NEW AUTHOR SERIES: Nicole Flockton

The series continues, and what an exciting one it is - so many fab new authors!

All the featured authors are from the Romance Writers of Australia or Romance Writers of New Zealand, and have just been or are newly published with the digital imprints of Australian publishing houses like - Random House, Harlequin, Penguin and Pan Macmillan.

This week, please welcome Nicole Flockton.

On her very first school report her teacher said, ‘Nicole likes to tell her own stories.’

It wasn’t until after the birth of her daughter and after having fun on the community board of eharlequin.com that she finally decided to take the plunge and write a book.

The stories she writes are contemporary romances with either a medical setting or in the boardrooms of high powered business. Nicole enjoys taking two characters and creating unique situations for them.

Apart from writing Nicole is busy looking after her very own hero – her wonderfully supportive husband, and her two fabulous kids.

Title – RESCUING DAWN
Release Date – 10th June, 2013
Publisher – Crimson Romance
Call Story –  This is my 2nd book with Crimson so I presented a proposal to my editor and she loved the idea and told me she wanted it. :) This book is a companion book to my first book with Crimson "Masquerade".

About your book:
Hero - Andrew Holmes is a newly trained paramedic. He's returned to Perth after spending 10 years on a competitive sailing team participating in races around the world. He was Dawn's high school sweetheart and left her to chase his dream. He's come back after a boating accident and when he sees Dawn he decides he wants her again.

Heroine - Dawn Granger has closed herself off from everyone after the death of her husband and infant son. She doesn't want to get hurt again so she thinks the safest way to do that is to keep to herself and just work, work, work. When Andrew turns up again, she doesn't want anything to do with him. She doesn't want to risk getting involved in case he leaves her again.

Setting – The books is based in Perth Western Australia in a busy city hospital.

RESCUING DAWN
Dawn Granger has loved and lost and she’s not traveling that road again, that is until her past turns up and has her questioning her resolve.

Andrew Holmes has sailed the globe numerous times, when he almost loses his life, he decides that he needs to give something back so he returns home and trains as a paramedic. When he runs into his former sweetheart he knows his feelings for her had not died and he will do anything to make her smile again.

RESCUING DAWN excerpt
"Why are you here, Andrew?” she asked the question that was bugging her. She really hoped it was just a coincidence.
He laughed and the sound trailed slowly down her back, reminding her of the good times they’d shared. “It’s pretty obvious why I’m here; we just brought a patient in.”
“Yes, but why are you back in Perth? Shouldn’t you be sailing into the sunset somewhere?”
Dawn was surprised to see shadows dull the brightness of Andrew’s eyes. With a quick lowering and rising of his lashes, the look was gone. It was only because she had spent countless hours gazing into his eyes that she had noticed the subtle change. “Sunsets tend to look the same after a while,” he said quietly, before giving a shrug of his shoulders. “Besides, I decided it was time to come back home. Time to start a more meaningful career.”
She soaked in the information. He’d always glamorized sailing when they were dating. How one day he would sail solo around the world. She wondered if he still wanted to do that. Although sailing had seasons, there were always races happening somewhere. It burned that she still remembered so much about the sport. She’d tried not to, seeing as sailing had been the reason she and Andrew had broken up. He’d wanted to chase a dream and she’d wanted her dream of a husband and family. Their dreams hadn’t matched. Probably still didn’t match. But after Tom’s death she’d been in a low place and had succumbed to a “what if” moment and had looked Andrew up on the Internet. She’d read the newspaper articles on his racing team as if they’d been the very air she needed to breathe.
“Perth must be extremely boring after all the places you’ve been.”
“I need a little boring right now. But I’ve never thought of Perth as boring, more as peaceful.”
Dawn didn’t know what to make of his words. There was an underlying sadness in them, as if he’d seen tragedy and needed to distance himself from it. She tried to recall if she’d read anything about any accidents he may have been involved in and came up blank. Then again, she’d also imposed an “Andrew ban” in her life again, once she’d realized she was becoming obsessive of any piece of news she could find out about him. What they’d had was finished. It had ended over ten years ago.
The sound of uncontrollable sobbing reached her. The family members of the car accident victims had arrived.
“Look, it’s been really great catching up but I’ve got a job to do and I’m sure you and your partner want to get out of here.” She moved away from the desk and towards the door that would lead out into the waiting room where the crying was coming from. “See you around,” she threw over her shoulder.
As the door slammed shut behind her, she reminded herself that the door belonging to the relationship between her and Andrew had also shut a long time ago. She would do well to remember what she’d vowed when Tom and little Brody had died. She was never loving anyone again. It hurt too much when you lost the ones you loved.


