Saturday, April 30, 2016

Patrick's Charm: Book 2, The Bride Train by E.E. Burke


Miss Charm LaBelle is on the run from her stifling past and while she has joined the bride train, she has no intention of actually marrying. Instead, Charm prefers to entertain in Mr. Patrick O'Shea's Saloon. The singer/actress will do what she must to survive and remain hidden from her secret past, even if it means her reputation be tarnished by working in the saloon.

Hard working Patrick O'Shea is quite content with the status quo at his establishment. Hoping to add some entertainment to bring in some more money, the consummate bachelor sets out to find ladies to do the job, only when Charm LaBelle appears on his doorstep she completely discombobulates the saloon owner. The minute that Charm leaps into his waiting arms his time is up, now all he has to do is convince the relationship shy woman that a union between the two would not only be beneficial for them both, but quite a passionate ride.

Patrick's Charm, Book 2 in the Bride Train series by E.E. Burke is a wonderful continuation of this innovative theme. The ladies who arrived on the bride train together come from all walks of life and even though they end up in the same time and place, they each have their own special story to tell. This story, as well as the prequel and the first book are very enjoyable reads and I do recommend them as Ms. Burke has so carefully spun these tales and each one is a treasure.


~KIMBERLY~

Friday, April 29, 2016

LONE HEART PASS By New York Times Bestselling Author Jodi Thomas

LONE HEART PASS
By New York Times Bestselling Author
Jodi Thomas
With a career and a relationship in ruins, Jubilee Hamilton is left reeling from a fast fall to the bottom. The run-down Texas farm she's inherited is a far cry from the second chance she hoped for, but it and the abrasive foreman she's forced to hire are all she's got. 
Every time Charley Collins has let a woman get close, he's been burned. So Lone Heart ranch and the contrary woman who owns it are merely a means to an end, until Jubilee tempts him to take another risk—to stop resisting the attraction drawing them together despite all his hard-learned logic. 
Desperation is all young Thatcher Jones knows. And when he finds himself mixed up in a murder investigation, his only protection is the shelter of a man and woman who—just like him—need someone to trust.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
A fifth-generation Texan, JODI THOMAS sets the majority of her novels in her home state. Thomas is a marriage and family counselor by education, with a background that enables her to write about family dynamics. Honored in 2002 as a Distinguished Alumni by Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Thomas enjoys interacting with students on the West Texas A & M University campus, where she currently serves as Writer in Residence. When not working on a novel or inspiring students to pursue a writing career, Thomas enjoys traveling with her husband, Tom, renovating a historic home they bought in Amarillo, and "checking up" on their two grown sons.

LONE HEART PASS
By Jodi Thomas
HQN Books; April 26, 2016
$7.99; 384 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0-373-78921-4

THE #BOC ASKS JODI THOMAS

What is the biggest thing that people THINK they know about your genre that isn’t so?

I’ve won four RITA’s for best in my genre at RWA.  People think I know some kind of secret, but I don’t.  I just write a book that I’d like to read and I’m lucky that others enjoy it.

I think some people think to write a novel that you have to have billionaires and perfect characters.  I’ve always thought those of us who are not perfect can fall in love just as deeply.

What is the most important thing that people DON’T know about your genre that they need to know?

That an original plot that captures the reader’s heart will always be the book that stays on the reader’s shelf to read again.

What are some of the day jobs you have held?

I worked my way through college checking groceries and working in the library.  I’ve taught school, done rape crisis counseling, run a museum gift shop.  When I was growing up my parents ran a small hotel and I worked there weekends and holidays from school.

Are you a full time or part time writer? How does that affect your writing?

I learned years ago that I need interaction with people to write, so most of my writing life I’ve had some kind of part-time job.  For the past 12 years I’ve served as Writer in Residence at West Texas A&M University in a small town about 20 miles from my home.  Three or four days a week I go to the office.  When I started I had to define my job.  So, I keep about 6 hours a week of ‘open office time’ so students or people in the community can come up.  I also take a couple of interns each semester.

I think this keeps me up on the markets and helps writers starting out.

How do you feel about e books vs print books and alternative vs conventional publishing?

