New Release & Guest Post! IT'S COMPLICATED by Joyce M. Holmes #Romance #Giveaway

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY TO 

IT'S COMPLICATED!

It's Complicated

Contemporary Romance

by Joyce M. Holmes

Release date: December 4, 2017

He wants a real relationship, she's afraid to love. It’s complicated, but is it impossible?

She’s a children’s counselor devoted to helping others; he’s a stubborn client reluctant to accept her assistance. He wants a warm and loving relationship; she prefers to keep things physical. Professional boundaries dictate neither of them can have what they want.

Having grown up with no one but herself to count on, Maggie Lapage carefully guards her feelings. Professionally, she goes above and beyond to give others the support she wishes she'd had as a child. When she develops a forbidden attraction to a client’s father, she does what she thinks is necessary, to save his family, and to protect her own heart.

Tom O’Shay finds his life caught in a nightmare when he risks losing custody of his daughter. It goes against his character to seek help, but he doesn’t have a choice. That doesn’t mean he has to like it. Everything changes when he falls hard for his daughter’s counselor, and he suddenly has two fights on his hands. One for his daughter, and another for the woman he loves.

It’s complicated, but is it impossible?

PURCHASE LINKS
Roane Publishing: http://www.roanepublishing.com/product-p/ic-01.htm

Amazon  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077N529F6

Amazon (UK)  https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B077N529F6

Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/its-complicated-joyce-m-holmes/1119437005?ean=2940154599013

Kobo Books  https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/it-s-complicated-29

iTunes  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/its-complicated/id1300509525?mt=11

Smashwords  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/755092

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GUEST POST

The Inspiration behind It's Complicated
by Joyce Holmes

Maggie Lapage, my female character in It’s Complicated, made her first appearance in Show No Weakness as a young co-worker of Joely Sinclair. Maggie had a knack for stirring up trouble. She called it helping people. Others might call it meddling. But she always had the best intentions. Several of my readers told me how much they loved her feisty personality, and their comments inspired me to write her story. I had a scenario in my head where she’d fit perfectly and, from there, the story quickly came together.

The storyline formed easily, but accurately portraying Maggie’s character was a little more of a challenge. She’s young, urban and loves all the girly-girl things I know little about. She’s tall and fashionable and very outgoing. Again, not anything I can easily connect with. I blogged about my dilemma at the time (https://joyceholmes.wordpress.com/2013/01/26/definitely-not-a-hip-young-urbanite/). Secondary characters are easy and fun to write; they can be quirky and even a little outrageous without necessarily needing to reveal what made them this way. Lead characters require more depth and motivation. I really wanted to do right by Maggie, because after everything she’d been through, she deserved it. Yes, she was impulsive and just a tad of a busybody, but once her background and motivations were made clear, her personality quirks became understandable and relatable.

I once knew a young man named Thomas. He was very much his own man and stubbornly independent, sometimes to his detriment. Thomas left this earth far too young, and to honour his memory, I named my male character, Tom O’Shay, after him. I also gave Tom some of that same quiet strength of character and stubborn independence. Who better to pit Maggie’s helpfulness against than someone who abhors needing help?

My inspiration for the storyline came from the place where all my stories come from. The desire to convey a real life situation full of emotion, which tugs on the heartstrings, and eventually finishes with a satisfying happy-ever-after. Hopefully, my readers will find that I accomplished this goal with Maggie and Tom’s tale, It’s Complicated.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joyce Holmes lives with her husband and very small dog in the beautiful Okanagan region of British Columbia. Photography and blogging about her travels are two of her passions, along with visiting her kids and grandkids. When she's not dreaming up stories in her head or planning her next great adventure, she’s off enjoying the great outdoors.

Links:

Website/Blog

Facebook

Twitter

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GIVEAWAY!

A $10 Roane Publishing gift card!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use a RoanePublishing.com Gift Code.  No purchase necessary, but you must be 18 or older to enter. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter, and announced on the widget. Winner well be notified by emailed and have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway was organized by Roane Publishing's marketing department.

Guest Post by Deborah Garland MUST LOVE FASHION Inspiration and #Giveaway #Romance

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY TO
MUST LOVE FASHION!

Must Love Fashion

Contemporary Romance

By Deborah Garland

Release Date: August 7, 2017

Keywords: Contemporary, Romance, Novel, Fashion, Widower, Model, Second Chance

Gwendolyn Mallory has landed her dream job. After years at a small fashion retailer, she’s been given a chance to show off her public relations skills for a major brand. What woman wouldn’t be excited to work for Prada in New York City?