Any upcoming releases? Yes, in October 2013 SEDUCING PHOEBE will be released through Crimson. Phoebe is a character who has featured in both MASQUERADE and RESCUING DAWN. She deserves a HEA like her good friends.

You can find out more about Nicole & her books on her website, or follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

NEW AUTHOR SERIES: C.T.Green

The series continues, and what an exciting one it is - so many fab new authors!

All the featured authors are from the Romance Writers of Australia or Romance Writers of New Zealand, and have just been or are newly published with the digital imprints of Australian publishing houses like - Random House, Harlequin, Penguin and Pan Macmillan.

This week, please welcome C.T.Green.

Before becoming a writer C.T. Green worked in advertising for ten years. She also completed a Bachelor of Arts with majors in communication and literature.

C.T. Green now lives in regional Australia with her husband, children and extensive collection of animals - amongst whom is the world's bossiest goldfish.

In between writing, i.e. arguing with her characters and occasionally posting to her blogs, she reads, drinks vanilla coffee, kid wrangles, enters writing contests and avoids the goldfish.

Title – The S.E.R.A. Files: Stories from The Supernatural Entity Recovery Agency Volume I
Release Date – 4th September 2013
Publisher – Soul Mate Publishing
Call Story – Debby Gilbert from Soul Mate Publishing had previously requested material from me. I emailed her in April and asked if she was interested in a collection of short stories centered on an FBI/CIA style agency dealing with paranormal creatures.

She got back immediately and said, ‘Yes, absolutely!’ and within a week offered me a contract after only reading the first couple of stories. She loved the mock up cover I made to show Soul Mate’s cover artists what I wanted (easier than trying to specify for an anthology with lots of characters) she suggested they use my cover and they would pay me for it!

I have since received a contract for the second volume, after mentioning I had one written and Debby hadn’t even read it!

About your book:
As I have lots of heroes and heroines because it’s an anthology – so I thought I’d put in an excerpt from the h/h point of view in each story instead. :)

#1 Recovering Gabriel
Callie
…Time to do her job and get this guy home where he belonged. In fact, that’s what Callie’s work entailed. Helping Gabriel get back to Heaven. Literally. The last thing anyone needed were fallen angels tromping about on Earth, causing havoc in women’s underwear…

Gabriel
He’d been wracking his brains for six months while waiting for her to approach him. Every time he thought she was about to pin him down, she’d shy away. It’d gotten to the point he’d nearly blown his cool, stormed right up to her, and announced his plans.
Today she’d caught him by surprise, cornering him in the alley, all sass and starch, taking the big, bad angel down. So damn sexy.

#2 Handling Mercury
Elizabeth
 “Enough is enough, vampire.” Elizabeth glared up at him, but he just stared back with those deep silver eyes of his glimmering from between thick black lashes.
“I’m sick of your overweening desire to be a hero all the time.” She gave him the hairy eyeball for a moment longer, but Mercury remained silent. And apparently unrepentant. 

Mercury
Mercury backed away, snatching up his clothes. He didn’t even bother to throw them on before he bolted into the darkness and away from his partner.
Because he knew that one taste of Elizabeth hadn’t been enough to satisfy him. It was never going to be enough.

#3 Finding Navarre  
Tor
Tor Whitfield stood in the shadowed alley, upwind of the Thai restaurant and the wolf having dinner al fresco. Alone.
He rubbed his shoulder where Navarre’s bite still tingled. Oh yeah, he’d gotten his wish all right. Just like Absinthe had promised…

Navarre
“There’s nothing wrong with you. I simply don’t feel the need to stare at you constantly.” Navarre chose to meet the dark eyes instead of gawking at the snug T-shirt and jeans outlining far too much tempting acreage.
Dieu, may I not get struck down for that blatant lie.

#4 Tasting Absinthe
Absinthe
Absinthe sucked on an ice cube and ignored the squiggly feeling in her stomach. It reminded her an awful lot of jealousy and she simply didn’t care what Bryce did. Not one bit. There was no room in her life for a big, gorgeous, muscular, pain in the ass.