The up side is so many books are getting out there.  The down side, as I see it, is that many writers are jumping into the game before they are ready.  Their writing isn’t polished enough or they haven’t taken the time to learn the markets in alternative publishing.  So they get frustrated and quit. The great writer that might have been stops or worse stops growing.

I think the solution is, no matter which way you go in publishing, learn your market and step in as a professional.  I believe in this so strongly that I volunteer a week of my time in June at the WTAMU Writing Academy.  Hundreds of books, both alternative and conventional, have been published by our students.

How do you make time to write?

I love writing but some days it’s late before I climb the stairs to my office.  I sometimes think being tired is for me like whiskey was for Hemingway.  I step into the story and the midnight hours pass lost in my story.  I rarely turn my computer on before noon.  I started writing after I put my kids to sleep.  They’re grown but my most creative time is in moonlight.

What projects are you working on at present?

I’m working on my next RANSOM CANYON story, no. 5,  It often takes me a month to write the first few chapters and then I fly.  I think it’s all about getting to know my characters.

On one board in my study is the next series.  Note cards of all colors fill the space.  Starting a series is a very messy process.

Why did you choose to write in your genre?

That’s an easy one.  I write what I love to read.
I picked Texas as my background because I know the people.  Texas if full of wild, loving, interesting, crazy folks and some days I think about a third of them are related to me.

Who are some of your favorite authors that you feel were influential in your writing? What impact did they have on your writing?

I never like to answer this because the list is so long and just around the corner will be a new author that will be my favorite.
Two authors who influenced my writing are Debbie Macomber and Robyn Carr.  Debbie, who has written so many wonderful books, said she loved mine and that went a long way in helping me believe in myself.  Robyn interviewed my in Vegas and said, “write a series, Jodi!  No one wants your stories to end with one book.”  So I did.

Is there a particular book you really struggled with?

Some are hard births, some are easy, but in the end, when I send them off, I love them all.

Thursday, April 28, 2016

BOOK OBSESSED CHICKS CHEERLEADERS FOR ROMANCE PRESENTS AUTHOR E.E. BURKE





Hello to all of you awesome #BOC followers. I am so happy to have you stop by to check out my latest feature. Please welcome author E.E. Burke, who not only writes some pretty awesome books, but she also blogs and helps promote other authors. Her generosity is what grabbed me and her wonderful personality has kept me. I consider her to be a friend, and I hope she feels the same way! 




Hi there and thanks for being so gracious about answering some questions for the Book Obsessed Chicks blog…. I picked you because you are an amazing advocate for the romance genre and you make a difference.

Please tell us a bit about yourself…

Here’s a bio:
E.E. Burke is an award-winning author of sexy and heartwarming historical romance featuring emotionally complex characters in settings rich with historical detail. Her latest series of sweet romances, The Bride Train, features a cast of unusual characters thrown together through a misguided bride lottery. Steam! Romance and Rails is a sexy series that follows the lives of dangerous men and daring women caught up in a cutthroat railroad competition. Think "Hell On Wheels"...with happier endings. Her novella, Victoria, Bride of Kansas, is part of the unprecedented American Mail-Order Brides Series penned by forty-five top Western romance authors. Victoria, Bride of Kansas reached #1 in Victorian and Western Romance and #4 in Historical Romance on Amazon's top sellers lists. E.E., also known as Elisabeth, has earned accolades in regional and national contests, including the RWA's prestigious Golden Heart®. Over the years, she’s been a disc jockey, a journalist and an advertising executive, before finally getting around to living the dream--writing stories readers can get lost in.

When did you fall in love with the romance genre?
I started reading romance when my grandmother gave me a book by Kathleen Woodiwiss, The Flame and The Flower. From that point on, it was true love. I couldn’t get enough of the romance genre. For years, I spent more on books than I did on clothes!

What made you decide to help spread the word about romance?
Hmm. Not sure. I’ve been a romance fan for many years and have shared books with friends, I would say I’ve always spread the word, so to speak. In 2010, I was a finalist in the RWA’s Golden Heart contest. Several other finalists that year started a blog for the purpose of sharing our love of romance with readers. Get Lost in a Story has been spreading the word about romance ever since.

