A Day in the Life

The lovely Mirka Breen asked me to post about what my typical day looks like, so I'm going to do just that. Let me start by saying I'm a very scheduled person. My husband makes fun of me for this because I literally do things according to what time of day it is—and I mean specific time of day. If it's 7:05 a.m., I'm calling my mother. I'm scheduled to a fault, so proceed with caution. ;)

I have two schedules. One for summer and one for the school year. Let's tackle summer first since that's what it is now.

Summer Schedule:
6:00 a.m. Wake up and get ready for the day.
6:30 a.m. Make breakfast and drink two and a half mugs of coffee.
7:05 a.m. Call my mom.
7:30 a.m. Sit down at my laptop and tackle whatever edit, revision, or draft is currently on my plate.
10:00 a.m. Get dirty looks from my daughter until I save my document and stop working.
*My structured work day ends here during the summer, but... I sneak on my phone once every hour to check emails I might need to get to. If I have a formatting job, I'll also sneak time when my daughter has a friend over or if my daughter and husband decide to play basketball or go for a third swim for the day. (Two swims is usually my limit.)
10:00 p.m. Go to sleep. My phone is actually set to tell me to go to bed, not that I need the encouragement, but I do need a solid eight hours of sleep.

School Year Schedule:
6:00 a.m. Wake up and get ready for the day.
6:30 a.m. Make breakfast and drink two and a half mugs of coffee.
7:05 a.m. Call my mom.
7:30 a.m. Help my daughter study for any tests she has.
8:25 a.m. Take my daughter to school.
8:45 a.m. Sit down at my laptop and tackle whatever edit, revision, or draft is currently on my plate. (From 8:45-9:45, I'm working while walking on my treadmill. I've gotten used to the bouncing words.)
12:00 p.m. (I haven't stopped working yet!) Grab something to eat for lunch that won't inhibit my ability to type. Yes, I eat at my laptop so I can continue to work.
2:45 p.m. Save my work for the day and get ready to pick my daughter up from school.
*My structured work day ends here, but there are some nights where I do more work after my daughter goes to bed. 
10:00 p.m. Go to sleep.

Really I think the reason why I get so much done is because I don't take breaks.  I'm the type of person who can focus so hard on something that I tune out the rest of the world. Some days, the hours fly by and I jump when I realize I need to go pick up my daughter from school. I really don't think this is a good thing. People should take breaks, so don't be like me, please. I'm a crazy workaholic. 

So, there it is. Nothing overly exciting, but that's my work day. When I'm not working, I'm spending time with my family because they keep me sane.

Best. Night. Ever.

Best. Night. Ever

By Rachele Alpine, Ronni Arno, Alison Cherry, Stephanie Faris, Jen Malone, Gail Nall, and Dee Romito

Blurb:

Love Actually meets Adventures in Babysitting in this hilarious novel written by seven authors about seven classmates who are preparing for a crazy night at their middle school dance.

Lynnfield Middle School is prepped and ready for a dance to remember, including an awesome performance from Heart Grenade, the all-girl band who recently won a Battle of the Bands contest. Seven classmates—Carmen, Genevieve, Tess, Ryan, Ellie, Ashlyn, and Jade—intend to make the most of the night…or at least the five of them who are able to attend do. The other two would sacrifice almost anything to be there.

One thing’s for sure—this entire crew is in for one epic night! Gail Nall, Dee Romito, Rachele Alpine, Ronni Arno, Alison Cherry, Stephanie Faris, and Jen Malone have created a charming, hilarious, and relatable novel that’s perfect for anyone who can’t wait to dance the night away.

Buy Links:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Books-A-Million

Indiebound

Author bios:

One of Rachele Alpine’s first jobs was at a library, but it didn’t last long, because all she did was hide in the third-floor stacks and read. Now she’s a little more careful about when and where she indulges her reading habit. Rachele is a high school English teacher by day, a wife and mother by night, and a writer during any time she can find in between.  She lives in Cleveland, Ohio where she writes middle grade and young adult novels. Visit her at RacheleAlpine.com.

Ronni Arno Blaisdell is the author of Ruby Reinvented. She has written for several magazines, blogs, and websites. In a previous life she worked as a publicist in Hollywood, and eventually built a home in Maine. She is a keen SCBWI member and contributor to the KidLiterati.com blog. Visit her online at ronniarno.com.

