I’d like to extend a warm welcome to romance author, Renee Vincent. Renee’s slipped in to share one of her diary entries … I do believe she’s stopped by to share a little something with her Viking heroes. đ
Dear Diary,
I have a confession to make. While I’ve tried to stay true to the Vikings in my life, I’ve found someone new. Someone just as big and bold as DĂŚgan and Gustaf RĂŚliksen, but without the sword. I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it. Believe me, I tried to avoid him, but the temptation to find out more about him was too great. I caved. It all started with just a simple glimpse into his world and bam! I was hooked. And now, I’m totally in love with this man.
I’d like to welcome author Renee Vincent. Renee is an author, a dreamer, a horse owner, and a medieval history buff. She’s a fun-loving, mildly eccentric, free-spirited kind of girl with a passion for books. From an early age, she’s always had scenes playing out in my head. Whether it was a story with a moral or a tale with a twist, those ideas never let her sleep until she wrote them out. And considering she had an eclectic ensemble of stories swarming in her brain at any given time, she wrote under a couple pen names to accommodate the various genre categories.
Renee Vincent
(Historical & Contemporary Adult Romance)
From the daunting, charismatic Vikings, to the charming, brazen Alpha male heroes of modern day, you’ll be whisked away to a world filled with fast-paced adventure, unforgettable romance, and undying love.
Gracie Lee Rose
(Lighthearted, Fancy-free Women’s Fiction/Chick Lit)For those who love to read fun, wholesome, and endearing romantic stories (with a smidgen of spunk) that your mother, sisters, friends, and daughters can enjoy.
You can keep up with Renee/Gracie’s latest books on her website and blog or by following her on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads. And if you’d like exclusive access to her giveaways, sign up for her newsletter. Renee is here to announce an exciting new venture she’s taking with several other authors …
Several of Turquoise Morning Pressâ award-winning and bestselling authors share their favorite contemporary romance heroes â all boxed up for you in one sexy and irresistible package!
From a sexy carpenter to magnetic CEO, a rough-and-ready cowboy to a âhomeless man,â a classic car buff, a starving artist, a Latin-style dancer, and an FBI agent â each unique hero has his own story to tell, and a heroine who just canât forget him. Ever.
With an introductory promotional price of only 99¢,
how can you resist this unforgettable boxed set, either?
Release date: January 30, 2014
Publisher: Turquoise Morning Press
ISBN: 978-1-62237-258-4
Format: Ebook only
Available at:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
All Romance Ebooks
Smashwords
Bookstrand
Promotional Price: $0.99
Retail Price: $4.99 (April, 2014)
UNFORGETTABLE HEROES
Eight Contemporary Romance Novels
WILL WORK FOR LOVE by Amie Denman, EPIC Award and Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence finalist. Hurricane Destiny leaves a trail of destruction across the island of St. Thomas, jeopardizing the wedding of Whitney Oliverâs best friend. When Whitney arrives on the island, she finds a disaster only a sexy carpenter like Chris Maxwell can repair. Despite the sizzle between them, Chris has secrets that threaten his construction business and force him to work for Whitneyâs love.
THIS MAGIC MOMENT by Bobbye Terry, award winning author of contemporary, historical and fantasy romance. Zack Graham, CEO of Scrumbles Snack Cakes, is energetic, magnetic and forget itâno women for him, except to relieve an occasional sexual itch. Heâs a workaholic who refuses to let a woman make a fool out of him again. But what about Crandall Drake, the CEO of Pretzelicious Pretzels? He tells himself all he wants is sex. His heart tells him it wants more.
HER HIRED MAN by Cat Shaffer, Golden Heart finalist and award-winning journalist.
Hot nights, a double sleeping bag and a stranger for a husbandâŚhow much can one city girl take? Lillian Osborne needs a husband for a weekend. Wesley Hatfield needs money to customize his beloved classic car before Detroitâs biggest auto show. The perfect agreement turns out to be anything but when their accommodations turn out not to be what Lillian had expected.
SINS OF THE FATHER by Janet Eaves, Amazon bestselling author of the Ladies of Legend contemporary romance series. Just like the Princess in the classic tale Sleeping Beauty, Auroraâs life doesnât really begin until her heart is awakened by a handsome struggling artist. But with her life in danger, Aurora must hide who she really is. Unbeknownst to her, her struggling artist isnât who he appears to be either…. Friend, lover, or foe?
HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO by Jennifer Johnson who writes comedic romances so entertaining even guys read them. Author of the TMP top-selling Rescuing Riley. Abigail Benton is a bum magnet, according to her dad, so when she becomes attracted to Eli, a homeless man at the community center where she works, she wonders if what her dad says is true. But when Eli saves her life, Abigail decides she is going to return the favor and save his life by turning it around. Trouble is, Eli isnât on board with her plan.
RAWHIDE AND ROSES by Maddie James, Amazon bestselling author of contemporary and western romance. Sheâs roses, heâs rough-and-ready rawhide. Kim Martin is hardly equipped for a Colorado camping trip, especially when her mountain guide is a rough-edged cowboy who is as untamed as the wilderness. Thad Winchesterâs patience for city women is wearing as thin as the seat of his jeans. But there is something about Kim that puts his hard-and-fast donât-touch rule to the test.