Bryce
“So beautiful.” Unable to resist the soft pink fullness of Absinthe’s lips, he leant over intending to sample them. Just once.
The gun muzzle against his head came as a bit of a surprise. “Okay, I’m going to sit up now. Would really appreciate it if you didn’t blow my brains out.”
“Believe me, I doubt anyone would notice.”

Grey
“Nothing to forgive. I understand.” Grey rubbed a thumb down her cheek, mildly surprised she let him. A lot more surprised when Absinthe turned her face into his palm and planted a kiss there.
“Thank you for saving my life.” Her words tickled his sensitive skin and caused his body to react the way it always did around her…

#5 Chasing Sin
Sin
Those sky-high heels are not sexy. Especially when one’s tapping like a bloody drum.
Sin ground his teeth and ignored Miss Jane Pilkins, his SERA evaluator. He focused on the grinning demon in front of him instead...
Who was he kidding? The heels were damn hot. So were those cute glasses Miss Pilkins kept peering at him so disapprovingly over.

Jane
It was just her imagination that she was the focus of all eyes because she was doing an illicit printout of a naked SERA agent. Well, Sin had been mostly naked. And she was in it too—so it was more like printing out a picture of herself, really…

Any upcoming releases?
Meeting Mace – A Christmas themed story from S.E.R.A. part of Soul Mate’s Christmas Anthology.
Volume II of The S.E.R.A. Files.

THE S.E.R.A. Files (Volume #1)
#1 RECOVERING GABRIEL
Angels are trouble. But a Fairy Godmother is The Law.
Callie Burns works for SERA, the Supernatural Entity Recovery Agency, aka the Scary Fairies. As a Fairy Godmother, it's Callie's job to grant wishes and deport supernatural creatures back to their plane of existence. Now she's got an angel in her sights... Gabriel's a gorgeous, sexy distraction to Callie doing her duty.  But she has a reputation to maintain and no smoking hot angel is going to mess that up. Gabriel is determined he's not going anywhere and he'll try everything he can to convince Callie he belongs on Earth. But she's equally determined to get the job done before the angel kills everything in sight - even if that means fulfilling Gabriel's deepest fantasy.

#2 HANDLING MERCURY
Vampires go for the throat. But a Fairy Godmother aims lower...
Elizabeth and Mercury both work for SERA, the Supernatural Entity Recovery Agency. Despite the fact Elizabeth's a Fairy Godmother and Mercury's a vampire, they make a deadly duo when it comes to deporting supernatural beings. But Mercury and Elizabeth's perfect partnership changes the night a wish is granted.
Now Elizabeth can’t think of Mercury without remembering how sexy the vampire is under his cool demeanour and designer clothes. And Mercury can't forget the taste of Elizabeth's blood nor the desire to have her in every other way as well. Can their partnership survive and will they find a way to grant their very own wishes?

#3 FINDING NAVARRE                                    
A lone wolf is about to find out old dogs can learn new tricks.
Navarre is a werewolf and the Director of SERA. It’s his job to oversee the agents who deport supernatural beings from Earth. He loves his work and his vaunted reputation for remaining calm under pressure. But all that is about to change. Tor is also a werewolf and SERA’s newest agent. He’s out to catch not only the bad guy, but his elusive boss as well. It’s love at first sight for Tor, but Navarre doesn’t seem willing to take another chance on a relationship. When a mission goes bad and suddenly it’s Tor’s life on the line, Navarre must overcome his fears if he’s going to experience true love before it’s too late.

#4 TASTING ABSINTHE
Two’s company, will three prove too much of a crowd?
Absinthe is a Fairy Godmother with SERA and Bryce is her irresistible partner. Absinthe is all about getting to know Bryce away from the job, but he comes with one big problem. His best friend Grey is a werewolf and Absinthe does not do wolves. Bryce is in love with Absinthe. Problem is, he’s also in love with Grey. It will take something extraordinary to bring Grey and Absinthe together. Tracking a cold-blooded killer may just be the start of a beautiful romance. Will Bryce’s stubborn wolf and prejudiced fairy overcome their differences enough to not only stay alive, but form a bond strong enough to last a lifetime?

