Flirting to Win by Natalie Anderson

It’s been an exciting week for me this week with the release of a new novella anthology – FLIRTING TO WIN has just gone up at Amazon and Barnes & Noble!

These are three sweet’n’sexy stories set in London in summer. They take a light look at the games we sometimes play (even without realising it) as a relationship begins. It’s about all that flip, flirty stuff and that learning while playing can be fun, playing for keeps is even better.

Here’s a little more about each story:

Gamble in Gold

The one that got away...

Seven years have passed since shy Lexie Peterson had her heart trampled by her teenage crush. When she comes face to face with him in London, she vows to stay strong against his charms. But there's something about the man who has always made the impossible seem possible.

When Luke Marchetti walks into his flat to find Lexie in a negligee, all he can think of is having a little flirt and fling. But sweet, caring Lexie is all grown up now, and her determination to keep him at a distance makes him realize she deserves more than he can offer.

One kiss when they were younger ignited a passion that lasted seven long years. But is it enough to entice the two to take a gamble on love?

Seduction in Silver

A limited engagement...

For two weeks Nina Breslin had passed an enticing stranger when catching the Baker Street Tube to go to work. So utterly sexy, and enticingly foreign, she figures he's eons out of her league--until the day he makes an outrageous proposal.

Dr. Eduardo Ruiz needs a break from the heart-breaking reality of his job. So when he finally introduces himself to the vivacious woman he's been admiring, he quickly realizes they could help each other with their sticky situations...and have great fun in the process.

They agree to an outrageous plan. For one night only, she'll masquerade as his girlfriend to appease his overzealous family members, and he'll accompany her to meet with her ex-fiancé's friends, pretending to be her attentive lover. Can they play by their own rules, or will they succumb to the pull of seduction?

Bargain in Bronze

If you can't take the heat...

Entrepreneur Libby Harris's specialty is making her famous muesli. So when an Olympic hopeful invites her to his flat to make her delicious cereal, she's bewildered when his brother Jack walks in, accusing her of trying to ruin his brother's career. Libby has every intention of staying single, but with Jack around, no way can she suppress the personal pleasure she's long denied herself.

Investment banker extraordinaire Jack Barnes's attraction to Libby is instantaneous, but he's raised his two siblings after their parents died in an accident, and it's been all work and no play for as long as he can remember. He can't let down his guard now--not when his brother is so close to the gold. But keeping Libby busy and out of his brother's life challenges every ounce of his self-control.

Until now...

Neither wants a relationship, and though they can't deny their incredible chemistry, Libby and Jack agree that what they have is temporary. So when things start to sizzle between them, will they be able to take the heat?

You can get Bargain in Bronze separately, or all three novellas in one anthology. But today I’d love to give away a copy of the full anthology to one commenter today – leave a comment to let me know the name of the dog that features in the anthology? (Here’s a hint: you might find it on the cover of FLIRTING TO WIN!)

(Entries are open to anyone in the world, the prize is an ebook via Amazon and will be drawn on Sunday 26 August, 9am New Zealand time. Please check back to this post to see if you won!)

EDITED to add: the giveaway is now closed, the winner drawn was Katariina--please email natalie so she can get your prize to you! natalie(at)natalie-anderson(dot)com

Travel all over the countryside...

by Emmie Dark

Hello from Singapore! August has been a big month of travel for me -- starting with a trip to Perth for work, a wonderful visit to the Gold Coast for the RWA Australia conference, and, now, a short trip to Singapore. I often joke that I'll do anything to escape Melbourne's chilly winter, but this is getting ridiculous!

Me and Hugh and Zoe
at Balthazar wine bar!  

Perth was a primarily for work, but my second SuperRomance, In His Eyes, hit the shelves while I was over there. (In His Eyes was the Sunday Smooch this week -- don't forget to check it out!)

And when your second book is released, what's a girl to do but to head out for some celebration?

I found a gorgeous wine bar called Balthazar and had a lovely chat with the wine waiter about my wine choices. He ended up bringing me something that wasn't on the list -- a Spanish something-or-other -- and it was delicious. Just the thing to toast Hugh and Zoe!

Then it was home for a few days before heading to the Gold Coast. There are plenty of reports on line from the conference (including my own daily blog updates) so I won't go into too much detail, except to say that it was an amazing time. The organising committee deserve a big glass of champagne and then a nice lie-down for all the hard work they put in.

We managed to get a few of the LoveCats (but unfortunately not all who were there) together for a portrait on the night of the cocktail party which had the theme of fifties glamour.

A few of the lovely LoveCats! (I hope Sharon doesn't mind me sharing the photo!) 