LONG DISTANCE LOVE by Margaret Ethridge, contemporary romance fan favorite and TMP top-selling author of Commitment. Sometimes the distance between two hearts can be measured in frequent flier miles. Love may be a many splendored thing, but itâs rarely convenient. Can FBI Agent Jack Rudolph and fiercely independent Ellie Nichols find a way to make a long distance relationship work?
SILENT PARTNER by Renee Vincent, award winning author of historical and contemporary romance.
Grayson Anders is a talented Latin-style dancer and wealthy co-owner of a happening nightclub. Chloe LaRoche is a talented artist, but failing entrepreneur with her once thriving studio now on the brink of foreclosure. When the two indulge in a passionate, out-of-control, one night stand, they awaken the next morning consumed with inspiration. Grayson finds his perfect dance partner while Chloe finally finds her muse. Will her secret destroy both their dreams?
So it’s come around again … that age old discussion of marketing. And more specifically–marketing books.
Wait, don’t run away. I’ve got a couple of serious questions (mostly because I’m trying to make a point to an author friend who is currently working on the cover design for their first self-published work and I hate being wrong) and so I need your help.
Most readers when looking at a new author will base their buying decision on:
1) the cover
2) the book description (or back cover blurb)
and if they’re still undecided in some order …
3) first few pages
4) reader reviews
So if that’s the case, the cover needs to reflect both the genre and the tone of the story. In this ever-changing world of publishing it’s sometimes difficult to know what readers will respond to. Romance has seen its fair share of handsome men:
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There are also the romance novels with scenery:
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But times are a-changing. With the breakout success of the erotic romance 50 Shades of Grey readers are seeing less skin on their romance novels:
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And these covers have done their job very well. All of these books draw readers in with their stunning visuals. We all have covers we love and covers we “live with” because they adorn the novels of our favorite authors. Cover designs aren’t always in the hands of an author, but rather the marketing department of a publisher. But with the advent of self-publishing, authors have much more control over the elements found on the book cover. We get to decide how we’re going to portray our story and draw romance/mystery/paranormal readers to our books.
And here’s what this whole blog is about. A friend of mine is finishing up edits for an amazing love story I’ve had the privilege of reading as it was developed. I know this story could be a HUGE seller. It makes you laugh. It makes you cry. It makes you sigh as these two people find their happy-ever-after. BUT … and there is a huge BUT … my friend wants to use some original artwork on the cover. Think Picasso (due to copyright I can’t show you the pics, you’ll have to follow the link). You know, artistically depicted woman. Think lots of symbolism in the art.
And it’s a beautiful piece of art, but to me, it’s just not … a romance book cover. So I’m throwing it out to all of you … would you stop and even read the book description of a book with art on the cover? Because you know me, I’m curious about stuff like this.
*** UPDATE ***
My friend is watching this discussion carefully and doesn’t feel I’m giving the artwork its due when I compare it to Picasso (which, I admit, wasn’t a good comparison, but I searched the internet and couldn’t find a better description). So with permission from the author I offer you the actual artwork that is being considereed for this contemporary romance. The point is still, would this make you stop and pick up this book if you were looking for a great love story?
I’m going to admit I spend all day on the computer, but do very little internet surfing. I have places I hang out, but I don’t have a regular route of blogs I visit. I find posts via other people who post the links on the loops I frequent. If they didn’t, I wouldn’t see some really good, thought provoking stuff. I just want to share with you some great places I’ve been this past week.
Like Maureen Johnson’s great post on social media and a call to authors who choose NOT to brand themselves. (Note: This blog was posted in the summer, but this is the first time I’ve seen it.) This approach isn’t for every author, but she makes some great points. Everyone is screaming for authors to get out there and market themselves on every social media platform available. Yes, I believe it’s important to market onesself, but I really like Ms. Johnson’s take on things.
Julia Barrett did a great three part series on “The Secret Success of Romance”. Unfortunately, the people who need to see this post aren’t the smart and talented readers and authors stopping by. It really needs to get out to the people out in the blogosphere who still believe the romance genre involves Neanderthal Dukes bullying women and virgin waifs who do nothing but simper and whine. It’s a great series. You should check it out and then repost it … perhaps it will go viral and help educate the masses who wouldn’t pick up a “bodice ripper” novel if their life depended on it.
And this shout out goes to a good friend, Constance Ruth Clark whose debut release is coming out in May 2011 from Lyrical Press. She’s been blogging for awhile and now is on bed rest for a couple of weeks. Why don’t you head on over there and show her some comment love, she could use the company.
Of course I’ve got internet surfing on the brain as I’m gearing up for a two week blog tour (which is kind of like a virtually book signing without the fur of having cookies and coffee) to promote “Maid for Master“. Here’s the schedule:
Dirty Sexy Books: Jan 12 RELEASE DAY!
Amber Skyze: Jan 17
Tina Donahue: Jan 18
Adele Dubois: Jan 19
Romance Books R Us: Jan 20
Julia Barrett’s World: Jan 21
Taige Crenshaw: Jan 22
Francesca Hawley: Jan 24
Renee Vincent: Jan 25
I’ll be posting different guest spots and there will be a give away to one lucky commenter chosen from all the guest posts. So please stop by and say hello to my hosts!
And of course if you have some time on your hands, feel free to swing over HERE. It’s become one of my favorite places to hang out and drool. đ
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