Behaving Badly in December

Surprise! I've got a new title coming out on December 15, 2015. Yes, in just a few weeks. We're revisiting the world I created for Essence, the spa in St. Augustine, Florida in my newest novella, Behaving Badly. You'll meet Jack Spaulding and Naomi Quinn.

You get the cover reveal here first. Isn't it sexy? Thank you Elizabeth Babski of Babski Creative Studios! She does great work, doesn't she?

So what's Behaving Badly about?

DHS Special Agent Jack Spaulding, a former Army Ranger--on an undercover mission that includes modern-day piracy and gang activity--runs into his ex-wife, Naomi, at the St. Augustine Spa Resort, Essence. Overhearing her conversation with a co-worker about her plan to end her sexual dry spell, Jack steps in to offer her a bargain she can’t refuse--a one-night stand with him, NSA--no strings attached. She agrees to hook up with Jack to work him out of her system, and prove to them both that she’s over him once and for all. Only she’s lying to herself, because she’s never stopped loving her ex. Naomi believes Jack will blow out of town just as quickly as he’s blown in, like usual, chasing the next big covert operation. Even though this time Jack’s swearing he’s on vacation and not on a mission, she's not sure she can believe him because she's been burned before. He assures her he's putting down roots and staying for good, and he plans to win her back, one hot seduction at a time. Too bad he’s lying to her about his supposed vacation and undercover work, because there’s one thing Naomi hates more than anything else, it’s lies. Read this sexy second-chance-at-love novella where passion burns out of control and two ex-lovers find out how behaving badly can rekindle a love of a lifetime.

Read on for a sneak peek of Behaving Badly.

Behaving Badly

Chapter One: Deal with the Devil

   Naomi Quinn’s sexual dry spell had out-lasted its shelf-life like a week-old opened bottle of Cabernet and she intended to do something about it. Only she needed help, because her barometer for picking a good guy for a partner was off. Way off. Her last sexual partner had been her husband, and she’d now been divorced from him for three years. Three long, dry years. 

   So go figure.

   She’d learned a long time ago that happy endings didn’t exist. No, this was about sex. Plain and simple. She planned to keep it light, no commitment. Wham, bam, thank you, sir. All she wanted was a good, smoking, one-night stand. That should do it. Get Jack firmly out of her head once and for all.

   “What about him?” Naomi nudged her fellow-bartender, Rue, with her hip as they stood side-by-side slinging drinks for the Tuesday night crowd at The Fountain Restaurant. The guy she’d indicated was, tall, blond, and built.

   “Girl, I don’t know.” Naomi’s friend, gaped, eyes widened, as she ogled the sexy customer in fatigues and army green T-shirt. She shook her head, her pony tail wagging back and forth. “You sure like them big, hot, and military. That’s the third Army Ranger you flagged tonight.”

   “Yeah, it’s a real problem.” Naomi huffed out a good-natured laugh. Rue didn’t know the half of it.    Her ex was big, bad, and military, too. Only she was ready to put Jack behind her once and for all. Move on. Have sex with something that didn’t include batteries or silicone. “So? Is that a yes, or a no?”

As soon as I have buy links, I'll update this blog post. You can always stop by my website, mackenzielucas.com, to find updated information about my newest releases. Or follow me on Facebook at MackenzieLucasFanPage to see what's happening in my world. For notification when any new titles come out, sign up for my newsletter.

Behaving Badly taps into the second chance at love romance trope as well as the military man archetype. So tell me what tropes and archetypes do you like to read in your romance novels?

Be sure to check out Behaving Badly on December 15th! I think you'll like it. Because who doesn't like behaving badly every once in a while? ;0)

Rock Stars & Love

Keith Urban

So who doesn't love rock stars? In this day and age, they come in all genres of music. Whether it's pop music, country music, rap, hip hop, new age, etc. What draws us to rock stars?

They're larger than life. They are the best at what they do. And they're usually sexy as all get out. Well, at least my favorites are sexy. There's something about their voice and their story-telling ability that draws us in and hooks us. The songs they sing touch us, they move us, they tell us something about ourselves and our culture. They are the poets of our time and the chroniclers or our present state. Through them we see ourselves and our generation reflected in the lyrics and music they write. We can tap into emotion through music and the songs we hear. We visit the past and are pulled back to memories evoked by the music of the rock stars of our childhood and teenage years. We've been formed and shaped by the music and words of artists we've internalized. Words that lull us, teach us, challenge us, heal us, recharge and energize us.