Who are your favorite authors?
That’s a tough one! Even though I write primarily historical romance, I’m an eclectic reader. Also, I’ve had so many “favorites” through the years I can’t possibly list them all. I’ll share a few authors who have influenced me in a major way.
Mark Twain. His book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been on my Top 10 list since junior high. He’s considered America’s first novelist. I love the way he captures the culture of 19th century America so well through his quirky characters, his ear for dialog and his sharp wit. Speaking of favorite historical authors, David McCullough is at the top of the list. Just about anything he writes, I’ll read. His book, John Adams, remains one of my favorite biographies. OK, I’m a history geek, as if you can’t tell by now. The father/son duo Michael and Jeff Shaara wrote a series on the Civil War that blends history and fiction seamlessly, and their marvelous storytelling inspired me to weave real history and historical characters into my romance novels.
Other historical authors who’ve inspired me…
Paulette Jiles , Enemy Women; John Jakes, North and South; Charles Frazier, Cold Mountain;  Larry McMurtrey, Lonesome Dove; Charles Portis, True Grit; Louisa Mae Alcott, Little Women; Laura Engles Wilder, Little House Collection; Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind.
On the romance side, I’ve been inspired by so many authors, having read hundreds of romance novels. One author in particular who has been a big inspiration is Jill Marie Landis. I began reading her work back when she published her first novel, Sunflower. She’s a master at creating deeply emotional stories and has taught me so much about deepening the emotion in my writing.  Interestingly enough, she points to LaVyrle Spencer as a big influence--also one of my all-time favorites and a big influence. Other favorites/major influencers with their historical romances include Julie Garwood, Johanna Lindsey, Jody Thomas, Lorraine Heath, Susan Wiggs, Lisa Kleypas, Laura Kinsale, Teresa Medeiros, Francine Rivers, Jude Deveraux…barely scratching the surface here…

Do you have any advice for others who want to be romance cheerleaders?
Just get out there and start talking about romances you enjoy or authors you’ve discovered. Reach out and ask authors if you can interview them. They’ll be delighted by your interest!

What new books have you been shouting out about lately?
Besides my new series, you mean? ;)
Well, let’s see… I’ve been following Rosanne Bittner’s Outlaw Hearts series. The second book, Do Not Forsake Me, was nominated for Best Historical Novel for 2015 by RT Magazine. She has a third book in the series, Love’s Sweet Revenge, coming out in September.  This series is so special because Rosanne wrote the first book more than twenty years ago (which is when I first read it). Then she wrote the sequel about this special couple, older now and with a family, and has turned it into an incredible saga. Moreover, this series has introduced new readers to Rosanne’s books and reignited her career. It gives me chill bumps every time I think about it.
Another historical romance I’m shouting out is Linda Broday’s Forever a Texas Bride. This is the third and last in her Bachelors of Battle Creek series, and it’s a fabulous ending, and probably my favorite of all three books. The hero and heroine really have to fight (in this case, literally) for their HEA.

What do you do when you’re not shouting out about great books?
I write, of course!  And read in between.

 Do you have any suggestions for must-reads this month?
Are you a conference attendee? Which ones?
Yes, once a year I go to a national conference, usually RWA or RT. When I can work it out, I enjoy regional conferences. Georgia Romance Writers does a wonderful conference, Moonlight and Magnolias, which I highly recommend.
What does your family think about your love of romance?
Sadly, I’m the only romance fan in my family. This breaks my heart.

