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

Growing inspiration

I love the world we live in. I'm incredibly lucky to live in New Zealand, and particularly in the tree filled enclave where we've settled. Winter is settling in over here and rather than the bush, beaches and hammering surf New Zealand is famous for, our skies are full of broiling grey. Yet I'm writing a series set in some of the world's hottest beach spots and all of them include getting into the water. Some days I look out the window and wonder whether I'll be able to pull the warm out of my head and make it feel real on the page. And that I guess is when I let nature really do that thing she does best. Inspire. The way the trees bend in the rain suddenly becomes the graceful arc of tropical palms, heavy with coconuts and rich with sun. The sodden dirt in my vege patch becomes sand, churned by hundred of feet as surfers and media make their way to the break. And the grey sky? Okay, sometimes it's hard to feel inspired by that, but if I let go of my disappointment that the sun has chosen to have a sleep in, I can pretend that it's a storm front, churning with wave-creating energy. It's all connected somehow. Two sides of a coin, trees bending under rain while their sisters soak up that moisture and reach their branches up and into the growth the sun provides. Sorry if that sounds a bit much, I must be channelling lady Gaia today ;-)
Anyway, if all else fails, I can just write my characters hunkered down with mulled wine, weathering out the storm, nothing like huddling with your honey in front of a fire.
Thanks world, you're a constant source of inspiration.
What about you? Does nature spark your creative energy or does the rain just dampen your spirits?
X Michele

First world problems - little man's first haircut

Okay okay, so I'm being totally irrational about this but...how cute is the little lad on the left? Super? Absolutely. So when I took Mr One and a Half to the hairdresser for his very first haircut, I took this photo, with a plea to do what you can but not too short...
Result?
Disaster.
Shortish. But not really short. Longish, but without enough length to do anything with. No real style. No real scruffy appeal. No personality. See. Disaster.
Yes, this rates very low on the scale of disastrous things that will impact on global wellbeing I know, but we're talking first world problems here. You know, of the running out of chocolate scale of things.
His hair will grow back, he doesn't care at all, but I was hoping to avoid the first hair cut blues and not fall into that new mother trap of getting a trim and ending up with a boring cookie cutter. My wee man has been growing out his fab blond locks all his life and everywhere he goes he is complimented on his scruffy surf stylings. Now...I'm tempted to never cut it again!
Any tips on avoiding this next time? If there ever is a next time ;-)
x Michele

UPDATE -  I trimmed the fringe a little and it's looking slightly better. I've also found plenty of do it yourself sites on line so it's time to learn to cut hair (baby). I think ones with photos like this are somehow better than just the video, but if you want to give this a go too, there is plenty of info online.

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

Who doesnt want an Italian Affair?!

Today is happy cover reveal day for the fabulous Annie Seaton's Italian Affair from Indulgence at Entangled Publishing. It's the next book after her hit read The Holiday Affair and it's sure to be a cracker. I mean, Italy, shoes, come on people. 
I'm lucky to be part of the cover reveal team so without further a do - here she be, aint she a beauty!

Free-spirited sex therapist Brianna Ballantine has four days to find a fiancé so she can inherit her birth mother’s Italian villa. Commitment is not on the agenda. Writing her sex therapy book and signing legal papers are. And once all is said and done, she’ll return home to Australia.

For finance guru Tomas Richards, relationships have been a bad investment—give him stocks and shares any day. When Tomas offers a marriage of convenience to help Brianna secure her inheritance, the sizzle between the sheets promises an affair to remember, despite family complications at every turn.

But Tom must convince Brianna to stay, and make this Italian affair a lifelong commitment.

You can pre-order with Barnes and Nobel here or Amazon here.  

I'm starting to get super excited about my next book from Indulgence too, Love Lost and Found, the sequel to The Boss and Her Billionaire- so stay tuned for more details.

xMichele

Just when you thought it was safe...

Thankfully I'd already emailed the first draft I finished yesterday to myself because when I tried plugging in my external hard drive to back up my backup...duh duh duuuuhhhhh. It no worky. Sigh.
Children are wonderful. Mine cracks me up with his antics, his cheeky grins, his cackling laughter and his heartfelt kisses, but his sticky little hands and their determined grip...not so much.
Today is an enforced no work day. For today I shall be plastering a please-make-it-work smile on my face and taking said hard drive to my computer boffin friend in the city, armed with lunch, cash and crossed fingers, and hoping that he can retrieve my entire writing life off the thing. Given than my computer is dodgy, I have backed everything up diligently. Too diligently. And now, I can't get it off.
Wish me luck people, this is one hard drive that cant afford to fail.
Oh, and when I'm out buying new computer hardware, I might stop my another store for a lock for my office door...
If anyone has any genius ideas for making these sorts of things NEVER happen. I'm all ears. And smiles, obviously.
xMichele