Alison Cherry is the author of the YA novels Red, For Real and Look Both Ways, and the middle grade novels Willows vs. Wolverines and The Classy Crooks Club. She is a professional photographer and spent many years working as a lighting designer for theater, dance, and opera productions. This whole “writing books” thing is just a cover for the international crime ring she runs out of her Brooklyn apartment. (Shhh, don’t tell.) Visit her online at AlisonCherryBooks.com.

Stephanie Faris knew she wanted to be an author from a very young age. In fact, her mother often told her to stop reading so much and go outside and play with the other kids. After graduating from Middle Tennessee State University she somehow found herself working in information technology. But she never stopped writing. When she isn’t crafting fiction, Stephanie is indulging her gadget geek side by writing for online technology sites. Her work is regularly featured on the small business blogs for Intuit and Go Payment and she is a featured columnist for SmallBizTechnology.com. She lives in Nashville with her husband. Visit her online at StephanieFaris.com.

Jen Malone is a former Hollywood publicist who once spent a year traveling the world solo, met her husband on the highway (literally), and went into labor with her identical twins while on a rock star’s tour bus. These days she saves the drama for her books. Jen is also the author of the middle grade novels At Your Service and The Art of the Swap, coauthor of the You’re Invited series, and wrote the YA novels Map to the Stars and Wanderlost. You can visit her online at JenMaloneWrites.com.

Gail Nall lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with her family and more cats than necessary. She once drove a Zamboni, has camped in the snow in June, and almost got trampled in Paris. Gail is the author of the middle grade novel Breaking the Ice, the coauthor of You’re Invited and You’re Invited Too, and the author of the young adult novel Exit Stage Left. You can find her online at GailNall.com and on Twitter as @GaileCN. Visit her online at GailNall.com.

Dee Romito lives in her hometown of Buffalo, New York, where she and her family are steadily checking items off their own bucket list of adventures. You’re likely to find her at the local ice cream shop, writing at a café, or curled up on the couch with her cats. And while she does her best to be a grown-up most of the time, giggling with her BFFs is still one of her all-time favorite things. To join the fun and create your own bucket list, visit TheBFFBucketList.com.

And there's a Rafflecopter giveaway for a free hardback copy of Best. Night. Ever. signed by Stephanie Faris! Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday Mishmash 8/14/17

Happy Monday! Monday Mishmash is a weekly meme dedicated to sharing what's on your mind. Feel free to grab the button and post your own Mishmash.

Here's what's on my mind today:

1. Editing  I somehow ended up ahead of schedule for client edits, but my clients are awesome and send me their books early so I'm continuing to move through them.
2. Did You Grab Your FREE copy of Lies We Tell?  Lies We Tell will only be free for a few more days. Grab your copy here before the deal expires. 
   
3. Want to Win a $100 Gift Card?  I'm part of the Hot & Sinful Nights boxed set, and we are giving away a $100 gift card. Interested? Click here.
   
4. 2017 Schedule  Tell me why I planned 9 releases this year. Please! Wow, the amount of money that goes into publishing—covers, editing, marketing, etc. Yikes! This year might kill me.
5. Secrets We Keep eARC Anyone?  So you saw you can get Lies We Tell for FREE right now. You can also get an eARC of the next book in the series Secrets We Keep. Yup! Two books for zero dollars! Want one? Sign up here.
   

That's it for me. What's on your mind today?

Breath of Life

★ Pre-Order for 99c ★

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2rXt5hH
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2ssZJuP
Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2rYevXj
Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2sWYS7m
iBooks: http://apple.co/2sWMzb1
Nook: http://bit.ly/2stlGKc
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2rFrIoz
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2sTv4I0

Breath of Life by Shyla Colt, one of 22 HOT Romances in Hot & Sinful Nights. Preorder yours for 99¢.

We round the corner, and I spot my black SUV. “That’s me up ahead.” I parked beneath a street light.
The rectangle sputters and dies, plunging the street into shadows as the sun gives up its control and night emerges. I’m suddenly glad he insisted on walking me back to my car. The scuff off shoes on concrete make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

“Did you hear that?” I whisper. I glance at Ollie who steps in front of me.

“Yeah, I did.” He turns to face the alley a few feet away from where we stand.

