Blog Archives

Exposed To Passion

10/29/2014

Exposed To Passion (Five Senses Series Book #3)
Gemma Brocato

They walked through the shadows individually. Will they emerge into the light together?

Leading a vagabond life as a curator for a traveling photography exhibit translates to a lot of bad days for Rikki Salerno. But her trouble doubles when a careless high school student shoves her into a marsh. Being rescued by teacher Sam Kerrigan should have made things better, but Rikki’s inability to confess her true identity casts a shadow over their budding affair.

When Sam refuses an overly aggressive parent’s marriage proposal, she’s determined to ruin him. Not only does she doctor photos to make it look like Sam’s behaved inappropriately in front of students, she hacks the foundation website to reveal Rikki’s true identity. Faster than the blink of a shutter, Rikki’s focus changes from pursuing her full-color future to the black and white necessity of clearing Sam’s name.

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

iTunes

Kensington

Peek inside the book!

        Rikki dragged her eyes from his profile and turned her attention out the front window. “Oh, Sam, it’s perfect.”
        Obligingly, Sam stopped the truck to let her take pictures. She adjusted the brightness setting, snapped another couple of shots, then dropped the camera into her lap.
       “I’d love to see this at dawn. Do you know how haunting this would be in a low-light setting?” She fidgeted in her seat, battling her muse’s demand to pick up her camera again. The images she’d captured so far were sufficient. She’d known the second she took the best photo from that vantage point. She’d bet her favorite camera it was the way a baseball player knew a ball would soar out of the park the second the bat connected. Adrenaline spread through her like spiders, creeping and crawling through her chest and along her arms.
       Sam put the truck back in gear and eased forward into a parking spot. “I brought wood so we can make a campfire over here, under the trees. The best spot for us to set up our camera equipment will be there, along the riverbank.” He lifted his hand from the steering wheel and gestured toward a flat, sandy section of land. “There is nothing overhead to mar the focus. Unless you see a better location...”
        “I’ll look around, but the riverbank makes the most sense. It’s flat, and as long as it’s solid, should be good.” She flashed back to the spit of land where they’d met, when the bank hadn’t been stable enough to keep her from tumbling into the water. “I’ll unload the equipment if you start the fire.”
        “Deal.”
        Putting his shoulder to the door, he paused, appeared to think better of it, then twisted toward her. Desire changed his eyes to steamy, mesmerizing cobalt. Leaning across the center of the truck, he lifted a hand to her cheek and urged her lips toward his. His mouth, soft and warm, possessed hers, shortening her breath. After a brief moment, he deepened the kiss, opening his mouth on hers, demanding more. Without hesitation, she responded, welcoming the intrusion of his tongue and plunged her fingers through his hair, pulling him closer.
        Sliding his hand down her arm, he cradled her wrist, then pulled her hand to rest along his chest. His heart thumped violently, racing, echoing her speeding pulse. His lips curled into a smile. He laced his fingers through hers and pressed, flattening both against his body. The warmth of his hand, the rhythmic thud of his heart, and the sensuous insistence of his lips rocked her. It changed mere passion into something more enduring.
        The loud blare of a horn interrupted the brief interlude. Sam jumped away from her, disentangling their fingers, pink staining his cheeks. Moving his hands to his lap, he attempted to hide the evidence of their steamy kiss from the group of students pulling into the spot next to his truck.

Gemma on the spot!

Hi Jen, Thanks so much for inviting me to visit your blog today. I’m eager to share a little about me and my new release, Exposed To Passion, with your followers.

How long does it take you to find the right title for your book?
It depends on the book. The first novel I ever wrote had three names before I settled on the current title. Of course, that book is still under the bed collecting dust. Typically, by the time I’ve finished a book, I’ve decided on a title.

How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
I’m currently working on my fifth full-length novel. I’ve also written two novellas which I plan to self pub in November. As far as a favorite, I know you really are supposed to have one (just like you aren’t supposed to have favorite children), but I have to say my current fav is Exposed To Passion. I love this book so much. To be honest, even after all the editing rounds and galley proofs, I was still in love with the book. I never once got tired of it. Truthfully, I’m looking forward to reading it again during release week. This is a tradition I started with the first book I published and have continued.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your book?
I chose to write in the contemporary romance genre because I’m lazy and don’t want to do extensive research. But each book requires a certain amount of fact checking and study. This book required me to find out about photography, bullies and teen suicide. Looking up information about bullying and what makes a teen suicidal was absolutely heart breaking. I can’t even begin to imagine the psychological damage incurred when one person willingly, ruthlessly inflicts pain on another.