Katy Perry in Vogue Magazine

I'm fascinated and drawn to rock stars, as many readers are these days. I love the larger than life status. The expertise and hard work they pour into their creative careers to achieve their goals. They inspire me.

As you can see by at least two of my photos, a few of the artists who inspire me are Katy Perry, Keith Urban, Little Big Town, Imagine Dragons, John Legend, Blake Shelton, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, and many many others.

In my new contemporary romance release, Every Heart Sings, which is out on March 4, 2015, I explore what happens when a rock star loses his way and needs to re-find his voice when he has creative differences with his manager. By going back to his musical roots and helping to mentor a young teenage boy, Josh Nicodemus becomes the artist he needs to be and discovers what it is that has helped form him along the way. Of course his interaction with heroine Jordan Drake pushes Josh to face the fissure in his past with his grandfather--the primary relationship that formed him creatively. 

Josh has his own work cut out for him because Jordan Drake allows the fear of her own past as a former childhood actress to trap her on Serenity Island, a dying island community, and she refuses to support her nephew, Tony, who wants nothing more than to become the next big rock star. In Every Heart Sings, rock star Josh Nicodemus finds his true voice and true love when he helps former actress Jordan Drake break out of the self-imposed prison she’s created for herself in Serenity and at The Down Dog Café.

A whole island of quirky characters comes together to meddle, forcing Josh and Jordan to admit their love for each other and help expose the injustice done to Jordan’s sixteen-year-old nephew, who is more than a little music crazy and a huge fan-boy of Josh Nicodemus.
Find my hot contemporary romance at Amazon.

Stop by and let me know a few of your favorite rock stars. And why you love them. I'd love to know.

No Rules Just Write - With Special Guest Terri Osburn

The Rockville 8 are pleased as punch to host the fabulously wonderful Terri Osburn with her straight up take on what matters on this writing journey of ours. Sing it, sister!

 

 

No Rules Just Write

I have a writer friend who is involved with a class for newbie writers, and every time she talks about the group, I remember when I was a newbie. I remember how excited I was, full of the desire to learn but overwhelmed by how much I didn’t know. And I remember taking every snippet of advice as gospel, sometimes to my own detriment.

We all hear about the rules for writing. First off, there are no rules for writing. Well, other than don’t bore your reader, but otherwise, anything goes. And yet, rules are still bandied about.

So here are my rules for writing, which I like to call the anti-rules. And surprise, there’s only one rule.

Don’t get hung up on the stuff that doesn’t matter.

It really is that simple. Writing is storytelling. It isn’t prose and plot and dialogue tags and marketing plans. It’s storytelling. That means all you have to do is tell the story that you see in your mind. The one that keeps you up at night, makes you smile and gets your heart racing.

That is where you start, and that is all that matters. If you want to get published, some of these other things will come into play. But not until later. Much later. You’re on page 42. You have awesome characters living in your head and they have a story to tell. Your job is to put the story on the page. That’s it. That’s all you have to do.

But, you say, they keep telling me…blah blah blah. First off, who is this they? Point them out and I will kick them in the keyboard. Who are they to say anything? To tell you or me or anyone what to do?

Did you know some writers don’t create a new paragraph every time the speaking character changes? That’s right, my friends. There are rebels out there who will start a paragraph with character A’s line of dialogue, and then put character B’s line IN THE SAME PARAGRAPH. And you know what, they got published doing that.

Seriously. I’ve seen it.

Did you know there are books where the writer CHOSE not to use capitalization in all the traditional ways? And again, that book got published. Yes, I’ve seen it with my own reader eyes.

The point is, all that matters is the story. Granted, you have to tell a damn good story, but how you do that is up to you. It’s not up to the editors or readers or some stinking rules.

It’s your story. Tell it your way. If it’s a sci-fi, first person, inspirational memoir, so be it. Put your butt in the chair, your fingers on the keyboard, and your heart onto the page. That’s it.