Former male model turned Prada Brand Manager, Andrew Morgan is ready to move on with his life—his wife passed away from cancer fifteen months ago. Even though he and Gwen share an initial fiery spark, getting involved with a co-worker has always been on Andrew’s to-don’t list.

The weeks leading up to an L.A. fashion show bring Andrew and Gwen closer to the flame. At night, she dreams of this tall handsome man taking her on his desk. And Andrew is having a hard time keeping his own fantasies under control. But when one of the designers vies for Gwen’s affections, Andrew is awash with jealousy. And out of excuses.

After the show, they share an intense, passionate kiss and some killer heavy petting in one of the dressing rooms. And in her bed, Gwen brings out the man Andrew used to be, wild and hungry. But in the afterglow of their bliss, Andrew learns Gwen has been hiding something about her health. Unable to deal with all that pain again, he leaves.

During a business trip to Milan, Gwen and Andrew give into the heat still smoldering between them. Then Gwen finds out she’s about to be transferred to Italy. Andrew doesn’t want to hold her back from such a great opportunity, but he can’t live without her. He proposes in hopes of keeping her in New York, with him.

What woman wouldn’t be excited to marry a devilishly handsome man in a Prada wedding gown?

PURCHASE LINKS

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GUEST POST:

Must Love Fashion, Version 2.0

Must Love Fashion is the result of another failed novel. I won't make a secret about that. Too many people read the original version! What stuck with me throughout that painful failure was the desire to still tell Gwen and Andrew's love story. That hadn't changed from the original novel. It was the setting in which they met that was changed (and the title).

I was originally inspired to write a character who was battling health issues on several fronts. The personal front (how Gwen deals with her diagnosis and testing internally), the family front (how those who love her have responded) and finally the relationship front (how Andrew responds and why).

I based Gwen’s experience on my own diagnosis of LCIS. (Lobular Carcinoma In Sito) Earlier drafts included LCIS by name, but I felt it made the story too personal.

For Gwen, her abnormal mammograms are mostly a nuisance. Internally, it’s an extra round of mammograms each year and the anxiety of getting results that lead to more tests. And since Gwen has family history of breast cancer, her sister and her brother hover. Her sister goes through her mail and her brother is keeping something about her father from Gwen, so she doesn’t worry. Only through her relationship with Andrew does she find a way to escape.

Except Andrew is well aware of these issues because his wife passed away from something similar. He’s the other side to that equation. I wanted to create a narrative about a man who had lost his wife to an illness, falls in love again...only to be faced with those same challenges. That side the story is about facing your worst fears. For love. Andrew has to look deep inside himself and at times even he’s not sure he could do the right thing, if Gwen were to become sick.

Gwen originally thinks she has an escape from all of this with Andrew and finds out, he’s going to be more fiercely protective of her than all of her family combined. She has to decide if that’s what she wants.

Must Love Fashion is set in a fictional town on the North Fork of Long Island called Darling Cove. The Mallory’s are a tight loving family, pulled even closer together by the death of their mother years ago. In this Book One, we meet Gwen’s brother Greg and her sister Skye, and get a small glimpse into their lives.  In Book Two (Must Have Faith), Greg must face his runaway bride Faith Copeland and in Book Three (Must Be Crazy) Skye, an attorney faces a huge conflict of interest when she falls for the subject in her next case…Edward Mendelsohn.

Thanks for letting me stop by, Terri

- Deborah

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Deborah Garland is a former computer and sports journalist, turned romance and women’s fiction author. She likes to write about love and the struggles of complicated relationships. Her heroines are strong, and the heroes fall hard for them. She lives on the North Shore of Long Island with her husband and when she’s not writing, she’s either in the gym, or reading, cuddled up with their two pugs, Zoe and Harley.

LINKS

Website: www.deborahgarlandauthor.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011036172839

Twitter: https://twitter.com/deborah_garland

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GIVEAWAY!

A $10 Roane Publishing Gift Card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use a RoanePublishing.com Gift Code.  No purchase necessary, but you must be 18 or older to enter. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter, and announced on the widget. Winner well be notified by emailed and have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway was organized by Roane Publishing's marketing department.

