Tag Archives: romance

Long Distance Love by Leigh Archer (@leigharcherbook) #romance

tourbutton_moonflower“As long as we can see the same sky, breath the same air, step on the same planet, then you and I are not impossible.”

That’s one way to look at long-distance relationships, but what if this just isn’t enough?

The most pressing dilemma in Moonflower is the issue of long-distance love. Sophie and Reuben must struggle to find common ground between two very different ways of life. Can an African game farm bridge the gap between wildest Africa and corporate London? Today there is a very real possibility that two people from opposite sides of the world can meet and fall in love.

This poses quite a dilemma if one person isn’t able to pull up roots and move across the world to be with the person they love. Life, career, responsibility versus love and that feeling of being truly alive. What is a job or a way of life compared to what could be a lifetime spent with the person you love?

 

Here are some of the benefits of long-distance relationships:

  • You just know that if your relationship survives the distance, it can survive anything.
  • You have to hone your communications skills.
  • Having a bad hair day, having shaved your legs or had a stress breakout, no problem – what the eyes do not see, the heart does not grieve, as the saying goes.
  • You both have to be committed to keep the flame burning.
  • You get loads of me-time
  • The ability to be independent is a huge help.

 

Not so great things about long-distance relationships:

  • You can’t help each other through a crisis.
  • Hope you’ve clocked up voyager miles because visits can be expensive.
  • You might have to take your cousin to important events.
  • At times it can be a bummer seeing happy couples all around you.

 

Of course, whether to go long-distance or not is a question only the individual can answer, but what do you think? Would you pull out all the stops to be with the love of your life, even if it meant long-distance love?

 

EXCERPT

The sun was just beginning to rise. It was bound to be a beautiful day, but she was honest enough to know it was the thought of another encounter with Reuben that made the light behind the curtains seem a little more golden this morning, the sound of the birds a bit sweeter. But what if that anticipated meeting never happened? Would it be enough to know he was close by?

Sophie groaned. ‘You’re losing your head!’ And then all the brightness of a moment ago was doused with apprehension. This wasn’t some twenty-something-year-old boy she was falling for, but a captain of industry with a playboy reputation. The type was foreign to her, his world not her world. The life of a conservationist was about as far removed from a London boardroom as it possibly could be. Her work was her passion and she had a long and exciting road ahead of her.

Sophie felt a little impatient with herself. It would be nothing short of silly to allow herself to become attached to Reuben Manning. Yes, they’d shared a drink and a moment of tranquillity on a porch in Africa last night, but how many evenings had Reuben spent like that in, say, a year? Not many, Sophie guessed. And that’s exactly what she wanted from a partner. Many things besides sexual attraction, no matter how strong. Someone to share her passion, and someone to a share a porch and a drink with her at the end of each day.

Sophie sighed as she took off Reuben’s shirt and stepped into the shower. Time to start the day. A dose of reality was way overdue.

 

MoonflowerBLURB AND BUY LINKS

Conservationist, Sophie Kyle, takes up a position on a private game farm outside Cape Town in the hopes of paying off her student loans, adding a glowing reference to her resume and indulging her passion for wildlife conservation.

Reuben Manning is a British businessman who has bought a game farm in Africa which he intends to use as a venue to entertain friends and business associates.

With the suddenness and intensity of a bushfire, a powerful attraction ignites between the conservationist and the tycoon, but Sophie has only ever wanted to spend her days in the African bush while Reuben’s life is corporate London.

As the sensuous bond between the two grows, they must find common ground or they are doomed to spend the rest of their lives a continent apart.

Moonflower at Amazon.com

Moonflower at Amazon UK

Moonflower at Tirgearr Publishing

Moonflower at Smashwords

Moonflower on Apple

Moonflower on Kobo

Moonflower on Nook

 

AUTHOR BIO AND LINKS      

Leigh writes romance novels set in her native South Africa. She has always had a love affair with Africa’s wild open spaces, the intensity of its people and sunsets. Her love of storytelling began as a child when she spent every spare moment playing barefoot in golden grass, watching wild creatures, learning to track spoor and dreaming up heroes and heroines dynamic enough to stand out in all the beauty and drama of the African landscape.

Always in search of adventure, Leigh’s journey as a writer has taken her from journalism through communications, to working as a novelist.

Website – http://leigharcher.net/

Blog – Leigh Archer

Twitter – Leigh Archer

Facebook – Leigh Archer

Tirgearr Publishing Author Page – Leigh Archer

Amazon Author Page – Leigh Archer

GIVEAWAY!

