

6. Do you have any WIP that you might want to share with us?
Yes! I’m currently marketing a romantic suspense set in the Florida Everglades. What a fun setting to research.

7. When you have a moment to sit down and breathe, what do you do to unwind?
My favorite hobby (if that’s a good description of it), is going to the beach. I grew up at the Jersey shore, so I love going to the beach in the summer as well as the winter! I also love enjoying time with my family. We love to kayak and go hiking.

8. What authors are in your TBR pile?
The next two books I have in my TBR pile are: Mary Ricksen’s, “Tripping Through Time” and Lisa Scottoline’s “Dirty Blonde”.

9. Do you have any tips for those aspiring authors out there?
Keep writing and keep dreaming! Keep that goal in your mind every time you sit down to write. Before you know it, your book will be on the shelf!

Thank you so much for having me as a guest today!

A Daughter's Promise by Christine Clemetson

Christine Clemetson – A Daughter’s Promise

Blurb
A Daughter’s Promise, by debut novelist Christine Clemetson, is a sweeping love story of sacrifice and unexpected hope. In war torn Italy, 1944, Serene Moneto made a promise to her dying mother—a promise so haunting that it directs the course of her life. When she chooses to save an American soldier from death, she risks everything—her name, her life, and capture by the Germans. Finding forbidden love with this soldier tears her world apart. Against the backdrop of a war raging right outside her door, can she choose happiness? Despite the promise she made those years ago?
See the trailer at http://www.christineclemetson.com/trailers.html


Excerpt
They both knew Serene’s turn had come. She took in a deep breath and touched his arms in a stiff embrace. She hugged him the way she had rehearsed in her head over and over, the way a mother would hug her son going off to war.

“I don’t care who sees,” he said gruffly, pulling her closer. He pushed her chin up with his
fingertips, and bent his head to kiss her.

She took his lips, his body, all of him, into her heart for the last time. Feeling the rapid beating in his chest, she fought the urge to mold her most intimate part against his.

When their lips parted, his warm breath on her neck made her body shiver. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she buried her face into his jacket. “I’m not ashamed about
what I said to you last night or what happened between us.” Her voice cracked. “It’s a sin, I know, but it was the most beautiful—”

“Ashamed? I don’t think I’ll ever have that kind of love again.”

Trembling, she stood back a little, clinging to her emotions with the delicacy of a spider web. “But you were right. We made the most logical decision.”

“Jesus, Serry. I want to tell you so bad that I—”

“You’re all set, then?” Sam said, coming back into the house.

Serene let go of Miles, letting her one finger intertwine with one of his pinky fingers. She couldn’t let him go.

Slowly, he released her and went to the door, putting one foot on the outside pavement before hesitating and turning back. His eyes were red, and she clutched the stair banister to keep from running to him. How much she loved him would be a secret
she’d take to the grave.

Carrying a bottle of whiskey, Marcus passed him at the door and gave him a friendly slap on the back. “I came to give you a goodbye, Coulson.”

Serene stood up straight and froze.

Miles jerked himself away. “Change of heart about me?”

His answer was Marcus’ deep kiss on Serene’s cheek and an arm around her waist. “I realized, Coulson, that I’m proud of her for taking the responsibility for you. I thought it was about time that I offered my apologies for the undiplomatic way I acted. We’re all in this for a cause, no? Why don’t we share a bottle to celebrate?”

“No, your change of heart doesn’t rub me the right way.” Miles offered an apologetic glance to Serene and then shifted his gaze back to Marcus. “You hurt her, and I’ll hurt you. You understand me?”

“Have a safe trip,” Marcus drawled.

Serene watched the driver help him in and her knees weakened. As the truck’s engine started, she braced herself against the wall.

“Don’t worry. Serene. Just think of this as a wedding present from me. No more worries about your American. He is well now and gone for good. Your only thanks is to marry me.”

She couldn’t hear him. Her throat ached and she made no effort to wipe the tears spilling freely from her eyes. She started for the door, but he grabbed her by the shoulders.

Save The School of Gallantry!