Three men emerge from the alleyway dressed from head-to-toe in all black with hoods that partially obscure their faces. With my height, I’m peering up and have a ringside view. I pray to God they don’t realize that. I grip the handle of my case. The street is deserted, and my car offers no shelter, despite its proximity. They’d catch us before we could clamber inside and drive off.

I grip the pepper spray on my keychain. Doesn’t fucking help when there’s a group.

“Hey, man. We don’t want any trouble,” Ollie says.

“Give us your wallets, and we won’t have any,” the large, bulky figure in the middle growls.

“All right, man, just take it easy,” Ollie says, holding up his hands. He reaches into his back pocket and slowly pulls out a wallet.

“And hers, too.”

I fumble with the messenger bag looped across my body and dig out my black wallet. Ollie takes it from me and hands it to the thief with his fingertips.

“Keep your asses here until we’re gone, and no one will be hurt. Try to play hero, and we’ll take ourselves a prize.” His lecherous gaze turns my stomach.
Over my dead body. I’ll take a bullet to the head before I go anywhere with them.

“You won’t have any problems for us.” Ollie steps back until my front brushes his back. He reaches his hand around and grabs my hip.

Leaning into him, I clutch his plaid shirt like a lifeline as I rub the tip of my nose over the soft material, filling my nostrils with his crisp, clean scent. Right now this cologne is my favorite smell in the world.

The thugs begin to blend back into the blackness one by one. The ring leader keeps the barrel of the gun aimed at Ollie as he retreats into the alley. He stops. My knees shake and nearly give as I suck air into my desperate lungs. When did I hold my breath?

“I changed my mind. I think we’ll take a little something for the road.”

My blood pressure sky rockets as my vision blackens around the edges and my heart tries to burst from my chest. Adrenaline begins pumping through my veins. My muscles tense. Fight or flight slams into me like a two-ton wild beast.

“We don’t have anything else to give,” Ollie says coolly.

“But you do,” he replies, fixing me with a lewd gaze as he licks his chapped lips.

I scan the area, seeking out a place to run. I’d never make it into my car and get inside before they caught up to me. I clutch my pepper spray and lift it, ready to fight.

“Like I said, we have nothing else.” Ollie stands to his full height, and I brace myself.

“Take her,” the man sneers.

Ollie surges forward, wrestling for the gun, and I let the pepper spray fly. Time blurs as my brain is overloaded with fear, cries of pain, and movement. I fight against the hands grabbing at me, keeping my eyes sealed shut as I spray blindly and pray I don’t hit Ollie who I try to keep in front of me. My throat is on fire. I cough as the spray penetrates my nostrils by force. A loud pop stills all movement as if someone screamed, “Red,” in a game of red light, yellow light. The meaty sound of a bullet ripping through flesh that follows pries my eyelids open. Water obscures my vision, and it’s like looking through frosted glass.

Feet pound over the pavement. They’re leaving. I swipe at my eyes, desperate to restore more of my vision. My stomach roils as I recognize Ollie’s prone figure. A dark stain blossoms on his plaid shirt. I kneel beside him.

“O-Ollie?” My voice and my hands shake as I reach for my cell phone. His skin is pale, and an ominous hiss like a slow leaking bike tire hits my ear.

He grimaces. “I’m here. It’s hard to breathe.”

Red flags wave as I punch in 911 and place a hand on his shoulder.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“Yes, I-I need help. W-we were just robbed, and my friend was sh-shot in the chest.”

“Where are you?”

“I-I’m here on King street.”

“Are the people still around?”

“No.”

“Do you know what they looked like?”

The question threw me. “I … Tall, unkempt, dark hair. Late twenties to mid-thirties. I don’t know. It was dark, and they were all in black. Please send someone. I hear an odd sound like a deflating balloon or a tire. He’s pale.”

“Help is on their way. What’s your name?”

“Me? I-I’m Quinn Fleming.”

“And the gentleman’s?”

“Ollie … what’s your real name.”

He gives a bark of laughter that ends with a wet cough. “Finally got your name. Oliver Hemingway.”

I repeat his name to the operator. Her steady voice is a lifeline keeping me from panicking.