Where can readers and authors find you?
Best way to keep up, sign up for my newsletter. You’ll get a free book just for signing up! http://bit.ly/SteamFreeBook
PLEASE send me a friend request on my Facebook Friend Page: https://www.facebook.com/EEBurkeAuthor
Twitter: @author_eeburke
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorEEBurke/



Your Top 10 in Romance  
This is so hard to answer because my top list is SO much longer than 10. I’ll give you ten that come to mind as books on my keeper shelf that I go back to time and again because I just love the stories.
Years, LaVyrle Spencer
Nobody’s Darling, Teresa Medeiros
A Knight in Shining Armor, Jude Deveraux
Lord of Scoundrels, Loretta Chase
The Prince of Midnight, Laura Kinsale
The Devil in Winter, Lisa Kleypas
The Prize, Julie Garwood
Redeeming Love, Francine Rivers
Come Spring, Jill Marie Landis

The Tender Texan, Jody Thomas


`                                              



Monday, April 25, 2016

STEPHANIE'S REVIEW OF ~Going All the Way (Knights of Passion Book 1) by Megan Ryder




When a one night stand becomes a little complicated.
Stacia has been under her fathers foot for her whole life. So when she realizes just how much her father favors politics to his own blood she is destroyed emotionally. But she refuses to let her fathers betrayal keep her from her job. So she decides to have one wild night of being the complete opposite of herself and then get back to the real world in which she now has a job with a baseball team.
Jason is finally getting his life back on track although he won't be on the team he really wants to be on. But will he be able to keep his new job or will his past and his own problems make it so that he will not be able to continue playing baseball. He has been betrayed numerous times so when a women comes up to him asking for a no strings attached one night stand he's hesitant but the chemistry between them is off the charts.
This was an amazing romance that will not let you put the book down. I definitely recommend this for romance lovers.


~STEPHANIE LECA~

Sunday, April 24, 2016

AMY'S REVIEW OF ~Dilemma In Yellow Silk (The Emperors of London #5) by Lynne Connolly ~



Viola Gates grew up as the daughter of the estate manager to Lord Malton, Marcus, and has lived a content life in the country, playing and growing up with Marcus and his siblings. She always adored Marcus but knew he was just a dream for her. 
When it is discovered that old rumors surrounding Viola’s lineage are actually true, her life and the lives of those she loves are put in danger. She is not just the daughter of a lowly land steward but is actually linked by birth to the Stuart kings and there are many people who wish to do her harm. 
When Marcus realizes the threat to Viola, he knows he must keep her safe. She was always his friend, but the thought of her being in danger makes Marcus realize he has always felt more than friendship where Viola is concerned. The best way to keep her safe is to marry her. Together, they can determine who their enemies are and secure their chance at love. 
I absolutely loved this book. It is filled with history, intrigue, suspense, humor, and lots of passion. I had previously read Ms. Connolly’s novel Dreaming of Waterloo and knew I had to read more by this amazing author. Her historical knowledge has no end and the way she combines history and passion is spectacular. I am definitely going to go back to the beginning of this series and I am hoping a future book in the series will be about Darius (hint hint to Ms. Connolly :)


 A Book Obsessed Chicks Review Team Selection


~AMY COMPTON~

Saturday, April 23, 2016

AMY'S REVIEW OF CHERRY POP (Mercury Rising Series) by SAMANTHA KANE




As an employee and friend of Brian Curland, Ben Heston came to Mercury to help get Turnstiles business ventures up and running. Coming out of an 8 year relationship, Ben welcomes the change of scenery. Even though it's just temporary. 
Tripp Lanier is a Mercury native helping run his family's construction business. When he meets Ben, he can't explain his instant attraction but he knows he wants to pursue a relationship with him. But Ben thinks this is just a phase for Tripp and that eventually he'll figure that out. Besides, Ben doesn't plan to stay around, does he?
This Mercury series gets better with every book. Ben and Tripp’s story was every bit as wonderful as the others in this series. Ben has just come out of a long relationship with a man 20 years his senior. He was dumped when his boyfriend found someone more appealing. He’s completely out of his element in Mercury where people have names like Junior, drink Cheerwine, and where fishing is a competitive sport. But this town and the people are getting to him. Especially Tripp, who unashamedly accepts his attraction to and feelings for Ben. But Tripp reminds Ben of himself 8 years ago. He doesn’t want to see Tripp end up hurt like he was. And what about his plans for LA? A relationship with Tripp has too many strings attached. But as Tripp so eloquently put it, “maybe those strings don’t drag you back, but anchor you”. 
As with all the books in this series, Cherry Pop is full of romance, humor, and real characters. There were several funny moments throughout. Tripp’s friend Luke was absolutely hysterical with his thoughts on being gay. I couldn’t stop laughing when he demanded that Tripp become “ungayed”. 
In addition to the humor, there is some really thought provoking dialogue as well. The characters in this series say such profound things. I think Samantha Kane needs to moonlight as a motivational speaker or self -help author! But seriously, I love the dialogue in this whole series. It really helps you get to know the characters on a deeper level. Samantha Kane has such a talent for crafting compelling characters through their thoughts and conversations. 
And lastly, the romance. Watching Ben and Tripp’s relationship evolve was wonderful. I loved that they really got to know one another and form a bond instead of just jumping into the physical. Of course, when they did get to the physical, it was STEAMY!!!!!!!
While Cherry Pop can be read as a stand- alone, I suggest starting this series from the beginning. You really don’t want to miss out on meeting all the people in the town of Mercury. 
A Book Obsessed Chicks Review Team Selection.