I flew home from the conference and had a few short hours to reacquaint myself with home (and wash the smalls) before heading back to the airport for Singapore. It's a work trip, but my sister, G, has joined me for a little holiday while I work. It's really lovely to have some company and she's absolutely loving it here.

G and I visited the foreshore food market
and then wandered around taking in the view
of the amazing Marina Bay Sands.

The light and sound show -- quite amazing! 

We've been pursuing most of the typical Singaporean delights - food and bars. :) But there's still plenty more to explore.

And G went to Little India today and had a gorgeous henna tattoo applied. I think I might want one of my own when the work stuff is done!

G's henna tattoo!

There's a few more days of work ahead for me, and then a couple of days rest. And then all my focus is going to be on getting book number three wrestled to the ground!

For those of you returning from RWA conference, I hope life has settled a little. And for those who didn't go away at all -- hope you are enjoying sleeping in your own beds! ;)

While the (Love)Cats are away...Louisa George

Psst...there's no one here but me. I'm all alone.

One cat has gone Greek, another's gone bush...and pretty much all the others are sunning themselves at a conference in the GC!

So what to do? The place is so quiet, we need to rock things up a bit! I've called a friend...
  

 No! Not that One!

THIS one...

But he called a few more friends, and a few more... and, oops there goes the crystal vase.

Maybe this party isn't going to go so well after all.

It reminds me of a friend's 16 year old son who had a party when his parents were away for one night. (Yes- the time they were 'testing' him...). He thought he'd done an awesome job of tidying up the place before they got back...but forgot to check the garden...where his considerate friends had stashed most of the empty bottles.

Or the time another friend's son was allowed to stay at home alone for the night and when his parents got home they had a call from the local cop shop- where their son had spent the night after a fracas outside his own party!

I have two teenage sons - I'm bracing myself for the fall out!!!

Personally I was always the sober one cleaning up... or doing the moves on the dance floor (I LOVED those 70s and 80s songs with actions! OK- I know- sad!). I was never arrested or in trouble ...oh, yes, apart from the time my friends came over and we had a food fight in my lounge......then there was that strange wedding I went to where the best man had arranged a stripper! A stripper at a wedding?!?Huh??

What about you? Any party nightmare stories to share? Or were you the one who was always in the kitchen at parties?

As I'm holding out for a few new friends to party with I thought I'd give a copy of my current Medical Romance release, Waking Up With His Runaway Bride to one commenter.

Images:
Rat Cartoon courtesy of AKARAKINGDOMS
www.freedigitalphotos.net
DJinConcert by ponsuwan
www.freedigitalphotos.net

Sunday Smooch: In His Eyes

Welcome to another LoveCats DownUnder Sunday Smooch!

Today's Sunday Smooch is coming to you live from the RWA 2012 conference on the Gold Coast! There has been quite a bit of wine consumed over the past few days, so it's fitting that today we have a smooch from the vineyard-set In His Eyes by Emmie Dark.

But before we get into winery territory, the winner from Nikki Logan's Slow Dance with the Sheriff Smooch last week was Kylie Griffin! Congratulations, Kylie! Please contact Nikki by email - nikki (at) nikkilogan.com and she'll send you a copy of Slow Dance With the Sherrif!

In His Eyes: What if everything he thinks he knows about her is wrong? 

Hugh Lawson and Zoe Waters have a tangled history. But she left ten years ago and he's put her behind him. Except she's here again—just when Hugh's ready to make an offer for her family's legendary vineyard. And her version of those long-ago events is enough to make him question everything he thought he knew.

Hugh can't let the past destroy his plans for the future. Which means he has to unravel the truth. But as he does, he begins to realize that he may have been as responsible for what happened as Zoe. And that going back could be the only way to move forward.

And now for today's Sunday Smooch:

SET UP: Hugh and Zoe have been working together and, in doing so, some of the truths about their past together have been revealed. Zoe needs comfort -- and maybe something a little more...

Oh God, if only he could turn back the clock. “I would have. If I’d known—” His fists tightened in frustration. “I’d have been there before you could blink. I promise you. If I’d only…if I’d known…” With a frustrated, growling sigh, Hugh stopped himself as his voice rose with the accusation and hurt of his seventeen-year-old self. 

Zoe shrugged and her throat worked as she swallowed. 

She didn’t believe him, he could see that. The spark of anger somewhere inside him grew brighter. He could see it clearly now. Even once she’d been free from her aunt, she hadn’t tried to come back to him because she couldn’t bring herself to trust him again. Those few phone calls, the ones his father had intercepted, had only strengthened her conviction. Zoe Waters had never been able to believe that anyone could love her. Not even him, after everything they’d been through. 