You got this, my friend. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.

Agree or disagree? Feel free to let me have it. I can take it. J

One lucky commenter will receive an e-book of their choice from Terri's Anchor Island series! See below for links and a blurb of her upcoming release, HOME TO STAY:

HOME TO STAY by Terri Osburn

Contemporary Romance

ISBN: 1477818367

May 1, 2014

Blurb:

Willow Parsons’s two new best friends are getting married, putting her squarely on the sidelines of romance—which suits her just fine. After escaping the ultimate Mr. Wrong, she is more than happy to spend her days slinging drinks in Dempsey’s Bar & Grill, and her nights alone. But her Anchor Island refuge has just one catch: muscle-bound charmer Randy Navarro.

Everyone in town knows that Randy, owner of the local fitness club, is a giant teddy bear. Everyone, it seems, except for Willow. He’s convinced that her avoidance is more than just playing hard to get, and is determined to uncover the secrets that keep her on edge. But when old fears are dragged into the light, can Randy get Willow to stay and fight for their love…or will she take flight, leaving both him and Anchor Island behind?

Home to Stay is a charming, romantic tale about following your heart to find where you belong.

Buy Links:

Kindle > http://amzn.to/1g0U5W2

Print > http://amzn.to/1aIBRRt
Website > http://www.terriosburn.com
Facebook Page > https://www.facebook.com/TerriOsburnAuthor?fref=ts
Twitter > @TerriOsburn
Pinterest > http://pinterest.com/terriosburn/
Goodreads > http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6873792.Terri_Osburn

Bio:

Although born in the Ohio Valley, Terri Osburn found her true home between the covers of her favorite books. Classics like The Wizard of Oz and Little Women filled her childhood, and the genre of romance beckoned during her teen years. While Osburn went on to gain a degree in business administration, she couldn’t shelve her love of love stories. In 2007, she decided to put pen to paper and write her own. Just five years later, she was named a 2012 finalist for the Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® Award. The author of the Anchor Island contemporary romance series, Osburn resides in Virginia with her daughter, an assortment of pets, and her bookshelves full of keepers. To learn more about this author and her work, visit her website at www.terriosburn.com.

 

 

 

 

Jessica Scott: All For You

Today we welcome Jessica Scott as our guest this week at The Rockville 8 blog. USA Today bestselling author Jessica Scott is a career army officer; mother of two daughters, owner of three cats and three dogs; wife to a career NCO and wrangler of all things stuffed and fluffy. She is a terrible cook and even worse housekeeper, but she's a pretty good shot with her assigned weapon and someone liked some of the stuff she wrote. Somehow, her children are pretty well-adjusted and her husband still loves her, despite burned water and a messy house.

She's written for the New York Times At War Blog, PBS Point of View: Regarding War Blog, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. She deployed to Iraq in 2009 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom/New Dawn and has served as a company commander at Fort Hood, Texas.

She's pursuing a PhD in Sociology in her spare time and most recently, she's been featured as one of Esquire Magazine's Americans of the Year for 2012.

Top 5 Surprising ThingsYou Should Know About Jessica Scott 

1. I cry over babies. It's weird but when I hold one of my friend's babies, I get all choked up. No idea why. 

2. I pick up stray animals on the side of the road. So the rule is: if they get in the car (i.e. don't try to bite me), we either try to find their owner or we take them to the no kill shelter. 

3. I don't drink soda. Ever. 

4. There are certain words I can never spell: bureaucracy, knowledge. For some reason, I get them wrong every. time. Thank heavens for spell check. 

5. I hate sports. There I said it. I can't stand sports or anything to do with it. And? I'm married to a sports fan, so I fake it. A lot:) 

ALL FOR YOU by Jessica Scott (February 4, 2014; Forever E-Book; $2.99)

Book Blurb

Can a battle-scarred warrior . . .

Stay sober. Get deployed. Lead his platoon. Those are the only things that matter to Sergeant First Class Reza Iaconelli. What he wants is for everyone to stay out of his way; what he gets is Captain Emily Lindberg telling him how to deal with his men. Fort Hood's newest shrink is smart as a whip and sexy as hell. She's also full of questions-about the army, its soldiers, and the agony etched on Reza's body and soul.