~AMY COMPTON~

Monday, April 18, 2016

RELEASE DAY BLISS: Joann Review's ~Caught Up In RAINE by L.G. O'Connor ~

Caught Up in RAINE
A Novel by L.G. O’Connor

Collins-Young Publishing Ÿ April 2016
ISBN: 978-0-990738-12-1 (Trade Paperback) Ÿ $16.95
ISBN: 978-0-990738-15-2 (eBook) Ÿ $3.99

Usually, I am not a contemporary reader but this book changed my mind. 

Ms. O'Connor has given her characters such depth and appeal you can never forget them. Both Raine and Jillian come to life from the pages they are strong and damaged. The age difference becomes a brief factor for Jillian but never for Raine. 

Raine is matured beyond his 24 years having suffered at the hands of an abusive father. Jillian has lost so many people in her life she has given up on happiness and love. 

In reading this book for me the age difference 18 years was never a factor but I interpreted as the strength they both needed. The twists and turns in the story to bring it to a full circle are exquisitely done by this author. I would highly recommend this book and look forward to the two upcoming sequels.


~JOANN MAGGIO~

Publication Date: April 18, 2016
Media Inquiries | Interview and Excerpt Requests
Contact: Kim Miller, Nancy Berland Public Relations | Publicist
 April Eberhardt, AE Literary | Agent
L.G. O’Connor | Author


Caught Up in RAINE by L.G. O’Connor
An unforgettable debut in romantic women’s fiction, Caught Up in RAINE captures the struggle of a woman who must reconcile guilt from her past with the promise of a future as her life intersects with a much younger man who offers her a second chance to get “caught up” in love on her road to redemption.


“Don’t judge a book by its cover model”
Forty-two and widowed, romance writer Jillian Grant believes hospitals equal death. Plagued by loss and convinced more is imminent when her aunt ends up in critical condition after heart surgery; she has come to equate the absence of pain with happiness. When she spots a hot, young landscaper working on the hospital grounds with an eerie resemblance to the male lead in her next novel, she convinces him to pose as her cover model.
Working multiple jobs to put himself through college, twenty-four-year-old Raine MacDonald is no stranger to loss. Behind his handsome face and rockin’ body lies family tragedy and agonizing secrets. When circumstances put him back in the path of his abusive father, fate delivers Jillian as his unwitting savior. Thing is, when he thinks of her, his thoughts are far from platonic.

Despite their age difference, Jillian and Raine discover they’re more alike than they could ever imagine. But torn between facing her own fears and grasping a chance at happiness, Jillian makes a soul-shattering decision that threatens to blow their world apart.

Distributed by Ingram, CAUGHT UP IN RAINE is available in both Trade Paperback and eBook formats and can be purchased wherever fine books are sold.

For more information visit: www.caughtupinraine.com




About the Author:

L.G. O’Connor is a member of the Romance Writers of America. A corporate strategy, branding, and marketing executive for a Fortune 250 company, she writes adult paranormal and contemporary romance. Caught Up in RAINE is the first romantic women’s fiction novel in her Caught Up in Love series. She is also the author of the four-book urban fantasy / paranormal romance series The Angelorum Twelve Chronicles. The third full length novel in that series, Book of Four Rings, is set to launch in 2016. L.G. lives a life of adventure, navigating her way through dog toys and soccer balls. When she’s feeling particularly brave, she enters the kitchen . . .