Journey to Publication #GuestPost: Bill Chastain, Author of RETROUVAILLES #Romance #WomensFiction

I'm thrilled to have Bill Chastain, author of RETROUVAILLES here with me today with his journey to publication! 

This book is PHENOMENAL. Seriously. LOVED this book with all caps, obviously.

Now Available at all major online retailers!

Oh, & be sure to check out the giveaway, too...

I'm one of the lucky ones. I identified my passion early and I've made a living pursuing that passion for most of my adult life.

When I entered Georgia Tech in the fall of 1975, I figured I’d graduate, make some money, and that would take care of everything where my future happiness was concerned. Boy did I get that one wrong. Working at a job I didn’t like wasn’t for me.

I’d been a reader my whole life, and I loved sports.  That prompted me to try and combine the two by becoming a sports writer, even though I had not studied journalism or creative writing.  Classmates of mine, who graduated with Industrial Management degrees, went on to careers in accounting, business, finance, and quality control—not writing.

I freelanced initially, parlaying articles I’d written for smaller publications into assignments for national publications. That led to a full-time job as a sports writer with The Tampa Tribune.

My job with the Tribune proved to be everything I thought it would be.  I mean, going to work every day and creating something is a fulfilling experience.  The position also afforded me the opportunity to travel the country and see things I never would have otherwise seen.  Many of those places have served well as settings for the novels I’ve written.  While sports writing beat any nine-to-five job, I always liked reading and writing fiction best. 

Favorite authors include Pat Conroy, Larry McMurtry, Tom Wolfe, and Rebecca Wells. All of them created characters, settings, scenes, and plots that jumped off the page and resonated with me.  They inspired me.  Writing has never come easy.  But the pursuit of writing well invigorates me.

Given my background in sports, most of the books I’ve written, fiction or non-fiction, have been sports related. Retrouvailles delivered a new challenge. Sports writers aren't supposed to write love stories, right?

I embraced the idea.

          Alex Overstreet and India Blue Kirkland are the main characters.  Alex is studious, intelligent, responsible, and mature beyond his years. India Blue is the girl everybody falls in love with in high school. She's pretty, popular, funny, and has a mischievous side.  Opposites often attract.  These opposites fall in love.

The process of creating Alex and India allowed me to become intimate with their lives, plotting their fortunes, emotional highs, and lows, and their relationship together.  More times than not, Alex and India told me the direction in which the story needed to go.  I can’t tell you how often I read something I wrote and said to myself, “Alex wouldn’t do that” or “That’s just not India.”

I’ve resided in Alex’s and India’s heads for so long that they’ll forever be in mine.  I’m pleased with what I’ve written. 

Nobody forgets their first love.

~Bill 

Retrouvailles

A Romance Novel

By Bill Chastain

Release Date: June 5, 2017

Publisher: Roane Publishing

Keywords: Contemporary, Romance Women's Fiction

Alex Overstreet is exceptional.

Mature beyond his years, he understands the value of education and where having one can take him. Adverse circumstances are no match for the "anything is possible" residing in his soul, a place where self-pity need not enter. His future is mapped in his mind. Staying the course will bring a worthwhile end game.

Enter India Blue Kirkland.

The most popular girl in school is the unknown Alex failed to factor into his carefully calculated life plans. She is everything he is not—outgoing and popular. A chance encounter with her sets into place a life-long love affair.

Together they find a passion and embrace the best of their different worlds while exploring the wonder of love.  Both are more than ready for a future together. But Alex’s family situation looms in the background, and eventually catches up to him, forcing him to make sacrifices that change the course of his relationship with India.  Though driven apart, their love never wavers.

Years later, Alex is successful on a large scale professionally, yet emptiness clings to him like free-floating lint to a dark suit. India should have been a part of it all.  He's never moved on from her. She is the love of his life.  Meanwhile, India is trapped in a marriage and longs for what she had with Alex.  One glance of Alex at her father’s funeral sparks a romance that never died.

Retrouvailles validates the compelling power of first love and how the snapshots of moments together matter most. Those snapshots representing sweet moments in time can be more compelling than a lifetime spent together.

PURCHASE LINKS

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EXCERPT:

Alex sipped a Presidente while sitting on the deck outside “The Parched Pelican.”

Indian Rocks Beach had fancier places than the open-air tavern facing the Gulf of Mexico. Alex just preferred the dive with the dowdy name. The hand-painted sign showing a cartoon pelican with muscles and tattoos cracked him up—Florida tacky at its finest. Plus, no steel drum bands, no Tiki torches and, best of all, few patrons at that time of day. You could drink a cold beer and just be. Alex preferred to blend in with the scenery, be invisible, thus, serenity.