. . . open his heart to love?

Emily has devoted her life to giving soldiers the care they need-and deserve. Little does she know that means facing down the fierce wall of muscle that is Sergeant Iaconelli like it's just another day at the office. When Reza agrees to help her understand what makes a soldier tick, she's thrilled. Too bad it doesn't help her unravel the sexy warrior in front of her who stokes her desire and touches a part of her she thought long dead. He's the man who thinks combat is the only escape from the demons that haunt him. The man who needs her most of all . . .

Book Excerpt

          It was fate. It had to be. A slow warmth unfurled inside him as the doctor he could not get out of his head looked up at him, her cheeks flushing pink.

         She was all buttoned up at work. Tonight, she looked different. Looser. Unbound.

         Compelling. That’s what she was. Her fire at work. Her refusal to let him bully her. He’d admired her backbone before.

         Tonight, he admired her in an entirely new light. Her hair framed her face in careless curls. He hadn’t expected to see her outside of work. He damn sure hadn’t expected to see her here. An old familiar need rose inside him. A need for touch, human and warm. A need to lose himself for an interlude in sweat and sex and stunning pleasure. He’d given up drinking but women had apparently fallen into that category as well.

         It had been months since he’d felt a woman’s hands on his body.

         This woman was not someone he needed to be talking to at the bar tonight but he found himself walking toward her anyway.

         After the week of confrontation they’d had, he’d be lucky if she didn’t slap him the minute he approached her.

         He could do this. He could talk to a woman without drinking. Right?

         Emily met his gaze as he approached. He almost smiled.

         “Not your usual scene?” he asked, leaning against the bar.

         She shifted, putting a little space between them. That slight reclamation of power. He made a noise of approval in his throat. “I’m surprised you’re talking to me.”

         “I’m surprised you’re here. Shouldn’t you be home reading medical journals or something?” Her cheeks flushed deep pink and he wondered how far down her body that color went.

         She tipped her chin then and looked at him. “Have you been drinking?”

         He looked down at the bottle in his hand. “I don’t drink anymore,” he said quietly. No reason to delve into his abusive history with alcohol. “You?”

“Glass of wine,” she said.

         Reza shrugged and leaned on the bar, taking another pull off his water and being careful not to lean too close. She looked like she’d bolt if he pushed her. “That would explain why you’re talking to me. We haven’t exactly been friendly.”

         Her hair reflected the fading sunlight that filled the room from the wide-open patio doors. He wanted to fist it between his fingers, watch her neck arch for his mouth.

         She motioned toward his bottle with her glass. “‘Anymore’?”

         He simply took another pull off his water. He was going to be damn good and hydrated after tonight. He wondered what she’d do if he leaned a little closer. “Long story.”

         “One you’re not keen on sharing?” she asked. She leaned her cheek on one palm. The sun glinted across her cheek.

         “Let’s just say alcohol and I aren’t on speaking terms. Bad things happen when I drink.” It was nothing to be ashamed of but there it was. Shame wound up his spine and squeezed the air from his lungs. He was just like his dad after all.

         “You say that like giving up alcohol is a bad thing,” Emily said quietly.

         Reza snorted softly. He should have guessed she wouldn’t let it alone. She had stubbornness that could last for days. “It’s not something I’m proud of.”

         Her hand on his forearm startled him. Soft and strong, her fingers pressed into his skin. “But stopping is something to be proud of.”

         Reza stared down at her hand, pale against the dark shadows of his own skin. A long silence hung between them.

         He lifted his gaze to hers.

         “It takes a lot of strength to break with the past,” she said softly.

         “What are you doing?” Her eyes glittered in the setting sun and he thought he caught the sight of the tiniest edge of her lip curling.

         Her fingers slipped from his skin. “Offering my professional support?”

         His lips quirked. “Was that a joke?”

         “Maybe,” she said. “I’m working on developing a biting sense of humor. Defense mechanism against raging asshole commanders.”

         Reza barked out a laugh. “You look different out of uniform,” he said lightly, pressing his advantage at this unexpected truce.

         “So do you.”

         He angled his body toward hers. “You like my makeup?” he asked.

