New Release: Tessa by Ali Baran #EQuills

Author, Ali Baran is here to tell us about her latest release, Tessa!

Thank you so much for having me here. I’m the new kid on the block.

Writing has made me stop and think about what I want in a man. What makes him wonderful? What makes him sexy? And the really big question is how does anyone know this is the person you want you spend the rest of you life with? What’s the magic? Haven’t we all dated those guys and you think this might be it, except six months later everything is blah? Well, I want more than good looks and great sex. I want that extra spark that will still be there thirty years later.

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Warning: May December romance for the mature reader

BLURB:

Years of wisdom have taught Randal that it’s not the destination but the journey that makes everything worthwhile. When the tentative friendship between silver fox Randal and young Tessa bursts into lust, it ignites a passionate affair that leaves them both trembling. There’s nothing more fulfilling than a beautiful woman in the arms of a man who can appreciate everything she has to offer.

As Randal embarks on a second career and Tessa is preparing for her chosen field, Randal’s daughter flounders in a sea of depression. When Randal’s love for his daughter is pitted against his love for Tessa, can there be a winner?

Excerpt:

In the water, Randal didn’t act like an invalid. Those piercing blue eyes sparkled and his body was ripped, better than any guy Tessa had dated. The man was damn sexy, and in the week she’d known him, she’d grown to like him—maybe too much. Way too much. Aside from a few thin, pink scar lines over his knees, no one would have believed he was living in a wheel chair.

He trapped her against the side of the pool and held her prisoner between his arms.
She turned and faced him. Now she stared into those beautiful blue orbs and caught the grin that crinkled the skin at the outer edges of his eyes. “You have the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen.”

“And you have a beautiful body.”

She inhaled as he drew himself nearer. His breath flowed over her face. She closed her eyes and she prayed he’d kiss her.

A finger touched her jaw, and she opened her eyes. He was inches from her with a warm smile on his face. Heaving in a deep breath, she hoped to cool the sensation building in her, but she couldn’t stop it. She tried to imagine his lips on hers. His finger traced her entire face, including her lips. She parted her mouth and touched her tongue to his roaming finger.

“Damn woman. You’re giving me an erection.”

She cast her gaze toward his trunks but she couldn’t stop the grin that was pulling on the edges of her lips.

His finger went down her neck and followed the edge of her bikini top. Her chest rose with his touch. Heat flowed through her, settling between her legs. She had never been one to have casual sex, but she was not a virgin. Right now, she wanted fulfillment. She tried to tell herself that older men weren’t usually capable of sexual intercourse, but somehow she figured this man was quite capable. His fingers splayed over her breast. And a moan escaped from someplace deep in her throat. She wanted to wrap her legs around his waist and pull him closer to her.

She pushed past him and headed for the stairs. She had to get a grip on her feelings because inside she felt as though she was about to shatter into a million pieces.
He followed her. “Tessa, I’m sorry if I’ve offended you. I meant no harm.”

She turned and touched her fingers to his lips. “We’re adults.”

“Don’t leave. I won’t do it again. But seeing you has awakened something inside of me.”
“Yeah. I know that feeling.” She walked up the stairs and found a towel before turning back to him. “Do you need help getting out?”

“No, not yet. I need to swim some more. I try to swim every morning that I don’t have therapy. You just aren’t here. So to answer your question, yes, I can get in and out by myself.”

She settled onto a chaise lounge and watched him in the water. He was as graceful as a dolphin as he swam lap after lap. She couldn’t help but admire his body. Even his legs had beautiful muscle definition. Inside, she still quaked. There was something about him—something dangerously sexy, and she felt it to her toes.

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Tessa is my first book but it won’t be my last. Tell me what you think is the magic behind finding Mr. Wonderful and what makes him different. If you leave your email address, I’ll toss your name into the hat this month for a $20 gift certificate to Starbucks. The winner will be drawn on Christmas and announced on my blog. http://alibaranauthor.wordpress.com

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I’m young, single, college educated, and looking for Mr. Wonderful. I’m also a minimalist. The less I have, the less I have to clean! Some people save for Christmas, but I save for vacations. I’ll go wherever it’s warm with plenty of sun and water. Some women collect shoes – I collect bathing suits. The last time I counted, I owned forty-two suits. Why do you think I try to stay in shape?

I’ve always been an avid reader and there’s nothing I love more than a sexy romance. My e-reader stays packed with books. By day, I’m tame and conservative, but once I leave work, the real me emerges. I always have a hunky guy calendar hanging over my desk at home. I kept February up until April rolled around. He was just too delicious. Some guys are worth the fantasy. I want a guy in real life who can kiss me and make my toes tingle. So far it hasn’t happened anyplace but in books.