A salty breeze grazed his face and the rhythm of the gentle surf performed the duty of a fairy-tale sandman, making heavy his eyelids. Giving in to such an urge would be his normal inclination. Take a few steps down to the beach, stretch out in the sand underneath the azure sky, and suddenly he’d be blowing Z’s like Dagwood Bumstead.

Not today.

Beads of sweat formed on his upper lip while his thumb picked off the label from the bottle of Dominican beer. He stared at the naked green bottle, hoping a state of nothingness would come to him. If he studied the inanimate object long enough he might forget the troublesome reality weighing heavy on his mind.

Maybe they’d waltz around the subject of her pending doom, tiptoeing like one of those Russian gymnasts on the balance beam, tension…tension…tension, but cool. Dying was an extremely personal matter and something she might not want to share with him. If she did, he couldn’t show pity and pity was hard to disguise. The slightest sign of it would piss her off. Taking a direct approach suited India.

Alex undid the top buttons of the light cotton shirt he wore loose at the waist and ordered another Presidente. Several months had passed since he awoke wearing socks and a monster hangover, unable to remember where he’d parked the car. The moment frightened him into an abstinence pledge.

Feeling too good for too long had brought him to the conclusion that his initial solution felt too much like Alcoholics Anonymous. He rationalized the step lacking from the guiding twelve steps was moderation; and all that guilt if you fell off the wagon for a couple of drinks. Besides, he enjoyed alcohol too much to quit. Common sense told him that all the alcohol in the world would not change his life. Thus, hoping to avoid self-destruction, he imposed a three-beer limit, installed like a father does a governor to his son’s go-cart to prevent him from driving too fast.

Alex’s eyes closed and he rocked back in his chair, evoking a sad moan from the deck constructed of rough-hewn two-by-fours. Balancing his body with one leg resting on an adjacent chair, he heard steps approach. A cold palm touched his face, then two moist lips met his for a lingering moment.

~~~oOo~~~

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Bill Chastain is a sports journalist who is the author of two previous novels, PEACHTREE CORVETTE CLUB and THE STREAK. He also has penned non-fiction sports titles including THE STEVE SPURRIER STORY: FROM HEISMAN TO HEAD BALL COACH; PAYNE AT PINEHURST: THE GREATEST U.S. OPEN EVER; HACK’S 191: HACK WILSON AND HIS INCREDIBLE 1930 SEASON; SEPTEMBER NIGHTS: HUNTING THE BEASTS OF THE AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST; and JACKRABBIT: THE STORY OF CLINT CASTLEBERRY AND THE IMPROBABLE 1942 GEORGIA TECH FOOTBALL TEAM.

Links

Website: www.billchastain.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bill.chastain.56

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wwchastain

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/353576.Bill_...

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Bill-Chastain/e/B001H9TV58

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GIVEAWAY!

A $10 Roane Publishing Gift Card!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use a RoanePublishing.com Gift Code.  No purchase necessary, but you must be 18 or older to enter. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter, and announced on the widget. Winner well be notified by emailed and have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway was organized by Roane Publishing's marketing department.

New Release: SHOW NO WEAKNESS #GuestPost by @Joyce_Holmes #Contemporary #Romance #Giveaway

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY TO

SHOW NO WEAKNESS!

Show No Weakness
Contemporary Romance Novel
By Joyce M. Holmes
Publisher: Roane Publishing
Release Date: April 10, 2017

She’s a tenderhearted social worker, looking for her Happy-Ever-After. He’s a distrustful RCMP Corporal who’s sworn off relationships. Factor in a surly teen heading for delinquency, and you have a case of passion and turmoil too explosive to handle.

As a defense mechanism to deal with his guilt and grief over his daughter's death, Cole Dennison has become an expert at compartmentalizing his feelings. He keeps his personal life private, while making it his professional mission to rescue children in peril.

Joely Sinclair is fiercely protective and openly compassionate. When she meets Cole Dennison, she falls hard. He's everything she admires in a man, and because she wears her heart on her sleeve, she can't understand how or why Cole keeps all his emotions to himself.

As much as Coleresents his interest in Joely, with her inquisitive and caring nature, he can't deny her appeal. Against his better judgment, he becomes involved in both her and her son's lives. Taylor is in desperate need of a positive male role model, and Cole can't turn his back on the boy. But when Joely starts talking love, Cole's inability to commit puts an end to their relationship—until a dangerous situation throws them back together.

When given a second chance at love, will Cole risk letting Joely into his battered heart?

PURCHASE LINKS

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GUEST POST

Inspiration behind Show No Weakness

I drew my inspiration for Show No Weakness from my penchant for wounded heroes. I enjoy reading about them and most of my stories are about them. Two of my favorite classes in school were Sociology and Psychology, and I blame my fascination with the human psyche for this compulsion to torment my characters.

It’s intriguing to contemplate a big, tough man who tries to hide his vulnerability from the world. When I thought about people who portray strength in their everyday lives, a police officer immediately came to mind. Not only would he likely be physically strong, but in order to deal with the grueling aspects of his job, he’d need a tough temperament, as well.

What if this cop has been dealt a number of emotional blows throughout his life, some so intense they would’ve broken a lesser person? And what if this cop has been raised by the credo Show No Weakness? That gave me the basis for my hero, Cole. Poor Cole, the strong, tough-as-nails cop in Show No Weakness, is certainly haunted. He's hiding from an immense pain he’s not emotionally capable of facing.

But, in order to truly torment the unfortunate fellow, he must be given a temptation that would strike at the worst of his vulnerabilities. So he meets Joely, social worker and single mom, who's blatantly open about her emotions and her compulsion to help anyone in need. Cole is definitely in need, and Joely can’t resist trying to help him, even though she has no idea what he needs help with, and he has no intention of accepting her assistance.

Not only does Cole have to deal with his unwanted attraction for Joely, despite her meddling, there’s also her teenaged son to consider. Without some positive male influence, Taylor might be headed toward delinquency, and Cole finds he can’t turn his back on the boy. Because Cole couldn’t protect the child who meant the most to him, he feels an obligation to save every other child in peril.

I took my wounded hero and threw every emotional curveball I could think of to add to his suffering, knowing he’d rise to the occasion. The result is a poignant rollercoaster of love and discovery. I hope my readers will enjoy following Cole and Joely’s journey as much as I enjoyed writing it.

~ Joyce