         Her lips parting as she tried to figure out if he was kidding or not. Finally, she cracked the barest hint of a smile.

         Something powerful woke inside him and he moved before he thought about it. He reached for her, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek. The simple gesture was crushing in its intimacy. Her lips froze in a partial gasp, as though her breath had caught in her throat.

         “Sergeant Iaconelli,” she said quietly, her voice husky. But she didn’t move away. Didn’t flinch from his touch.

         “Reza.” He swallowed the sharp bite of arousal in his blood, more powerful without the haze of alcohol that usually clouded his reactions. “My name is Reza.”

         “Reza.”

         His breath was locked in his lungs, the sound of his name on her lips triggering something dark and powerful and overwhelming.

         He wanted this woman. The woman who’d stood in opposition to him this week. The woman who lifted her chin and stood steadfast between him and his soldiers.

         There was strength in this woman. Strength and courage.

         “I’m Emily.” Her words a rushed breath.

         He lowered his hand, unwilling to push any further than he’d already gone. This was new territory for him. Unfamiliar and strange and filled with potential and fear.

GIVEAWAY

The Rockville 8 is giving away two free e-copies of Jessica's All For You to two randomly chosen lucky readers who comment on the blog post this week (Comments must be between Monday and Friday. Giveaway expires at midnight on Friday, February 28th.). So, stop in and say hi and let The Eight and Jessica know how much you love her books! Or ask a question. Any and all will get you a chance to win a free copy of All For You!

Social Media Links:
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads

Buy Links:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Bookish
iTunes

The Eight Hosts Jill Shalvis Blog Tour Stop #4

The Rockville 8 is participating in the official Hachette/Grand Central sponsored Jill Shalvis Summer Blog Tour today. And we couldn’t be more thrilled! We’re stop #4 on kickoff day of a tour that will travel from blog site to blog site from July 16 to July 26. For a complete listing of tour stops, see the below.

So, let’s jump right in talking about Jill’s back-to-back releases of Lucky in Love (released June 1, 2012), At Last (released June 26, 2012), and Forever and a Day (released July 31, 2012).

First off, let me say that I love anything written by Jill Shalvis. I came late to reading her books when Simply Irresistible, the first of her Lucky Harbor series books was released in October 2010. Imagine my delight when I found I had a brand-new-to-me author who’d published over three dozen other romance novels. Oh, baby! I love when that happens. And that hadn’t happened to me since I found Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Since then, I’ve found and purchased every single book Jill Shalvis has written. And I love each and every one of them. She’s a master story teller and I can always count on her to deliver a rich, sexy, poignant love story that grips me from beginning to end, no matter if she’s writing for Grand Central Forever, Harlequin Blaze, Brava, Harlequin Temptation or Berkley Sensation. I love them all!

Lucky in Love ~ After I’d finished Lucky in Love, I thought it was my favorite Lucky Harbor novel to-date. And it was. For June 1st. It didn’t get much better than Ty Garrison--hot ex-Navy SEAL who’s dropped in to Lucky Harbor to rehabilitate his leg injury (and later we find his wounded heart and soul as well)--and hometown favorite do-gooder Mallory Quinn who is a nurse and the resident nurturer of the small, quirky Washington beach town of Lucky Harbor. In this book we get the story of a wounded hero and the steadfast woman who begins to fall in love with him, despite his clear status of Mr. Wrong. It’s a beautiful love story of healing and trust that’s just hot, hot, hot.

At Last ~ Then I read At Last toward the end of June and found my next Lucky Harbor keeper. In At Last, hunky former cop turned forest ranger Matt Bowers is the Lucky Harbor resident with stronger local ties. But he’s set adrift when he begins to fall in love with Amy Michaels, a woman who is on a journey to find hope, herself, and love in Lucky Harbor by following the footsteps of her grandmother on the nearby Sierra Meadows Trail. Amy’s been on her own, and down-on-her-luck since she was sixteen. She has trust issues, huge trust issues earned by a rough life as a homeless teenager. Matt rescues this feisty heroine time and time again as she tromps through the forest to find the legacy she thinks she’s seeking. Only when she begins to help Riley, a young girl running and on her own, does Amy open her heart and her life to the healing she really desires to find. We fall in love with Matt, Amy, and Riley in this heart-warming, tense, funny story where we root for the heroine to find her heart and the love of her life.

