Valentine's Treats!

February, the time when ALL the shops are begging you to buy red roses and candy but really, who needs an excuse to get spoiled! The fine folk over at Audible Books agree and so they've just released the audio book version of The Boss and Her Billionaire. Yeay. To celebrate I'm giving away copies in all sorts of places. Check out my Facebook page for ideas on where to get yours. I'm also releasing book three in the Love on Deck series at the beginning of March! Yeay. All of the Fun Things!

First up is over at Coffee Time Romance and it's a scavenger hunt!
Here’s what you need to do to be in to WIN!
1. Flick me a message about true love on my Facebook page (I’ll draw a winner on February 12th).
2. Write down the word in the picture below – you’ll need it on the last day of the scavenger hunt to be in to win a Samsung Galaxy Tab® 4 NOOK® 7.0!,
3. Head back to the Coffee Time And More Website to read the next post and find the next clue!
Good luck everyone and happy Scavenger Hunt

I hope you have a wonderful day on the 14th and check back to find out the winner of that event and all of the winners of the competitions I'll be running in Street Teams all over Facebook!

x Happy reading
Michele

Get Wicked!

Happy almost Halloweeeeen!

Hope you're all enjoying the fabulousness that is the Entangled Get Wicked Blog Hop. Because I'm all about treats, rather than tricks, I thought I'd share my (world famous in my street) Halloween mallow ghosts. This is about getting wicked as well as trick or treating, and there is nothing more deliciously wicked than the taste of sugar whipped into airy peaky perfection. Personally I would serve the adult version of these with cream too - ideally chocolate cream. Oh. Yes.
 


You will need:  
4 egg whites, at room temperature
Pinch salt
220g (1 cup) caster sugar

1. Remember that moisture is not your friend when you are making these puppies. So don't make meringues on humid or rainy days.  Preheat oven to 120°C/248°F. Measure and prepare all your ingredients.
2. Line 2 large baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Have all the required utensils on hand. An electric stand mixer or electric hand beaters with a whisk attachment or a hand balloon whisk can be used to whisk the egg whites. they will all give good results but the texture of the meringue mixture will be slightly different with each.
3. Place the egg whites and salt in a large, clean, dry mixing bowl. Make sure your egg whites, bowl and whisk attachment/s are free of any water, or fat such as butter, oil or egg yolks, as this will inhibit the egg whites from incorporating air and producing a good volume. It is best to use a stainless steel, glass, ceramic or copper bowl and whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form.
4. Add the sugar, a spoonful at a time, whisking until just combined. The sugar should be added gradually but there is no need to whisk well after each addition. If the sugar is added too slowly, the resulting mixture will be fluffy and not smooth and will give the final meringues an open texture.
5. After the last of the sugar has been, added, continue to whisk for a further 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is very thick and glossy, all the sugar has dissolved and a long trailing peak forms when the whisk is lifted. The best way to test if all the sugar has dissolved is to rub a little of the mixture between your thumb and forefinger.
6. If it is smooth, all the sugar has dissolved. Keep a close eye on the mixture and stop beating as soon as it reaches this stage. If the mixture is overbeaten, the meringues will collapse during cooking and beads of sugar will form on their surface.
7. Use teaspoons to spoon the mixture onto the lined trays to form the meringues. As a guide, each meringue will be about 2 level tablespoon measures of mixture.
8. Place the meringues into the oven and reduce the temperature to 90°C/194°F. When you place the meringues in the oven, the initial slightly higher temperature sets their outsides. The lower temperature then dries the meringues rather than bakes them. Leave the oven on for 1 1/2 hours or until the meringues are crisp and sound hollow when tapped on the base. Turn the oven off and allow the meringues to cool in the oven - this will take 3-4 hours.
9. Paint the "ghost eyes" on with black food coloring or color paste.
10. Store your "ghosts" in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Thanks for coming to visit. As a special treat to Blog Hoppers, I'm giving away an ARC of my upcoming Christmas title Red Hot Christmas! Just let me know which of my Entangled titles has been translated into greek...you can check on my website

To head back to the Blog Hop, just click on the linky link below. 