Make sure to follow the whole tour—the more posts you visit throughout, the more chances you’ll get to enter the giveaway. The tour dates are here: http://www.writermarketing.co.uk/prpromotion/blog-tours/currently-on-tour/leigh-archer-2/

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Abi’s House A Steal of a Summer Read from Jenny Kane!

AH FB 99p sale ad

 

 

Jenny Kane’s latest novel, Abi’s House- a tale of Cornish sunshine, fish ‘n’ chips, friendship, new beginnings, and romance- is on special offer UNTIL SUNDAY 26th JULY, at the bargain price of either 99p or 99c!!!

Blurb

Newly widowed at barely thirty, Abi Carter is desperate to escape the Stepford Wives-style life that Luke, her late husband, had been so keen for her to live.

Abi decides to fulfil a lifelong dream. As a child on holiday in a Cornwall as a child she fell in love with a cottage – the prophetically named Abbey’s House. Now she is going to see if she can find the place again, relive the happy memories … maybe even buy a place of her own nearby?

On impulse Abi sets off to Cornwall, where a chance meeting in a village pub brings new friends Beth and Max into her life. Beth, like Abi, has a life-changing decision to make. Max, Beth’s best mate, is new to the village. He soon helps Abi track down the house of her dreams … but things aren’t quite that simple. There’s the complicated life Abi left behind, including her late husband’s brother, Simon – a man with more than friendship on his mind … Will Abi’s house remain a dream, or will the bricks and mortar become a reality?

 

 

Abi's House_edited-1

 

Here are some of the lovely review’s Abi’s House has received…

A summer read as scrumptious as its Cornish backdrop. Brilliant!”

“This novel is a box of delights…the perfect escapist read…”

“Better than a Cornish Cream Tea…”

“Reading a Jenny Kane book is like opening a journal by a much loved friend…”

 

 

 

 

Get your copy Abi’s House at only 99p or 99c, from these links before 26th July

 

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com

 

Happy reading, and huge thanks to Kd for helping me spread the word about my latest novel.

Jenny (aka Kay Jaybee)

www.jennykane.co.uk

Cover Reveal: Living the Dream by Celia J Anderson (@celiaanderson1) #romance #suspense

Living the Dream will be released by Tirgearr Publishing on the 15th July. Pre-order yours here: http://celiajanderson.co.uk/books/living-the-dream/

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Blurb:

When dreams and reality crash and mingle, escape can be the hardest challenge of all.

Longing to get away from her troubled marriage, the opportunity to cross America by train seems like a dream come true for Vita Craythorne. But charismatic travel agent Moriarty Miles has other ideas; by replacing their mutual friend Jack on the trip, Vita has unwittingly set herself up as a guinea pig for Moriarty’s mind-blowing and potentially dangerous virtual-travelling project. His plan is to give clients the holiday of a lifetime without ever having to leave the comfort of their own homes. It’s exciting. It’s time-saving. It’s innovative. Maybe this trip is just what Vita needs? That is, if she can avoid becoming trapped inside her own, miraculous dream world.

Author Bio:

After years of searching for the perfect job, I think I’ve finally found it in teaching, especially since changing to part-time hours to leave more space for writing. Let’s face it, where else do you get paid for reading stories, playing with glue and paint and making small people laugh? Over the years I’ve child-minded very contentedly, taught cycling proficiency (forgot to mention at the interview that I was still learning to ride a bike, but they found out quite soon), stamped books in a library, sold second-hand maternity clothes, dabbled in mental health care, to name but a few of my jobs.

When I’m not marking books or writing, I spend far too much time on Facebook talking to other, much cleverer writer people. I also blog as part of The Romaniacs online writers’ group. These are the ladies that make me laugh and keep me sane when I think I’ve run out of steam. My ultimate dream is to have children’s books published too.

The rest of my non-writing time is taken up with running Upstage – a children’s drama group – cooking, eating and walking off the damage. I live with my husband and deranged cats in South Derbyshire but, sea-starved in the depths of the Midlands, I can often be found striding over the Quantocks or wandering happily around Brighton visiting my two daughters and pretending to collect ideas for my next book.