Find & Follow L.G. O’Connor Online:

Twitter: @lgoconnor1
Book site: www.caughtupinraine.com



Q&A with LG O’Connor, author of Caught Up in RAINE

1. Why do you write what you write?
LGO: Great question! I’ve been an avid reader my entire life, and have read everything from classics to pulp. Being a fast reader, I’ve never let the size of a book deter me. If anything, the bigger the better as long as the story is good and the characters are engaging. I read to escape with characters I can love, and for that profound ‘something’ the leaves me with a book hangover when I’m finished. I try to write with the same things in mind, and since I like to stick with characters for a little while, I’m drawn to series. But when it gets down to it, I write books that I want to read.
2. Given that you are still in the middle of writing an epic Urban Fantasy / Paranormal Romance series that won’t be fully released until mid-2017, what inspired you to switch genres midstream and write a romantic women’s fiction novel?
LGO: Funny, I didn’t choose to be a writer, it chose me. The same thing happened with this story. The first chapter in CUIR was inspired by something that actually happened to me, and became the impetus for writing the book.
Late on a Friday afternoon in August 2013, I made a trip to the hospital to see my childhood friend’s father who had emergency heart surgery. Just like Vera, he was eighty-two years old. I’d known him my entire life, and loved him like an uncle. When I arrived—having just completed a dialysis treatment—he was fast asleep. So I sat there quietly for about an hour and reflected. It was the last time I saw him alive.
At the time of my visit, I was working on final copyedits for my first novel, TRINITY STONES. One of the series characters is rock star, Brett King, who physically resembles the model on the cover of CUIR. When I was leaving the hospital grounds that day, I spotted a landscaping crew planting trees. You guessed it…one of the landscapers looked just like Brett. Tanned, muscular, long blond hair… I was so tempted to jam on the brakes and ask to take his picture. Of course, I didn’t. But that left me with the question: what would’ve happened if I had? The result is Caught Up in RAINE.
3. Are there any writers in the contemporary romance / women’s fiction genres who particularly influenced you?
LGO: First, let me talk a little bit about new adult, which is a sub-genre of contemporary romance. Despite the fact this book doesn’t qualify due to Jillian’s age, that sub-genre is what inspired me. Interesting, if it were reversed, and Jillian was Raine’s age? It would qualify.
When I wrote CUIR, new adult was taking off. I adored the immediacy of using dual first person point-of-view. I decided to go the route of Jasinda Wilder and use first person, present tense. There are a lot of people who find it akin to nails on a chalkboard, but I think it lends itself to a fast-moving story with deep point-of-view. Even though CUIR is classified as romantic women’s fiction, I used the conventions I loved so much in new adult because it was just plain fun to write, and added the energy that I was looking for.
As for the writers who inspired me? The epicenter of it all was Jasinda Wilder’s book, Falling Into You. By then, I’d already read and fallen in love with Cora Carmack’s Faking It, Laura Kaye’s Hearts in Darkness, and Jamie McGuire’s Beautiful Disaster which left me with a book hangover for about a week. Others I’ve discovered and enjoyed since then: H.M. Ward’s Damaged: The Ferro Family,  Karina Halle’s The Pact, Vi Keeland’s Worth the Fight, anything by Katy Regnery, Jennifer Armentrout (writing as J. Lynn), and Maya Banks.
4. I understand this book was written during National Novel Writing Month in 2013, is that correct?
LGO: Yes! That question: “What would’ve happened if I’d stopped my car and asked that landscaper to pose as my cover model?” kept rolling around in my head. I’d just turned in the final pages of TRINITY STONES to the publisher, and the first draft of the second novel in the series was staring me in the face. Then in mid-October 2013, I had this weird schedule where I needed to be in Pennsylvania for work three days in a row. I live in New Jersey, so that was a three hour commute each day. On the morning of the first day, the question of the landscaper can back up and grabbed me with a vengeance. I’m a sworn pantser, but by the end of the third day, I had voice recorded an entire outline for the novel. That was a first for me.