So there you have it. I’m about as exciting as my pet goldfish. The big difference is that I have a computer, a muse, and I know how to use both. I don’t think Goldie gives much thought to having Mr. Golden swim into her life and she’s already got the castle. I believe she’s missing out on a lot of fun!

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And enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card and a 2015 Mouse Pad Calendar in the December drawing.
 
Linda
 

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A Bloody Good Cruise by @DianaLRubino a #fallingintolove read

Diana Rubino is here to tell us about her latest release, A Bloody Good Cruise, a Falling Into Love read, including an interview with her heroine, Mona Rossi.

falling into love buttonThank you for hosting me today, Linda. A Bloody Good Cruise is a fun-filled blend of the vampire world and luxury cruises, starring romance author Mona Rossi and Fausto Silvius, a full-blooded vampire. The popularity of cruises and vampires make it a unique blend, but a very fun setting.

My stories are romances set against a backdrop of political upheaval, court intrigue, poverty general drama of the surroundings, and at times a splash of the paranormal. What I’m trying to get across in my stories is that love can prevail no matter what the conflicts and obstacles, earthly or not.

Coffeetime Romance says in its review, “A Bloody Good Cruise is a high seas adventure with twists and turns around every corner. The lively cast spins non-stop excitement with thrills and enough snags to keep the pages turning.”

I wanted to combine Italian vampires, comedy and cruising in one package, so I hopped on my imaginary ship The Romanza to get my characters in all kinds of trouble. I envisioned the hero, Fausto, as actor Vincent Irizarry (Dr. Hayward on All My Children). That made my job so much easier. He is THE perfect vampire. Italian vampires and hunters (the Vampire Ball Busters) leave the field wide open for comic relief, and I had plenty of chances in this story. Since I’m hooked on cruising and I’m Italian, I didn’t need to do that much research. The name Fausto came from an Italian woman I met in the 1980s, Fausta. I knew I had to use some version of that name in one of my books.

My husband and I are hooked on cruising, and my very first cruise was on the Eastern Mediterranean, beginning in Rome and ending in Istanbul. The ports of call included Rhodes, Cyprus, Santorini, and Egypt. Because I love Italy and cruising, I wanted to combine those passions with a humorous story about vampires and how they face prejudice in the human world.

I met an Italian woman named Fausta in 1983 and always loved that name–I always planned to use that name in one of my books someday. I finally got the chance with the hero Fausto, close enough!

Excerpt:

Mona forced a dose of cheer through her jangly nerves. Vampire hunters wouldn’t have the balls to attack Fausto and his friends on this ship. Security was tight. “Well, you’re here, so does that mean you’ve been going out, and aren’t confined to your house any more?”

Fausto shrugged. “Almost. I couldn’t wallow in self-pity forever. And I knew seeing you would make it worthwhile.”

She smiled and gave him a genuine Italian cheek pinch. “I’ll cheer you up, faccia bella, you can count on that. You must feel safe.” She gestured at the tacky duds. “I mean, relatively speaking.”

“Don’t let this scare you, but –” He glanced around over the rims of his shades. Uh-oh. Whenever he said “don’t let this scare you,” it scared her. “I got an ominous message at the doctor’s office earlier.”

“What—” She swallowed a lump. “What kind of ominous message?”

He looked away, shaking his head. “Nothing to get alarmed about. The hunters just want me to know they’re here. After the initial jolt wore off, I said, ‘okay, I’m being stalked again.’ But I’m used to it. It doesn’t make me constantly look over my shoulder like in the old days. My family’s murder gave me a reality check. If they want me, they’ll get me. I can’t let it interfere with my work, or what little leisure time I have here. And you shouldn’t either.” He gazed at her adoringly and cupped her cheek. His hand was surprisingly warm. “But you’re still scared. All the blood’s drained out of your face, and not in a good way.”

An Interview with Mona Rossi, heroine of A Bloody Good Cruise:

DR: Readers love to know about their favorite heroines, and this is your chance to make them feel close to you. If you have 2 hours free time tonight, what would you rather do? Why?

Soak in my hot tub overlooking the Tuscany Hills with a chilled glass of Gianni Brunelli Brunello di Montalcino Riserva from right there in Tuscany. Fausto bought me a case of this for our one-year anniversary. It’s a deep ruby red with intense aromas of notes of leather and cherry. Upon sipping, you get an astringent taste.

At $389 a bottle, I splurge when I sell a book—then I buy another bottle when the book sales hit the 1,000 copy mark.

But when I can’t be so decadent I drink Beaujolais Nouveau, produced in the Beaujolais region of France. (sorry, Fausto, it’s not
Italian.) It comes out once a year, and goes on sale the third Thursday of November. If you don’t get to a store in time, you can miss out. It sells out fast. Distributors deliver it to stores at 12:01 a.m. local time. I’ve seen people in line waiting for it. I’d do that for a Springsteen concert, but not for a bottle of wine!