When I was in high school, I had a dream. I was going to be the next Stephen King. Heh. Yeah. Stay with me. Please. I knew my ideas were fabulous and I knew all it would take is for an editor to look at it and they would offer me up the moon and the stars and best of all, a contract. I had my girlfriends read everything I wrote. And they kept telling me, “This is fabulous! It's SO funny! Hilarious!” Seeing it really wasn't supposed to BE funny, I immediately changed course realizing I actually had a better handle on being funny than scary. I also figured adding a romance into it would even make it better since that is what I loved to read.

I then entered college as an English major. I was going to be teacher and write during the summers. Even then I was a smart girl who knew I wasn't going to make jack and that I needed a job to support the “creative” one. Throughout all of college I wrote historical romances. One right after another. And kept submitting. And submitting. And submitting. And kept getting rejected and rejected and rejected. In the meantime, I got married. I had two kids. I joined RWA. I got critique partners. I did honed and honed and honed the crap out of my writing. And kept writing and getting rejected. I eventually racked up over 200 rejections and had written over 40 books in those 11 years of trying to get published.

When I finally sold my first historical romance, MISTRESS OF PLEASURE, and my second book, LORD OF PLEASURE, I was beside myself. It didn't feel real. To FINALLY arrive at a destination I had been traveling toward for 11 long years seemed like a mirage. Which fortunately, I quickly snapped out of. Because after all, most of my friends are all published and unpublished writers and the stories they all have told me throughout the years made me realize I had to fight with fists up for myself every step of the way. I knew publishers did little to no promotion for their authors, so I spearheaded my own promo, ready to be more than just an author. And even though I was budgeting very well and spending countless hours networking and promoting on websites and blogs, doing tons for free, I still ended up spending $7,000 on my first book. Which was way more than my advance. But hey, every business starts in the red. Right?

Then the reviews started coming in about my series set in 1830 London England about a school that educates men on the topic of love and seduction. People loved it! Wow. It got nominated for awards. Wow. Readers are e-mailing me raving. Wow. Readers from France, Austria, Poland, South Africa and from all over the U.S and the world.. Wow. It just kept getting better and better. I was beginning to feel as if every penny I spent was all worth it (even though my family and I weren't going on any vacations and were eating out of cans). Because all that mattered was that my publisher loved me and my readers loved my series.

Come contract time, I'm ready for whatever they wanna throw at me. Or so I thought. Mistress of Pleasure, though completely sold out and unavailable anywhere (unless it's a used copy, some going for a ridiculous amount of $40.00), hadn't done as well as my publisher had hoped. So without waiting for the second book to come out to see if the series was even worth saving, I get a rejection from my own editor citing lack of sales.

I have to say this rejection felt more personal than any of the other two hundred and some rejections I'd received. Because it was no longer “Your book isn't good enough” it became “Your sales aren't good enough.” Since when is an author supposed to be a market guru AND a fabulous writer? Eck.

I love this series. The men in it make me laugh and it broke my heart to think that my readers will never get a chance to read about Lord Brayton, my glorious male virgin. The only alpha virgin I've ever written about. Then I realized something, why I am letting a publisher decide what is worth holding on to? Shouldn't that be a reader's job?

Ah. Herein lies the purpose of my post. I am challenging everyone, be they readers or writers to help me do something that's never been done before. Save a series from a death sentence given by a publisher. Can it be done? Who knows. But I eat challenges for breakfast and I hope you do to. Please join me in saving my series. Come August 4th, tell everyone you know (yes, even you're 72 year old grandfather) to buy the book, Lord of Pleasure. In doing so, you'll have a chance to win one of three $50 Visa Gift Cards. How? Check out my website for details at http://www.delilahmarvelle.com/

That said, thank you for all the support and love everyone has already shown me by allowing me to blog about this. Feel free to post and repost this to everyone under the moon and the stars. To all you readers out there, thank you for supporting us writers. To all you writers out there, don't ever give up on your writing. The moment you do, you give up on yourself. Which is why I'm not giving up on my series.

Cheers and much love,
Delilah Marvelle

I am having a Birthday Party at my yahoo loop all day today with lots of prizes!

Let the mayhem begin!