Mmmmm Chocolate

It's Easter, and one of my Critique Partners (Bronwen Evans) just hit the USA Today Best Seller List so I'm feeling in the mood for a celebratory beverage. What's nicer than combining chocolate and alcohol! Mmmm, chocolate and alcohol. Thanks to Wiki, and patient taste testing by moi, here is the easiest Chocolate Martini recipe and the perfect way to celebrate...anything!

Now, if we're honest, a Chocolate Martini isn't really a Martini...there's certainly very little of the shaken not stirred dry shiver you'd get from a Bond version of the cocktail, but we're not being sticklers for tradition here, and...chocolate!

Happy Easter everyone.

Chocolate Martini (makes 3-4 servings)

• 6 oz (180 ml) vodka
• 4 oz (120 ml) Irish creme liqueur
• 4 oz (120 ml) creme de caçao
• 4 oz (120 ml) chocolate milk
• Chocolate syrup
• Ice

(Image thanks to health.com)

All I want for Christmas is you!

It's been a bit of a year this one with books out, babies being born and more books in the air. All of that has left me very thankful. To you, my readers, to my family and friends and especially my new wee boy.

So this Christmas, all I want is more of the same really. The love story that has been my entry into romance writing. The true love that snuck up on me and has left me a happily married woman. And the love of my beautiful little boys. Thanks to everyone who has helped make that happen. And I hope that you get a delicious burst of true love, in what ever form that may take, this Christmas.

Happy holidays and happy reading!
x Michele
(Image thanks to hdwallpapersinn.com )

Winners week

So with the release of The Billionaire Bundle and my own wee bundle of not sleeping, breast milk munching baby, its taken me a while to get to the winner of the Love Lost and Found blog tour draw with Goddess Fish. Sorry!

So without further a do...the winner of a fabo Gift Voucher, picked using some fandangled internet based randomiser I didn't know existed but which has made my life so much easier is...drumroll...Mary Preston. Woot!

Congrats! I hope you enjoy spending your amazon cash on a bevy of beauties, or a bunch of bicep-wielding blokes. (Or, because my publicist would grown me if I didn't, a Bundle of Billionaires ;-)

There'll be more winners at some point in the not too distant future too - with our Billionaire Bundle Bling fest - I'm afraid the contest is closed, but the book sure aint.

Congrats again and good luck to the entrants of the Bundle Bling Fest. Thanks so much for supporting me, following the tour and reading the books!

Happy reading
x Michele

A brilliant booky bundle- with beautiful boys

A book a book, a brilliant billionaire-full book. Yep, The Billionaire's Bundle is about to hit the virtual shelves, and Dylan from The Boss and Her Billionaire as well as Spanish and Italian studmuffins from Blackmailed by the Italian Billionaire by Nina Croft and The Spanish Billionaire's Hired Bride by Rachel Lyndhurst will be bursting from it's pages.

There's been lots of talk about a dark-sexy-brooding-hero-look-off and I for one would welcome it because Dylan is modeled on a mix of fine looking fellows who have money, muscles and moves...he'd be bound to win hands down. What's more, he's a man with morals and no small dose of family loyalty...my kinda man. If you want to check out a little glimpse of his inspiration pop over to my pinterest page http://www.pinterest.com/MDWinton/the-boss-and-her-billionaire/ but I can't be on hand to wipe your brow when you find yourself gazing into all those green eyed beauties...

The Billionaires's Bundle is due to release first thing next week and as soon as it's out there in the world you'll be gazing at the fabulous features of our cover model...let's just say his six pack has very little to do with beer :-)
I'll also be hosting those other fabo authors Rachel and Nina so be sure to pop over and say hi to them!

And also - free things! Wohey! In celebration of all things boyish and booky - there's a rafflecopter baby. Jump in and be in to win. https://www.facebook.com/IndulgenceBooks/app_228910107186452
 
Thanks as always for stopping by and happy reading!
x Michele

(Image thanks to 15pictures.com)

Get your daily deal

Oh me oh my, what a lot 99 cents will buy! Entangled Indulgence are up on the Amazon Daily Deals listings so ALL Indulgence titles are only 99 cents, including mine! Bargains galore baby.

You can check out all the Indulgence titles in the sale here and head straight to The Boss and Her Billionaire here - just in time to get ready for book two in September. Ah, Amazon how we love your daily deals. Hope you enjoy!