Do you have any writing quirks?
I don’t know if you’d consider it quirk, but I have a ritual of sorts. I write best when I have scented candles burning and I’m playing some kind of ambient or new age music. I find it difficult to write when I have music with lyrics on, unless it’s in a foreign language.

Fly that geek flag high! What is it you're currently obsessing over in the book, tv show, or movie world?
I’m a massive Walking Dead fanatic. I count down the days until the next season starts, I’ve researched how to survive in a Zombie apocalypse and I’ve taken numerous quizzes to find out how long I’d actually be able to live in a world like that one (13 months - which I think is a long time). I’ve even created meme of the characters to use on my Facebook page. And I might have a crush on a certain dirty hillbilly. It’s official, I’m obsessed.

Gemma Brocato

Gemma's favorite desk accessories for many years were a circular wooden token, better known as a 'round tuit,' and a slip of paper from a fortune cookie proclaiming her a lover of words; some day she'd write a book. All it took was a transfer to the United Kingdom, the lovely English springtime, and a huge dose of homesickness to write her first novel. Once it was completed and sent off with a kiss, even the rejections addressed to 'Dear Author' were gratifying.

After returning to America, she spent a number of years as a copywriter, dedicating her skills to making insurance and the agents who sell them sound sexy. Eventually, her full-time job as a writer interfered with her desire to be a writer full-time and she left the world of financial products behind to pursue an avocation as a romance author.

Also By Gemma Brocato:
Cooking Up Love
Hearts In Harmony

Website

Goodreads

Facebook

Twitter

Wattpad

Google +

Rafflecopter Giveaway!

Rafflecopter Giveaway for one US Winner Only. Runs 10/20/2014 - 11/20/2104
One Digital Copy of Exposed To Passion, One Leather Brighton London Flat Pouch, Assorted Picture Frames, $25 Amazon Gift Card, $15 Starbucks Gift Card. For one US Winner only. Prize package valued at $185.00

a Rafflecopter giveaway

3 Comments

Ya gotta have Faith!

10/22/2014

2 Comments

The Construction of a heroine...

Creating a heroine is tricky, and for a while I struggled with the heroine of In the Dark. It seems like there's a lot of pressure to produce a strong, fully capable woman. While I enjoy those type of characters, and have written several, dropping that kind of woman into my hero's life would not make him a better man in the end. So, who was she? The only vision I had of her was this perfectly normal woman with long, dark hair and a slinky black turtleneck. The two specific details did not make a heroine. She was still a mystery...as most woman are, right? I needed to know why she ended up in Paris and how she would react to the hero, and to being thrown into a city of vampires. To understand those intricacies of her thought process, I needed to know her name.

Finding Faith

Names have meanings, social stigmas, expectations. A huge part of your personality is your name. You know those people that hate their names and choose another? They don't do it to disrespect their parents, but because their name doesn't fit them. When you hear the name Vivian it portrays a vivacious woman. Can you picture Vivien Leigh in Gone With The Wind? True, not everyone fits the expectation, but it's that instant impression of a name that is so important when there is no physical person standing before you, only a description from a book floating around in your head. The heroine of In the Dark? She has no choice but to trust the hero, and because of their unique situation, he must also put a great deal of trust in her. Blind trust is having faith. The true heroine of In the Dark? Faith.

Faith is Everything

Faith is her hero's match, his other half. Sure, she has a stubborn streak and insists on wearing the turtleneck he hates, but her patience allows her to step back and process her circumstances realistically. She's been thrown into a unique culture, and because she has a perceptive understanding of the hero, she trusts him to guide her through what must now become her new life in an underground city of vampires. In return, the hero trusts Faith not to run away, as it could endanger the entire city.

Faith is not simply the heroine, she's the reader's window into this fantastic vampire city. If not for her human perspective, you might not easily acclimate to a society of vampires.

2 Comments

Kyra Jacobs - Flirting With Fire

10/8/2014

2 Comments

Please welcome Indiana author, Kyra Jacobs. I have read Armed With Steele and Flirting With Fire, and jumped at the chance to share her book and ask her some questions that, to be honest, I want to know.

Flirting With Fire

Look, touch, but don’t fall in love.