Today is my baby girls birthday and she is with the in-laws this year so since she won’t be here, you all get the presents! I have some special authors that have donated some wonderful prizes. All you have to do is join their yahoo loops or answer a question from their web sites and send me the email confirmation for a chance to win. Sounds pretty easy, doesn’t it?

Each time you join a yahoo loop by one of the following authors, you will receive a point. At the end of the contest, each author will pick a winner. I will then add up the points and that person will receive a $20 Amazon gift certificate from me. You can’ lose!

For an extra 5 points, have your friend join my loop and tell me that you sent them! Sometimes it is great to have friends, huh?

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/katebugakadomesticdiva/


Bryl Tyne will offer the winner a copy of her latest release from Noble Romance, IGNITED (a Val & Kendra story).

http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/Pan- Rainbow_Seas/

***
Tuesday Richards has two ways to play and each is worth a point. She will be giving away a handmade Book Thong.
If you go to her web site and answer the following question, what was the name of her April contest?

Her site is www.tuesdayrichards .literalseductio n.net

Another way to get a point is to join her yahoo loop.

www.groups.yahoo. com/group/ tuesday_richards _paranormal_ playground/

***
Raine Delight will be giving away a promo envelope with bookworm bags and other goodies for joining her yahoo loop.

http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/Author_ Raine_Delight/

***
Belinda McBride is giving away an eBook download of Soul Keeper when you join her yahoo loop.

http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/BelindaMcB ride/

***
Rachel at Bitten By Books has also offered to give away a goodie bag and a possible bonus prize for joining her newsletter. This will give you another point towards the contest!

http://bittenbybooks.com/

I am hosting author Patrick Dilloway today!

Today I get the pleasure of hosting Patrick Dilloway who wrote the book, Where You Belong. He is in the middle of a Blog tour and was kind enough to stop by my little corner of the world. You may ask him questions or just leave a comment. Patrick loves to hear from his readers.

Thank you Patrick for joining me today. Sit down and make yourself comfortable.

1. Did you always want to become and author or did you just fall into it?
First off, thanks for having me today. I’m glad to be here.
To answer your question, no, I didn’t always want to write. In second grade I wanted to be shortstop for the Detroit Tigers. But then I found out I have no athletic talent and I enjoyed writing stories. The rest, as they say, is history.

2. Did it take you a while to become published? If so, what made you keep going?

Oh yes, it’s taken a long time. If my rejection notices were on paper instead of mostly by E-mail I’d have enough to wallpaper my house by now.

What keeps me going, though, is that I legitimately enjoy writing. It’s what I do. Given my lack of talent in just about anything else—music, singing, dancing, painting, drawing, sports, sewing, etc.—it’s pretty much all I can do. There have been a couple of times where I got in a funk and stopped writing for a little while, but I always come back to it because I love it even if agents and publishers don’t love me.

3. When you sit down to write, is there a ritual you have to do before you start?

Not really what I would consider a “ritual” no. For the most part before I type I do have to get all my stuff situated: laptop, music (MP3 player or stereo), water, throat lozenges, and any notes I might have. But I don’t have to turn around in my chair three times or throw salt over my shoulder or anything.

4. Do you plan the story out or just let it flow?

There have been times where I’ve done a lot of planning, but lately I’ve been doing less. Usually, though, I at least have an overall blueprint of what’s supposed to happen in the story. That doesn’t mean that’s what always ends up happening; if I see a better idea later I’ll run with it.

For the most part I think that you have to just find what works for you and go with that. Some people plan meticulously and some go by the seat of their pants; either way has worked out for some people and not others. So do what you like.


5. Considering the fact that your character, Frost Devereaux doesn’t exist, what made you give him a background? I thought it was great too.

Thank you for saying that. In a story like this the background is important because the story is pretty much entirely background. By that I mean the story follows from before he’s born not to his death, but to a major turning point in his life.

Early on I knew Frost’s parents were not going to be around for most of his growing up. The only thing then became deciding what exactly would happen to them. I thought it was just a lot more fun, not to mention dramatic, for his parents to loathe each other to the point where his mother banishes his father into a barn. But that was also important for Frost’s development because part of the overall point is that he never has what you’d consider a “normal” loving home. Because let’s face it, someone from a normal loving home could probably never do what he does in the book.