Forever and a Day ~ Finally, I just read a review copy of Forever and a Day, due to be released on July 31. And I adored Dr. Josh Scott and Grace Brooks. Theirs is a story where a natural caregiver (Dr. Josh Scott, an ER doctor who took over the sole care of his rebellious paraplegic sister and his young son) must learn to trust and accept the care of a woman who falls in love with him. Grace Brooks is, a power-hitter in the banking industry who stops over in Lucky Harbor one stormy night and stays to fall in love with the town, its people, and a certain hot ER doctor, his hell-on-wheels sister, his son who is more likely to bark than speak, and a pug puppy who’s dubbed The Anti-Christ).

These three books were my favorite of the Lucky Harbor series of books, however, all six books in the series are winners for any reader of contemporary romance. The small-town quirkiness of Lucky Harbor and its town inhabitants is enchanting and fun. The worldbuilding and the characters' emotional journies suck in a reader and hold her rapt from cover to cover.

Visit Lucky Harbor today, where all the heroes are hot, hot, hot and all the heroines are feisty and smart.

You won’t be disappointed. I promise.

So, go ahead, tell us what you love about Lucky Harbor! Let’s dish.

Blog Tour Listing

http://nikkibrandyberry.wordpress.com/ 7/16/2012
http://atastyread.blogspot.com 7/16/2012
marygramlich.blogspot.com 7/16/2012
www.rockville8.blogspot.com 7/16/2012
www.fictionenthusiast.com 7/16/2012
bookswagger.com 7/16/2012
http://www.justanothernewblog.com 7/16/2012
http://maryinhb.blogspot.com 7/16/2012
http://maryinhb.blogspot.com 7/16/2012
http://www.bibliophilicbookblog.com 7/16/2012
http://www.a-novel-affair.com/ 7/16/2012
http://booksandmakeup.blogspot.com 7/16/2012
http://hangingwithbells.blogspot.com/ 7/16/2012
www.lovetoreadforfun.blogspot.com 7/16/2012
Www.thebookgirl.net 7/16/2012
http://inthehammockblog.blogspot.com 7/16/2012
http://paranormalromanticsuspensereviews.blogspot.ca 7/17/2012
www.sosaloha.blogspot.com 7/17/2012
Lushbookreviewss.blogspot.com 7/17/2012
melindadozier.blogspot.com 7/18/2012
http://fictionally-inclined.blogspot.com/ 7/18/2012
http://www.happilyeverafter-reads.blogspot.com 7/18/2012
http://paranormalromanticsuspensereviews.blogspot.ca 7/18/2012
www.seductivemusings.blogspot.com 7/18/2012
http://modokkerbookpicks.blogspot.com/ 7/19/2012
http://www.cocktailsandbooks.com 7/19/2012
http://brokenteepee.com 7/19/2012
www.boekiesbookreviews.com 7/20/2012
www.thebookpushers.com 7/20/2012
http://ov099.wordpress.com/ 7/20/2012
http://dreyslibrary.com 7/20/2012
http://dreyslibrary.com 7/20/2012
http://readingbetweenthewinesbookclub.blogspot.com/ 7/20/2012
http://romancingrakes4theluvofromance.blogspot.com 7/21/2012
ramblingsfromthischick.blogspot.com 7/21/2012
http://www.guiltypleasuresbookreviews.com/ 7/23/2012
http://theromancereviews.blogspot.com/ 7/23/2012
http://www.masoncanyon.blogspot.com 7/23/2012
http://www.masoncanyon.blogspot.com 7/23/2012
http://www.csmaxwell.blogspot.com 7/23/2012
http://reviewsbymolly.com 7/23/2012
karalovesreading.blogspot.com 7/24/2012
http://www.findthetimetoread.net 7/25/2012
www.stormgoddessbookreviews.blogspot.com 7/25/2012
www.froggaritasbookcase.com 7/26/2012
www.lovetoreadforfun.com 7/26/2012
http://ashleysbookshelf.blogspot.com 7/26/2012
http://asthepagesturn.blogspot.com 7/26/2012