Massage therapist Liz Williams lives by one rule: never date a client. A rule she’s never had trouble following until she lays hands on fireman playboy Torrunn MacKay. Trouble is, Liz’s sexy new client is dating her arch-rival at work…and has a strange habit of appearing just before the fire alarm sounds.

Firefighter Torrunn MacKay has got it made: killer job, downtown condo with a view, and hot blonde girlfriend with no more desire to tie the knot than he has. But the surprise attraction he feels toward his new masseuse is threatening to change all that. And what’s with the string of fires that seem to follow her everywhere?

Can Liz mind her table manners and keep Torrunn at arms’ length? Will Torrunn put his commitment fears aside to keep Liz safe? More than hearts will be in jeopardy when the two start Flirting with Fire.

CONTENT WARNING: Beware of darkened rooms, delicious firefighters, and desperate pyromaniacs.

Buy on Amazon!

Goodreads

Kyra Jacobs answers some tough questions!

When you write the beginning, do you know the end?
Great question! I always think I do…then my characters drag me down a variety of paths during story development. Sometimes we end up where I thought we would, other times we end up in an even better place.

Do you have any writing quirks?
I need quiet to write. Some people can tune noise out, or type to music, but not me. Which is probably why I do most of my writing before/after the kids are in bed. ;-)

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your book?
As I was writing Flirting With Fire, I discovered that my main character Liz and I share a personality flaw: we’re both what I call “relational liars”—sometimes we hold back our true feelings to keep the peace. It’s a trait both Liz and I are now working to overcome…

How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
I have four completed manuscripts. Two published romantic suspense books, one YA novel “simmering” until I can get back to it, and one contemporary romance that I’m shopping to find a publishing home for now. (In fact, you can read the first chapter of that one here: http://www.soyouthinkyoucanwrite.com/manuscripts-sytycw-2014/a-change-of-plans/ ). I’ve also got two other books in the works at the moment.

My favorite? Now that’s a tough question. They each hold a special place in my heart. But I think my favorite completed novel so far is the one I’m shopping around now. It’s the first time I’ve written in 3rd person him/her, and I had a blast getting into Brent Masterson’s head.

Fly that geek flag high! What is it you're currently obsessing over in the book, tv show, or movie world?
Oh, wow, tough question. Hmm. Well, as far as TV goes, my hubby and I have gotten sucked into the Game of Thrones series on HBO. It’s terribly addictive, even though I sit with my hands over my eyes through more and more of it as the seasons go on. LOL Book and movie-wise, though, I’m going through a Cassandra Clare and the Mortal Instruments phase. I devoured those books, and love how she seems to effortlessly paint the imagery of her worlds. I’ve moved on to the Infernal Devices prequel series now, and look forward to whatever her next series will be.

What drew your focus to men in uniform?
That’s a good question, because I really don’t know. I must have some deep-buried, secret attraction to them or something. Heck, who doesn’t? ;-) Seriously, though, when my first novel (Armed With Steele) featured a local patrolman, it was truly more out of convenience to the story than anything. I needed a way for the main character, Jessica Hartley, to get to the bottom of a near-fatal accident her best friend was in. In the early drafts, I had so much fun writing the scenes between Jessica and patrolman Nate Steele that I adjusted the story to fit them better.

Then when I began toying with the next book, I knew Liz Williams was going to be a massage therapist. And I loved the image of something imminent disrupting one of her sessions, and her client having to scramble naked off the table. And what better an excuse than a fire alarm going off? So, again, a matter of convenience for fireman Torrunn MacKay’s profession.

Now that I’ve written those two stories, though, I do find myself drooling over our local men in uniform a little more often than I used to. Perhaps the books “opened my eyes” to all I was missing. ;-)

Ok, so a policeman, a fireman, and...what's next?
Would you believe a sewer worker? At least, that’s what the story might lead you to believe…

Thanks so much for having me over for a visit today, Jen!
~Kyra Jacobs

All about Kyra Jacobs and where to find her!

Kyra Jacobs is an extroverted introvert who writes of love and mystery in the Midwest. When this Hoosier native is not pounding out scenes for her next book, she's likely outside, elbow-deep in snapdragons or spending quality time with her sports-loving family. Kyra also loves golf, Guitar Hero, and thinking through plot twists while out on a good run. Be sure to stop by her website www.KyraJacobs.wordpress.com for links to connect with her on social media. Kyra lives in northern Indiana with her husband and two children.