Any other great bargains to be had out there you want to share? Let me know.
x Michele

September is a coming

It's been a while since I started talking about the next books in the Love on Deck series with Entangled Indulgence - but the follow on from The Boss and Her Billionaire has a release date! September! Woot!
This makes me one happy pregnant lady as baby number two is a coming in October and with all the blogging, happy dancing and pompom welding that comes with a new release, I'm very glad to be getting cracking before I have a tiny little person in my arms again!

I have to say that book two - Love Lost and Found is a little bit special. Partly because it had an amnesia plotline - and I for one, love an amnesia story - although they seem to have gone out of fashion :-( But also because it picks up on Felicity - Michaela's best friend from book one. And, hells, I love her sassy mouth. Oh boy do I love it.
  
I hope you'll love it too! More when there is more. And just a reminder - all the Indulgence books have had a smexy new makeover. What do you think - here's book one side by side.
x Michele

Cover Lovin

They're here! And aint they lovely? See if you can find The Boss and her Billionaire in the mix and let me know what you think?

Indulgence has changed all their covers for a fresh new look!

Classic romance with a fresh new twist.

Indulgence brings together classic romance, new and fresh voices, those alpha heroes we all love, and are simply great category romance reads. Short contemporary romances, these babies are new, fresh, edgy, light, and whimsical and always have a happily ever after. Emotionally and physically satisfying. Sure, Brazen may be the naughty little sister of Indulgence, but where do you think Brazen learned everything?

So, let me know. What do you think of the new look?

x Michele

Girlfriends are a girls best friend

Whether they're for a reason, a season or a lifetime, girlfriends rock. Just sayin.
I've had a couple of mad weeks with technology dissolving around me - external hard drives, laptops, my brain ;-) but happily I've had a group of fabo ladies cheering me on.
In fact they've gone above and beyond for me and I've been blown away by how awesome it is to be surrounded by such powerful, smart and generous women.  My CP managed to critique a book I was working on while she was in hospital and another writer lent me her own laptop so I could crack a deadline.
So I really just wanted to take a little moment to say thanks universe, for granting me such sweet lady friends. People who will put a hand round the shoulder and reassure you that it's all going to work out just fine.
And now that I'm all computered back up, have notes on how to get my heroine to get over her too sweet self and I've handed in those line edits? It's back on baby.
I hope you have some great friends in your life too and I'd love to hear about some of the ways they go above and beyond to make the world a little better for you. Nothing like being able to share the love is there!
Thanks for stopping by.
x Michele

Happy three book dancing

Or should that be happy leaping? I'm a bit slow of the bat to post here as I've been laid low, very low, by the most evil of tummy bugs, but I think I can safely say I'm out the other side. Phew. So on with the happy leaping because I signed a new book deal with Entangled Publishing - those lovely folk, those fabulous ninja editors - to write another series for the Indulgence line.
Yeay! *dances and leaps*

The second book in my first series - which I can now officially reveal is called the Love on Deck series, comes out this fall, and book two Love Lost and Found is going to be a goody. Promise.

But this new series steps off the cruise ship. Having said that though, it doesn't stray far from the ocean. That's right, who doesn't love a man dripping in salt water? A man dressed in only board shorts, a man whose body is finely tanned and toned from hours spent in the water...Yep, this next one is a surf series. But rather than the all-action boys club portrayed in Point Break, this series is all about the laaadies. And their men. (Oh I had too much fun dreaming these boys up)

I'll let you know more about release dates and the like when they come to hand, but in the mean time...reminisce a while with me - Ah Keanu, what fun we had...