Website: http://celiajanderson.co.uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CeliaJAndersonAuthor
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/celiaanderson1

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Guest Blog: Charlotte Howard

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Thanks for hosting! As you’ll see when you read Seven Dirty Words, my books always include the same main ingredients: a strong-minded woman, an Alpha male, food, and endless cups of tea. Why? Because these four things are important in my life and make me who I am. Let me elaborate…

I grew up with two sisters (I actually have six, but that’s a blog post in itself), my Mum, and my Dad who worked abroad, so was only around for a few weeks of the year. My parents had a turbulent marriage, which sadly ended in divorce when I was 18. With so many women, such little male influence in my life, I guess it was only natural that I should grow up to be an independent woman who knows what she wants, and knows how to get it. Saying I’m strong-minded would be the polite way of saying stubborn and pig-headed – ask my husband! And even though it has led to conflict, I believe that being a woman who is able to fend for herself and knows her own mind, has been a positive aspect of my life, which is why I’m bringing my daughter up to be the same. She has her tantrums, but she is a confident little missy who won’t be walked over when she’s older.

To completely contradict myself, I do like an Alpha male. I’ve read the FSOG trilogy, the Crossfire series, and several other erotic and romance novels and the Alpha male status definitely appeals to me. Perhaps it’s because of my strong personality – I need a challenge. I don’t want to be married to a pushover who lets me walk over him. I want someone who will put me in my place without being abusive, and that’s what a true Alpha male is. He is a powerful man who cares for and loves his woman and will do anything to keep her safe. It doesn’t have to go down the BDSM route, in fact none of my books can be classed as BDSM, although the subject is brushed upon in The Black Door and my WIP, Educating Miss Beauchamp.

So that’s people, but what about food and tea? Haha! Well that’s my life all over – I eat and I drink tea. In fact the other week I got told that I eat so much, I could never be classed as a cheap date. Steak or salad? Just hand me the entire cow please! I love a takeaway, which is touched upon with a Chinese in Seven Dirty Words, and a curry in The Final Straight. But you have to be healthy as well, which is why my characters are active and either have a gym membership or a hobby that requires them to keep fit. The tea thing, well… anyone who knows me can tell you how much tea I drink. I even have a thermos with a lid so that I can drink tea whilst I’m working without worrying about spilling it over a computer or scalding a colleague.

All of these things are who I am. I am a strong-minded woman married to an Alpha male, I love my food, and woe-betide anyone who takes my tea away! I guess you could say it’s my brand, and it features heavily in all of my books, especially Seven Dirty Words, and will be present in any future novels too.

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Excerpt:

“I’ve never seen a girl eat like you.” He laughed.

“I’m starving,” I said, in between mouthfuls of prawns and peas, trying to ignore the dimming room. A crash overhead started the storm’s symphony. Fat raindrops splattered against the window as the room lit with a sudden flash. Seconds later, another rumble filled the air. I shuddered.

“Are you okay?”

“I don’t like thunder storms,” I admitted, finishing the last of my noodles. The truth was I was afraid of any loud noise.

“Don’t worry, I won’t force you out in this.”

“I forgot to bring a coat,” I grumbled, rubbing my arms as though it had suddenly got cold.

Matt stood and peered out the window. “It’ll be a while before this is over.” He picked up the plates and took them into the kitchen. I followed him, not wanting to be alone.

As I walked in, I suddenly remembered the large windows, and saw the dreary sky blanketing the village. My eyes widened in fear as another flash filled the sky.

Matt smiled at me.

“What’s so funny?”

“You are.” He laughed, nearing me. “I didn’t think you were afraid of anything.”

“Appearances can be deceptive.”

“They most certainly can!” He took my hand and led me back into the living room. “Well, it looks like we’ll be here a bit longer than intended.” We sat back down on the sofa.

“And no TV to kill the time,” I said, staring at the empty fireplace. “Look, if you want to get rid of me, I can make a mad dash to the car door. It’s only rain.”

“I don’t want to get rid of you, Paige.” As he said my name, the hairs on my neck and arms stood on end. “But I’m not willing to share you either.”

 

Seven_Dirty_Words_by_Charlotte_HowardBlurb & Buy Links:

Paige Holmes hides herself in a masculine world in a desperate attempt to remain safe.

Just as she is ready to face her fears and her past, she finds herself torn between Matt Jackson and Vance Ellery: handsome, rich, and safe – or handsome, rich, and dangerous?

Which will she choose?

The one who appears to be the most perfect, or the one who makes her use all Seven Dirty Words?

Tirgearr Publishing: http://tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Howard_Charlotte/seven-dirty-words.htm
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1ExJtUx
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1dy702q
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seven-dirty-words-charlotte-howard/1114293556
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/seven-dirty-words-3
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/seven-dirty-words/id992996036
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/541059?ref=cw1985

 

Charlotte HowardBio & Social Media Links:

My career as a writer started when I was young, writing poetry and flash fiction for my friends and family. After a few minor successes of having pieces published in anthologies, and later on-line, I decided to have a go at writing a full-length novel. My first attempt was a bit of a disaster, but after years of practice, I finally got that coveted First Contract. Since then, I’ve written several more novels and short stories, and I don’t intend to retire for at least another 50 years.