That realization, the utter wretchedness of that fact, doused his anger. For now, his sorrow and sympathy overwhelmed all else. 

He stood up in a rush, ignoring the chair that tipped and fell to the floor with a crash. Zoe was in his arms a moment later, and he wasn’t sure if it was because he’d yanked her from her chair or she’d leapt there herself. It didn’t matter. 

All that mattered was holding her.

She shivered against him, and he tucked her head under his chin, pulling her closer, trying to make the memories disappear, again desperately wishing he had some kind of magic power that would enable him to change the past. 

They stood like that for long minutes, his arms around her, her head against his chest. She wasn’t crying, still hadn’t shed a tear. Zoe was motionless except for her trembling that every now and then built to a shudder. When that happened she’d push herself closer to him, as if she were escaping from something. Hugh pressed occasional kisses to the top of her head, but didn’t say anything. 

What was there to say? How could any words make up for what she’d been through? For what they’d both lost?

Her arms were trapped between them and she moved, pushing herself away a little, her hands rising to his neck. But it wasn’t until the cool air hit his chest that he realized she was undoing the buttons of his shirt. 

“Zoe?” 

She pressed an open-mouthed kiss against the hair on his chest as she pulled his shirt apart. “Mmm?”

Her little tongue darted out to lick him before her hands moved lower and began opening the next button in line. 

“Zoe, what are you doing?” Even as his brain puzzled over her moves, his body responded. Her touch, her mouth, the tickle of her fingers against his skin as she popped each button through its buttonhole… His body strained towards her even as his every rational sense told him to pull away. 

“I should think that was obvious,” she mumbled against his skin, trailing kisses down his torso, moistening his skin with her attention with every button she undid. One hand skated down his body and she trailed cool fingertips, with the lightest of touches, over the front of his rapidly tightening jeans. 

“Wait.” Hugh grasped her wrists and took a step back. Her flushed face looked up at him and it was such a contrast from the pale, wan woman he’d just been speaking to he was almost shocked. “Are you seducing me?” 

She tried for a seductive smile, but it spoke more of desperation than desire. “Do you have a problem with that?” 

“Zoe…” His tone was a warning. He’d never before felt such powerfully confused desire warring inside him. Was making love now, after the conversation they’d just had, the right thing to do? Was it even vaguely appropriate? 

But he didn’t want to leave, didn’t want to walk out of here and have to deal with the mental ramifications of all he’d just heard. Didn’t want to think about it—any of it. 

Zoe’s expression turned pleading. “Please, Hugh. I need this. You…” She swallowed. “You made me remember it. Now you have to make me forget, make it go away again. You got what you wanted. Help me, please, I need this.” 

Perhaps she wasn’t the only one.

Emmie is running a promotion on her blog throughout the month of August. Anyone who leaves a comment will go into the running to win a pair of beautiful Riedel wine glasses. 

Emmie has also been providing daily blog updates from the RWA conference, so go check out her posts -- and don't forget to leave a comment! 

You can also win a copy of In His Eyes by leaving comment right here! Tell Emmie what your favourite drink is -- it doesn't have to be wine! 

Who owns who? OR Have I become a slave to my cat …….

By Helen Lacey

A while ago I blogged about the newest addition to our animal family – a beautiful ragdoll cat – so I thought I would give an update on how it’s going. I’ve always been a horsey gal and dog lover and other than a few strays that have set up home in stables over the years or a ginger feral that used to hang out along the back fence, I’ve never really been into pets of the feline variety.

Until Oscar. (That's him upside down and asleep on the bed)

Since joining us he has well and truly made himself at home. If he’s not sleeping at the end of the bed, he’s fighting me for a spot on my office chair or sneaking into the garage to put kitty-kat paw prints all over hubby’s much adored show car. Now, I made a deal with hubby when we adopted Oscar, because he insisted that since I was the one who really wanted him, then I had to be the one who did the chores associated with owning an indoor cat. I agreed – I mean, how hard could it be to run around after one average sized Ragdoll?

Easy. Sure. I mean, the feeding and brushing and obvious kitty litter duties, it’s not so hard. In fact, it’s much easier owning a cat than it is a dog….. And it’s certainly MUCH less stressful than owning a horse (Or eight horses). So Oscar has settled in and I do what needs to be done. But over the past few weeks it has occurred to me that while I am devoted to this beautiful little fella – he’s not quite so devoted to me. Not at all like my dogs, who almost turn themselves into pretzels with excitement every time I enter the yard or take them for a walk. Even my horse Zeb gives a whinny when I approach. But Oscar . . . not so much. And I could happily accept that as the norm if it wasn’t for the extraordinary amount of attention and affection he gives to my husband. When I mentioned this fact with much despair to hubby he looked at me, smiled, and said “Oh, that’s easy, you’re his slave . . . And I’m his master.”