x Michele

The mojo thief

This is what she looks like isn't it? Warts, curled talons, a hump, red soul-stealing eyes? I haven't pondered the looks of the mojo thief before, but with the progress of this latest book I wonder if she has come a calling. It doesn't help of course that the sun has been sneaking in through my office doors and beckoning me outside. Or that Mr. One and a half has become more insistent when he physically pushes me away from the keyboard (smart little monkey). It's not even that I don't want to be immersed in this book. I love my characters. They genuinely crack me up when I get down to pulling their dialogue out. In fact, when I banish Miss Anti-Mojo into the naughty corner, the words don't have much trouble tumbling out onto the page.
Happily the contract for this one allows me plenty of time to make sure that when I do turn up to the page, the words that come out are good ones, not fiercely whispered "just get on with it" verbs and adjectives destined for the edit cut pile.
I'm not sure I've solved my mojo issue. But sometimes just admitting you have a problem helps resolve it ;-) doesn't it? Although that doesn't seem to have helped with my chocolate addiction.
At least the novel is still coming. I finished the central chapter today, you know, that one where the characters finally catch a glimmer of their love for one another as it runs, like a scared hair, through their minds. Of course my hero hasn't quite got that love rabbit by the short and curlies yet. He's got a ways to go before he realizes that the glimpse is what he's been looking for a long time.
So, my mojo thief put into her corner for the day, I'm going to go crack chapter eight now. Phew. I feel better already.
And what about you? Any tips on breaking your writers block? Do you like to spill your woes and clear your mind with a good vent? Or do you let your mojo thief fester until she fair explodes under the weight of all those warts ;-)
Thanks for stopping by, happy reading.
x Michele

Image courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net

Sneak peak

So I've sent off the first draft of Book Two of The Pacific Empress series to my fabo editor and now I'm cracking on with book three. I say cracking on, but with the insanely glorious weather we've been having, I have to admit that the words haven't been exactly flying onto the page at the moment...they will, they will. So in the interim I thought I'd share a tiny sneak peak into life back on board. Enjoy and do let me know what you think!
x Michele

"Today she wasn’t going to take any crap from Captain A-hole Atkinson. Staring over the head of her boss and the well stacked minion he’d taken to having tail him all the time, Felicity sought a glimpse of the ocean out the window. Better. She disliked the way the bulk of the ship disrupted the glorious view of Port Villa, but really, there wasn’t much to complain about. Vanuatu was definitely a tropical island paradise, and gazing at turquoise water was way better than having to watch Captain Atkinson’s face pout through his pep talk.

“He really shouldn’t pick such massive bodyguards, makes his short-man syndrome even more obvious,” she whispered to her neighbor.

            “Careful,” the Cruise Director, standing to her, left hissed back.

            Bugger. Felicity almost bit her tongue, literally, as the Cruise Director glared at her. Professional reproach poured off him, his body stiff, his lip stiffer. Bugger again.

            Must. Remember. New Cruise Director. Is. An. Ass.

            Darius Miller was about as far from her friend and the ship’s previous Cruise Director, Michaela Western as it was possible to be. Gangly. Uptight. A complete slave to authority.

Felicity sighed. Working for Adventurer Cruises was supposed to be relaxing for herself as much as for the passengers. Sure it wasn’t exactly a holiday, but it wasn’t massively taxing and when Michaela had been around at least Felicity had been able to blow off a little steam by providing snarky commentary about all and sundry on board. Damn Michaela for falling in love with investment billionaire Dylan Johns, leaving to take on the world at Head Office and have beautiful green-eyed babies.

Felicity sighed again. The new Cruise Director was no eye candy, and he was not a fan of her witty repartee..."

 

Sharing the love - Valentines Hop Winner

So the results are in, and all your great suggestions for a title for book two of The Pacific Empress Cruise Series are going into the mix. But because there can only be one winner, I've taken a poll (no, this time I didn't use Mr. One and his skillful winner picking techniques).
For the suggestion of An Affair to Forget, Christine Jensen gets the Amazon Gift Voucher. Way to go Christine.
Thanks for all the suggestions from everyone, like I said, I'll be putting them all in the mix when I talk to my editor. Happy days. And on that front, the book itself  has just gone to my critique partners so they can pull it apart and I'll drag myself off the floor and put it back together again!
In the mean time its onward with book three! Three chapters down and on we go.
Thanks as always for stopping by - hope you had a lovely valentines day. I'll let you know the outcome of the title-a-thon with my editor and of course I'll let you know when I have a date for the release of book two - the sequel to The Boss and Her Billionaire!