My pen hit the proverbial page, and by the start of NaNo on November 1st, I had over 25,000 words written. By Black Friday, I’d finished the novel with more than 50,000 words written during the month of November, for a final word count of 82,000 words. My critique partner read the story as I wrote it, so revisions were being made simultaneously to the story being written. My editor, who was also one of my NaNo buddies, was on standby to copyedit the manuscript as soon as it was completed. My goal was to make a December contest deadline. Honestly, I’m not sure how I did it. The book grew organically out of my brain and through my fingertips. I wish every book was like that…
5. That contest was the RWA Golden Heart® Contest, wasn’t it? How did you do?
LGO: Yes, it was! That year was the last time I would qualify as an unpublished writer, since, technically, the only contract I’d signed at the time was a distribution agreement with She Writes Press.
It wasn’t until a month after the Golden Heart® finalists were announced that I’d received the results. I’d only missed the cut by 1 point. I found that extremely encouraging given the number of contest applicants.
6. You used a local setting close to where you live. Any particular reason why you chose suburban towns rather than the big city locales of your fantasy series?
LGO: Well, for one, I’ve lived in all these places J I’m a former resident of both Chatham and Summit, and currently live about ten minutes from downtown Morristown. I chose a local setting and venues for a couple of specific reasons. Since this was a NaNoWriMo project, I needed to spend my time writing, not researching. Choosing a local setting gave me the advantage of knowing the locations well enough to write from my own experience. Another advantage in “staying local” is that it gives me a logistical advantage to go deep in my local market without traveling, and yet bring all those relationships and resources to bear. Plus, I get a warm feeling driving through downtown Morristown, and seeing the real-life buildings that I patterned my CUIR locations after… I sometimes wonder if I’ll spot someone who looks like Raine walking across the Green. 
7. One of the big questions I think many will have is the age of your heroine, and the choice to do a reverse May-December romance. Are you afraid this may impact your chances to capture a romance audience? Also, this book focuses a lot on the romance and is written in dual first person point-of-view, which gives the male lead equal footing in the narrative – how do you think this will impact your women’s fiction readers?
LGO: In a lot of ways, this is just as much Raine’s story as it is Jillian’s, which distinguishes CUIR from hardcore women’s fiction.
As for Jillian, I think the market needs more books like this for the demographic of readers out there. I think Jillian’s voice resonates with women of a certain age, I being one of them. Jillian is an attractive woman in her 40s, but she’s far from dead. Yet there’s this negative connotation out there about women over forty in the romance market, signaling to me an underserved segment of readers.
Jillian struggles in a very real way over the age difference between herself and Raine. She’s not a cougar looking for young men. Yet that’s how the market is showcasing stories about older women in this scenario. In CUIR, my intent is to realistically show how an almost impossible pairing can be near perfect based on who these individuals are, and what has shaped them.
I think this book will resonate broadly across markets. However, traditional women’s fiction tends to have a higher level of angst and complexity than I write. As much as I enjoy a good Jodi Picoult book, you won’t find that level of intensity here. I try to use enough angst without making it the entire focus of the story. As a result, this book is more of a hybrid between contemporary romance and woman’s fiction, hence the “romantic women’s fiction” moniker. In it you’ll have spicy love scenes, and a “happily ever after” that is well deserved.
8. Is it true that this book may be part of a trilogy?
LGO: Hmm. I can answer that two ways. Caught Up in RAINE will have two companion novelettes that follow it, so I guess you could say it is a trilogy. Kind of. However, I’ve just finished the first draft of a second full length novel with the working title, Shelter My Heart, about Jillian’s niece Jenny and a young CEO-in-training. In it, many of the CUIR characters reprise their roles. I’m also planning on writing a third book that involves… Well, I’ll keep that one a secret for now. That said, I’m not going to declare it a series yet J
9. Are there themes that tie this potential trilogy together beside the family connection between the main female characters?
LGO: There are two driving themes, really. Each of the female protagonists harbors a shameful secret, and in their own way, they’re all seeking redemption. It’s about finding second chances, and surrendering yourself over to living your best life.

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