Slave? Is that what a feeder, brusher and cat poop pickeruperer equates to?  And the master thing? Imagine my reaction to that. But maybe hubby has a point. After all, it’s very apparent who Oscar likes the most.  

So, has anyone else had a cat with a superiority complex? Or do you have any tips on how to overcome this slave and master conundrum?

If the Shoe Fits - Annie West

Recently I had my favourite shoes mended. They've trod my local streets as well as done me proud in Paris and Southern France. They're comfy and they make me smile whenever I look at them. Aren't they cute?

Looking at them made me realise how different they are from the black court shoes that figured so prominently in my life when I held down a serious five-day a week office career.

Which led me to thinking about shoes as indicators of character. Hey, I'm an author - I'm allowed to get away with such leaps of thought. It struck me how much I love the tiny peripheral details that indicate character in a story. Rather than being told a heroine is serious or sassy, flirtatious or grounded, I adore finding out through telling little details in the way people respond to her, what her habits are and, yes, what she wears.

Does she wear strappy, high heeled sandals? Does she wear them easily or does she struggle with the heels? Is she unused to wearing them? My current heroine is getting used to wearing high heels for the first time in years and the reason she's not used to them - well, that's part of her backstory and reveals a lot about why she acts the way she does. I've had heroines who wear teetering jewel-studded stilettos without a second thought and that says a lot about their lives and their self confidence too, or perhaps about a role they're determined to play in public.

I had a heroine who met her Prince Charming when he was in Italian hand stitched shoes and she wore gumboots. Even when she became a princess, she didn't always conform with the general expectation of what a royal should wear, because that didn't sit with her personality or preferences. I recall her making public appearances in tailored jackets, jeans and low-heeled boots. Would she wear blue suede boots? Probably, if they were as comfortable as these.

And it's not just my heroines I recall because of their footwear. Michelle Douglas wrote a memorable heroine with a penchant for Doc Martins. Liz Fielding had a marvellous heroine who favoured boots too - not the high heeled fashion variety but the solid, business-like don't-mess-with-me type. In both cases they revealed character and reinforced what we were beginning to discover about the heroine.

And of course, if we want to talk romance heroines, Cinderella is up there with the best of them, with her memorable lost slipper. Given the fact so many women adore shoes, even looking at ones they'd never wear themselves, I think a passing reference to a heroine's (or hero's) footwear preferences interests readers.

I love the idea of a heroine at home at one of those times when any sane woman wouldn't like the man of her dreams walking in on her - hair in a towel, face pack on, embarrassing cartoon pjs and fluffy slippers - and of course having Mr Tall Dark and Delicious arrive. Would she kick off the slippers and hide them, brazen it out or have the self confidence not to mind at all? Her reaction would tell a lot about her, and possibly grab our interest and sympathy.

What about you? Do your shoes tell something about your character, job or life? What are the most memorable shoes you've owned or seen? What sort would you like to own or perhaps provide for a romance heroine?

Relax, don't do it....!

By Barbara DeLeo

Today's the day the eight of us set off on our three month trip away. The organisation, the planning, and the logistics of taking so many people so far from home has left me in a frazzled heap. I know  I'm going to have LOTS of time to relax in the coming weeks, though, and that's one of the things I'm looking forward to the most.

In the day-to-day bustle of jobs and school and afterschool activities and hobbies and friends and families, it's often hard to find time to relax. In fact sometimes I feel as though I've forgotten how. My husband meditates every morning and he swears by the quiet time

to get himself set for the day. I've tried it, but always end up thinking of shopping lists and working out whose turn it is to clean out the fish tank....

When our kids were really young —and when things weren't going to plan—we used "time out" A LOT. Mostly it was as much for our sanity as the kids'. Having some space from each other, even it was an enforced separation, usually resulted in a change in behaviour. A moment to take a breath and recalibrate can do wonders.

A little corner of my "breathing room"

As the kids have got older "time out" has lost it's magical powers.....so we've instituted a "breathing room". It's a place where any one of us can go when we feel cross, or frustrated or just need some "breathing room" and time to relax. The rule is that when someone goes into the breathing room (really just our spare room with a few little symbols of relaxation and a nice  chair in the sun) no one is allowed to disturb them. It might be just for a minute, or five, or twenty, but it's a great place to get centred, and to RELAX. It's defused many a temper tantrum and full scale battle in its time. (Confession: I still think about who should clean the fish tank but it's such a lovely place to do it in).

So are you like me and struggle to relax, or do you have some favourite techniques. Do you take a sceneted bath? Listen to some favourite music? Read a romance?