Yeay,
x Michele

Happy Indulgence

So it's the Indulgence Birthday Partaaay. A year since the Indulgence Category line launched with Entangled Publishing. It's been a wild ride, with some incredible success. The fab folks at Entangled figured it was thusly a good idea to celebrate. So we are! All month there are events on Facebook with all the Indulgence authors. Live chats, giveaways, insights, sneak peaks, you name it. I'd love to see you there!
I'll be live online with Barabara de Leo on the 11th of Feb here on FACEBOOK

Thanks,
x Michele

New Year, New News

2013. Man, how did that happen? It's been a good one, Mr One turned...umm one. My life as a romance novelist began and I e-met a whole bunch of fab readers and writers who I can now call e-friends...I guess?
I had thought to share my lack of New Year's Resolutions, all the basking in the sun I achieved, the books I read, the champagne I managed to soak up as if by magic. But instead I get to squee with some fab New Year's News, courtesy of Entangled Publishing. The fab international rights team there have sold The Boss and Her Billionaire to the Greek market! It'll be in print and digital format, which is fun too. Now all I have to do is learn some greek....hmmm anyone say Agápe...

With that news, I think I'll hold off waxing lyrical about the sun, the sea and the surf, which have filled my days this last week - yep, I actually had a holiday - not even any cellphone reception. I'm off to get back to writing. Nothing like a burst of good news to remind us what we're passionate about and thus why we do what we do. Thanks for stopping by!
x Michele
 












This photo of Greece is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Next Big Thing Blog Tag

So I ended up getting double tagged. By Katee Robert of Wrong bed, Right guy fame (and fortune), and also by Natalie Damschroder. But the more the merrier right - especially this time of year. The rules of the game - answer a list of questions about your current WIP and enjoy sharing the love. Easy. So here goes. Have a great day.

What is your working title of your book?

Love Lost and Found

Where did the idea come from for the book?

It’s a sequel to The Boss and Her Billionaire. I was in love with Felicity’s character from that book and wanted to give her a story. But it took me a while to work out how as she’d been trapped on a Cruise Ship for the whole last book. Let’s just say this brings a whole new meaning to getting stranded with Mr Tall dark and handsome…

What genre does your book fall under?

Contemporary Romance.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

 If there was a taller, younger version of Johnny Depp, he’d be the hero, and as for Felicity, hmmm, maybe Reese Witherspoon with one wild and crazy spiral perm wig.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Take one tropical island paradise, one all or nothing business deal, a bunch of lost memories and stir ‒ a potent Pacific cocktail of love, lost and found.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

All fingers and toes crossed it’ll come out with Entangled Publishing to follow the last one.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

I’m still going! As any frequent visitors to this blog know, I have a one year old, so writing happens in his sleep times. And those seem to be getting fewer and shorter at the moment, sigh. I’ve spent about a month on it and I’m up to chapter nine. My fabo critique partners also made me rewrite the first chapters as well! I’m hoping that daddy daycare will step up over the holiday season and I’ll be able to rock out the last few chapters.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

A Holiday Affair by Annie Seaton perhaps, and of course, The Boss and Her Billionaire.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

It was the character actually. Felicity. She only gets a small part in The Boss and Her Billionaire, but I like her smarts and her sassy mouth. I figure I owe her.

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?

How about a tiny excerpt?

…”Best we undress for luncheon don’t you think?” Without waiting for her reply, he dumped his small bag, stripped off his jacket and shirt and peeled down his trousers to reveal turquoise board shorts and an array of ink Felicity would never have guessed at. He stepped into the pool and splashed the water up over his chest, making his tattoos sparkle and his muscles gleam. Oh god. If there was ever a need for a new Caped Crusader, Rick McCashin’s chest could take on Christian Bale’s any day. His tattooed torso was hairless with perfect pecs, not too buff so they looked like manboobs, but firm and smooth and…Must. Not. Look. At. Passenger. Muscles. Say something to distract yourself. “Wouldn’t have picked you for the coloring-in kind.”

            He rubbed his hand over his chest.

Duh. Now you’ll be rude if you don’t look.

“Don’t you like them?”

            “I didn’t say that. Just…”

            “Just what?” There it was again. The way he looked at her, with his eyes hard, piercing, as if he was looking through her and searching for something only he knew was there. She wrapped her arms around her despite the heat of the day...

The writers I'm tagging are:

Jackie Ashenden, Autumn MacCarthur, and Bronwen Evans - whose new release is super close to hitting Amazon. 

Thanks as always for stopping by. Christmas is fast approaching, so if I neglect you all, I apologise. I’ll share just what Santa put under the tree soon!

xMichele