Charlotte lives in Somerset with her husband, two children, and growing menagerie of pets and can always be found with a cup of tea in her hand. When she’s not writing or running around after small people and animals, she loves to eat curry and watch action films.

Charlotte is an active (and vocal) member of the Yeovil Creative Writers.

http://www.charlottehowardauthor.co.uk
http://choward2614.wordpress.com
http://www.facebook.com/charlottehowardauthor
http://www.facebook.com/chowardauthor
http://tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Howard_Charlotte/index.htm
http://www.twitter.com/shy_tiger
https://www.pinterest.com/choward2614/
https://instagram.com/choward_author/

GIVEAWAY!

Make sure to follow the whole tour—the more posts you visit throughout, the more chances you’ll get to enter the giveaway. The tour dates are here: http://www.writermarketing.co.uk/prpromotion/blog-tours/currently-on-tour/charlotte-howard-3/

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Rescuing Cinderella

I’m thinking about Cinderella today, oh I know there’ve been lots of face-lifts to the story to make it more modern, andCinderella dorecind I know the original fairy tale had some seriously dark stuff in it. The old Russian version has the evil step sisters cutting off their toes to try and fit their enormous feet into the dainty glass slipper! And the evil toe-cutters are exactly my point.

I’m thinking about how often women are portrayed in pop-culture as either wanting to or NEEDING to be willing to cut off their toes to spite their feet in order to be worthy of a Prince Charming to come and rescue them. I’m also thinking about how often that perfect beauty of tiny feet, tiny waists, big tits and gorgeous face are the main characteristics of the damsel Prince Charming rescues. In fact, they’re quite often the ONLY characteristics of the damsel in need of a romantic rescue. Sadly, we’re encouraged not only to read about that vacuous blank canvas of a damsel, but we’re expected, likewise, to want to BE her. That dream of being rescued by the prince on the white horse will surely become our reality if we can only cut off out toes and be Cinderella!

Okay, if I’m honest, at every single one of the difficult points in my life I would have been more than willing to be rescued from the struggles, or even at times I would love to be rescued from my ordinary life and brought into something more exciting. (That’s always a very dangerous thing to wish for!) And who hasn’t spent serious time ‘looking for a hero,’ even if it’s just in a really juicy fantasy.

Most of the time, though, we don’t get rescued. We have to do that ourselves, and we’re all the better for it. In the best situations, and in the best stories I’ve read, the hero and the heroine rescue each other, and they’re both worthy of the rescue.

I suppose the need to be rescued is archetypal, just as is the need to go on a quest, which is often only an elaborate way of rescuing ourselves. But the makings of a fictional hero and a heroine these days seem to have more to do with fat bank accounts and chaining virgins to the bed in an expensive dungeon and less about the journey that risks everything.

Oh, did I mention the journey? Right! The rescue, the quest, they always go hand in hand with the journey. And this is why, for me, Cinderella is one of the weakest tales. The journey is the leaving of our comfort zone – quite often screaming and kicking every step of the way. In that respect, no doubt Cinderella was outside her comfort zone at the ball, but in most journeys, there’s no glass slipper, no prince charming, and no fairy godmother dashing to the rescue. There’s much fear and trembling and digging deep. THAT’S what makes a book nail-biting and un-put-downable (there! A new word) It’s when chaos springs from the mundanity of order that heroes are made. And the resulting Writing pen and birds 1_xl_20156020quest, the resulting journey is usually at least as painful as having toes severed to fit into glass slippers.

We rescue ourselves on a daily basis. We find within ourselves the makings of the hero, and we push forward. That little seed of the hero’s journey exists in all of us, and it’s never a matter of sitting in the ashes by the fireplace and waiting to be rescued. It’s a matter of getting muddy and mucky and taking risks and moving into the places inside us that terrify us, but that pull us like magnates, nonetheless. We are our own heroes, and our stories – those of us who write stories, come from the deeper places in our selves – or at least they should if they’re ever to matter much.

Am I being judgmental? Quite possibly. I never claimed not to be. But I know my own journey, and I know when I sit in front of the computer and break into a cold sweat because I fear the place I see myself heading, because I know I have no choice but to go there if this story is to be born, then I know that no one will rescue me but me, and I have to go deep into chaos to come out the other side as my own hero.