Yes, I’m a Springsteen fan, and that’s something else I’d do with two free hours—go to one of his shows or blast his CDs and dance like crazy. But along with the wine, I’d have Sinatra or Dean Martin playing in the background, with a vanilla candle. And if I’m feeling indulgent, I’ll bring three white chocolate truffles, and eat them fast so they don’t melt.

DR: What kind of books do you love to read? Why?

The same kind of romances I write—suspense, where the heroine gets into one mess after another. I read out loud, it improves my diction for when I speak at writers’ conferences. I also like to browse cookbooks. I take a snapshot of the recipe in my head, then go and improvise.

My favorite author is Linda Howard. She writes such pulse-pounding suspense. And I know this sounds hokey, but when I met Fausto, I began reading Anne Rice. Fausto and his family aren’t the same kinds of vampires she writes about, but it gave me some perspective. To me, the original book Dracula, by Bram Stoker, was scary as hell. But I do consider it one of my favorite books because it was so innovative. I never believed in vampires before that book, and look where I am now!

I like to go to Goodreads to seek out new titles. I don’t read the reader reviews, though. Too many of them have misled me. I just read the book summary and make up my own mind.

DR: What is your stress buster?

A Pilates class or watching my favorite shows while working out on the elliptical trainer—I watch comedy working out, certainly not the news—I want to bust stress, not increase it. I have DVDs of some classic sitcoms: I Love Lucy, The Dick Van Dyke Show, All in the Family, Seinfeld—and some live standup: Joan Rivers, Phyllis Diller, Richard Pryor, the pioneers, the greats. No comedians working the clubs today come close to those legends.

Moving for an hour to comedy—or music—is the best way to relieve stress and work it all off. When not on the elliptical, I’ll get out my iPod, close the door, pull the shades and torch some calories dancing to my cardio mix—a scientifically engineered mix of songs that burn 450 calories—one of my warm up songs is Scream by Usher, one sprint song is Pump It by Black Eyed Peas, a recover song is Goin’ In by J.Lo, and a cool down song is Halo by Beyoncé.

DR: What is your favorite food? What food do you seek when you’re sad, sort of a comfort food?

Cheesecake made with cottage cheese—it’s healthy and low fat, and tastes every bit as good as ‘real’ cheesecake but much lighter. I also make honey balls, “Struffoli” which is a Christmas treat, but I make them year round. I added the recipe below. Every morning I make a healthy smoothie with almond milk, coconut milk, yogurt, either spinach or kale, cinnamon, and protein powder. If I use chocolate powder, I also add peanut butter. You can’t even taste the spinach or kale, but it does turn the smoothie green. I also do some creative things to oatmeal—top it with cinnamon or nutmeg. I make it with a green tea bag instead of plain water for a healthy boost.

DR: Describe yourself in one word.

Determined.

DR: What is the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?

Being turned—but it was a matter of life and death. I trusted Fausto with my life, and here I am.

DR: What makes you happy/sad/disappointed/frustrated/hopeful/angry? (Pick one)

What makes me angry is intolerance. After I went through with Fausto and his family, I saw first-hand what someone different must go through to gain acceptance. I’m trying to change that by giving talks about vampires, explaining who we really are, so someday prejudice against us—and anyone else the ‘majority’ deems ‘different’ will be an ugly thing of the past.

DR: What are your wildest dreams/fantasies/kinks/quirks?

My wildest dream is to live a week in Ancient Rome, as a Senator’s mistress.

DR: What do you most want out of life, and what’s its opposite?

I most want social acceptance and its opposite is to disappear in the crowd, to be an ordinary citizen.

DR: What would you never say, do or think?

I’d never insult someone just to show I’m better or smarter.
I’d never let anyone boss me around.
I’d never think I’m inferior to anyone because of my new status as a vampire.

DR: What are some of your faults?

I’m too assertive at times. I still worry about what people think of me. I overcompensate to get them to accept and like me. I make a mess after cooking and don’t clean it up right away. This drives Fausto nuts. He’s a neat freak. Another fault that also drives him nuts is that I put off going to the doctor. We’ve been granted eternal life, but we do have to get checkups along the way!

A Bloody Good Cruise is available in: Kindle Version and paperback.

I’m a longtime a member of Romance Writers of America, the Richard III Society and the Aaron Burr Association.

Please visit me at www.dianarubino.com, www.facebook.com/dianarubinoauthor
Blog: www.dianarubino.author.blogspot.com
and on Twitter @DianaLRubino

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Thanks, Diana. Mona is quite an interesting character!

Leave a comment below for Diana, and don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card and a 2015 Mouse Pad Calendar.

Linda / Lyndi

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