 Shyla Colt is the sassy international bestseller of the popular series Kings of Chaos and Dueling Devils M.C. This genre-hoppers stories feature three of her favorite things: strong females, pop culture, and alternate routes to happy ever after. Listening to her Romani soul, she pens from the heart, allowing the dynamic characters, eccentric interests, and travels as a former flight attendant to take her down untraveled roads. Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, this mid-west girl is proud of her roots. She used her hometown and the surrounding areas as a backdrop for a number of books. So, if you’re a Buckeye, keep an eye out for familiar places. As a full-time writer, stay at home mother, and wife, there's never a dull moment in her household. She weaves her tales in spare moments and the evenings with a cup of coffee or tea at her side and the characters in her head for company. You can interact with Shyla Colt online via her website www.shylacolt.net Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorshyla.colt and Twitter: @shylacolt Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shylacolt/

Secrets We Keep Cover Reveal!

SECRETS WE KEEP is coming October 2nd! 

Make sure you don’t miss the preorder! http://bit.ly/2pvYT07

Madison Kramer’s life is finally coming together. With her
boyfriend and publicist, Trevor, by her side, her career as a best-
selling author is sure to really take off.
But one thing hasn’t changed. Death follows Maddie wherever
she goes, and a night that should have been nothing but
celebrating the New Year in the arms of the man she loves, turns
into the scene of another murder.

The bodies are piling up, and the murder suspect wants Maddie’s
help in freeing his name. Her secret past continues to come to the
surface, putting her life at risk in a deadly game where Maddie
doesn’t know whom she can trust.

*Cover by Uplifting Designs*

If you haven't read Lies We Tell (book 1) yet, you can grab a FREE copy here, but hurry because this offer ends August 21st!

Monday Mishmash 8/7/17

Happy Monday! Monday Mishmash is a weekly meme dedicated to sharing what's on your mind. Feel free to grab the button and post your own Mishmash.

Here's what's on my mind today:

1. Secrets We Keep Cover Reveal  The cover reveal for the sequel to Lies We Tell is this Wednesday! Yay! I'm so excited to share this one! If you'd like to sign up to receive an eARC in exchange for an honest review, you can do so here. Also, you can sign up for the release week social media blitz here.
2. Editing  I have a client edit on my plate this week. I'm looking forward to diving in.
3. Reignited eARC Signups  If you'd like to read and review an advanced e-copy of Reignited, my steamy Ashelyn Drake romance that's part of the Hot & Sinful Nights boxed set, you can sign up here.
4. New Cover For Falling For You and Perfect For You  I rebranded the covers of Falling For You, my FREE Ashelyn Drake YA contemporary romance novella, and its sequel novel, Perfect For You. Check out the new covers.
   
   
   
   That's it for me today. What's on your mind?

Once a Bridesmaid

★ Pre-Order for 99c ★
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2rXt5hH
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2ssZJuP
Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2rYevXj
Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2sWYS7m
iBooks: http://apple.co/2sWMzb1
Nook: http://bit.ly/2stlGKc
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2rFrIoz
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2sTv4I0

When a risqué bachelorette party leads to an unforgettable tryst, will happily ever after begin with one wild, wanton night? Professional bridesmaid Lauren Bennett wants nothing to do with love or romance. Though she’s happy to help other brides find their way to the altar, Lauren knows a lifetime hitched to one man is not for her. Happily ever after is not in her plans. Wedding photographer Kyle Rawlings is finished with playing the field. He's ready to settle down with the right woman. When a case of mistaken identity drops Lauren into his lap—and his bed-- he thinks fate has granted his wish. Lauren’s usual love ‘em and leave ‘em approach doesn’t work with Kyle. As they gradually become friends and then lovers, can a fling become forever after all?

Once a Bridesmaid is the second book in the Always a Bridesmaid contemporary romance series about professional bridesmaids finding their own happily ever afters. If you enjoy witty dialogue, unforgettable characters, and steamy sex scenes, you’ll love Courtney Hunt’s light-hearted Always a Bridesmaid series.

Get Once A Bridesmaid and 21 other full-length romances and enjoy your happily-ever-after today!

 Courtney Hunt writes smart, funny contemporary romances featuring strong heroines and the sexy heroes who steal their hearts. In addition to her Kindle Scout winning novel, The Lost Art of Second Chances, her work includes the light-hearted Always a Bridesmaid series, the heartwarming Cupid’s Coffeeshop series, and the sensual Billionaire Babes Club. An attorney by day, Courtney lives outside Washington, DC with her own Prince Charming and their son. Join her mailing list for a FREE starter library at www.courtney-hunt.com