6. What made you decide to write this book about a man that can’t seem to find love with either sex?

Basically how the story developed was that in watching news coverage of Prop 8 in California and similar measures around the country, I started to get mad. So I decided to write a story about gay marriage, but I didn’t want it to be a preachy stump speech on the subject; I wanted it to still be a story. It occurred to me one day: what if there was a guy so terrible at marriage that he couldn’t make it work with either sex? That’s how it all started. From there I just expanded on this idea that some marriages are just not going to work not because of the genitals of those involved, but because they aren’t compatible for each other spiritually. To me, that’s what’s most important in any marriage.

7. Do you have a current list of releases and where they can be found?

The best place if you want to find just about everything I’ve written in the last fifteen years is to visit my D.E-Press site, http://roguemutt.bravehost.com. Everything there is in e-book form and completely free to download.

8. Do you have any WIP that you might want to share with us?

Right now I’m working on a story called “Liberation Front,” which is probably just a working title. It’s an old-school alien invasion story, with one difference: the “Martians” invading are actually human colonists returning to the home world. It’s a complete 180 I suppose from Where You Belong, but I’ve always thought that a writer should have a little variety just to keep from getting stagnant.

9. When you have a moment to sit down and breathe, what do you do to unwind?

If I’m not writing or reading then usually I’m just sitting in front of the television watching a baseball game or movie. Just something that doesn’t require me to think a whole lot. Of course if the weather is nice I like to take a walk too. Sometimes I’ll even bring my camera and take some pictures. I have a whole bunch on my wall from Maine, New Mexico, and the Grand Canyon. It would be nice if I could get out more to see other places, because it is usually fun to see a place you haven’t been before.

10. What authors are in your TBR pile?

I don’t really keep a TBR pile because I’m so anal retentive about what I choose to read. I am in the near future going to finally read something by Stephen King; I bought a copy of “The Green Mile” a while back that I’ve been meaning to read. Otherwise anything new by John Irving, Michael Chabon, Richard Russo, or Terry Pratchett will go on my list to read.
A lot of times, though, I do what I call “situational reading,” meaning that I choose what to read depending on what I’m writing. For Where You Belong I reread every John Irving novel in chronological order because I wanted to maintain a similar style and tone to his novels. I don’t always do that, just if I feel there’s an author or subject that I feel is close to what I’m doing.

11. Do you have any tips for those aspiring authors out there?

I think there are three important things if you really want to write books. The first is to study your grammar and basic mechanics. If you go to a critique group and don’t know how to use a semicolon you’re going to really look like an amateur. Second is to read—a lot. Preferably when you’re starting you should read in your genre. So if you’re writing romance you should read other romance authors. Not so much to steal their secret moves, but I think it’s helpful so you can see what they’re doing right and—more importantly—what you think they’re doing wrong. The most important advice though is not to give up. If you really want to write books, then don’t let other people take that away from you. Heed good advice when it’s given, but don’t surrender, even when people try to bring you down. Because if you really love to write, then that’s what you should do. Maybe you won’t get paid for it, but some things are more important than money.

Thanks again for having me and asking such tremendous questions.

You are very welcome Patrick. I enjoyed your answers. I hope you stop by again!

Patrick Dilloway will be here on July 11th!

Patrick Dilloway will be stopping by to talk about his new book, Where you Belong. He is having a blog tour from July 8th to July 21st and has been very kind to stop by my little blog. I hope you can stop by and comment or even ask him a question.

Here is a blurb about his book. If you have not yet read it, I suggest you get a copy.

BLURB: Orphaned at an early age, the closest people in Frost Devereaux's life are the free-spirited Frankie Maguire and her conniving twin brother Frank. Over the years Frost's life takes him from the lush fields of the Mideast to the burning heat of the desert to the sparkling promise of Manhattan. His heart, though, never strays far from the two people who have meant the most to him. Ultimately, Frost must decide where—and with whom—he belongs.