~~~oOo~~~

About the Author:

Joyce Holmes lives with her husband and very small dog in the beautiful Okanagan region of British Columbia. Photography and blogging about her travels are two of her passions, along with visiting her kids and grandkids. When she's not dreaming up stories in her head or planning her next great adventure, she’s off enjoying the great outdoors.

Links:

Website/Blog

Facebook

Twitter

~~~oOo~~~

GIVEAWAY!

A $10 Roane Publishing Gift Card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code.  No purchase necessary, but you must be 18 or older to enter. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter, and announced on the widget. Winner well be notified by emailed and have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Roane Publishing's marketing department.

Cover Lovin' - RETROUVAILLES By Bill Chastain @wwchastain @RoanePublishing #Romance #WomensFiction

Retrouvailles

A Romance Novel

By Bill Chastain

Release Date: June 5, 2017
Publisher: Roane Publishing

Keywords: Contemporary, Romance Women's Fiction

Alex Overstreet is exceptional.

Mature beyond his years, he understands the value of education and where having one can take him. Adverse circumstances are no match for the "anything is possible" residing in his soul, a place where self-pity need not enter. His future is mapped in his mind. Staying the course will bring a worthwhile end game.

Enter India Blue Kirkland.

The most popular girl in school is the unknown Alex failed to factor into his carefully calculated life plans. She is everything he is not—outgoing and popular. A chance encounter with her sets into place a life-long love affair.

Together they find a passion and embrace the best of their different worlds while exploring the wonder of love.  Both are more than ready for a future together. But Alex’s family situation looms in the background, and eventually catches up to him, forcing him to make sacrifices that change the course of his relationship with India.  Though driven apart, their love never wavers.

Years later, Alex is successful on a large scale professionally, yet emptiness clings to him like free-floating lint to a dark suit. India should have been a part of it all.  He's never moved on from her. She is the love of his life.  Meanwhile, India is trapped in a marriage and longs for what she had with Alex.  One glance of Alex at her father’s funeral sparks a romance that never died.

Retrouvailles validates the compelling power of first love and how the snapshots of moments together matter most. Those snapshots representing sweet moments in time can be more compelling than a lifetime spent together.

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