#5 CHASING SIN
A good SERA agent knows there’s only one Sin that matters.
As an agent and ‘evaluator’ for SERA, Jane is sent in to re-educate their only male Fairy Godmother before he does something even the Scary Fairies can’t ignore.
Sin’s sick of being the brunt of jokes and the latest pin-up after a nude picture scandal. He’s also indecently fascinated with his new ‘minder’, Jane. When a wish shows Sin a very different side to Jane, he’s desperate to find out more. On the hunt for a supernatural with a dangerous new toy and evil plans, Jane and Sin find out how well they work as a team. But can he get the prim and proper agent to loosen up enough to love a naughty fairy while she tries her very best to reform Sin?

You can find out more about C.T.Green on her website or follow her on Facebook.

NEW AUTHOR SERIES: Adina West

The series continues, and what an exciting one it is - so many fab new authors!

All the featured authors are from the Romance Writers of Australia or Romance Writers of New Zealand, and have just been or are newly published with the digital imprints of Australian publishing houses like - Random House, Harlequin, Penguin and Pan Macmillan.

This week, please welcome Adina West.

Adina West grew up on a remote property on Australia’s east coast, in country New South Wales. She spent most of her childhood curled up with a book, and her first teenage job was shelving books at the local library, where she was cautioned more than once for reading them instead of putting them away.

Her first stories were laboriously typed up with two fingers on her parents’ old typewriter. Her dream of one day being a published writer progressed much faster after she learned to touch type and switched to a computer.

Adina lives in Sydney’s leafy north-west with her IT guru husband, two children, and a couple of unwelcome possums who really don’t know how to take a hint. You can visit her online at www.adinawest.com.

Title: DARK CHILD
Release date: 1 February 2013 (for the first of five serialized episodes)
Release date: 1 June (for the Omnibus edition)
Publisher: Momentum

Main character: DARK CHILD centers around the experiences of Katerina (Kat) Chanter, a small-town West Virginian pathology technician who discovers a secret about her heritage that will change her life forever.

Setting: DARK CHILD begins in the city of Charleston, West Virginia and the small Appalachian town Richwood, Kat’s hometown. But a new job sees Kat making the big move to New York, and landing herself neck-deep in trouble...

DARK CHILD
Perfect for fans of The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, this intriguing urban fantasy follows the story of Kat Chanter, who discovers that the world she knows is controlled by ancient creatures who feed on blood. And she might just be one of them …
Lately things have been getting weird for pathology technician Kat Chanter. She’s been craving raw meat, and having dreams so realistic they’re scary. When she accepts a job offer from the prestigious Hema Castus Research Institute, she hopes she’ll have the chance to discover what’s wrong with her, but instead, her move to New York thrusts her headlong into a treacherous hidden world, where the wrong move could be fatal . . .
Tarot, witchcraft and astrology all take on a frightening resonance in Dark Child’s richly imagined alternative reality where vampiric beings live among us, hidden by magic. Dark romance tangles with paranormal fantasy and page-turning suspense in this enthralling tale of ‘dark child’ Kat Chanter, half human and half vampire, who has woken an ancient prophecy and must face a formidable destiny.

DARK CHILD excerpt 
Kat’s life is under threat, and she’s hiding out deep in the White Mountains, under the protection of the wild and dangerous unalil…one of whom doesn’t always make her feel completely safe. Meet Alek.

He tilted his head, blue eyes suddenly shining with a slumberous, sensual light. She’d seen that expression before. It sent her imagination tumbling into dark and unfamiliar territory, making her face heat. One minute he had her wanting to flee to safety, and the next . . . She swallowed again, struggling to marshal her wayward thoughts. She didn’t want to be feeling this right now.
“Would it help if you knew I’ve never done anything to a woman that she didn’t want me to do?” Alek asked.
God, that she could certainly believe. A melting heat pooled in her belly, liquid and deep, and she tensed, fighting the unwelcome response. Damn him for the pictures he was putting in her head. He may have been gorgeous, but his behavior around her was so completely over the top. He really did take sexual aggressiveness to a new level.
“Alek, you don’t need to tell me about your . . .”
He laughed. “I meant what I said about fulfilling your desires Kat. If you’ll let me. So if you want a back rub one night . . .”
And here we go with the seduction routine, Kat thought. Maybe I am getting to know him after all.
“Umm . . . yeah, well if I don’t get murdered or kidnapped by the Directorate in the next little while I may keep that in mind.” She might have sounded a little sharp, but he was too intense for comfort, and she did find him unnerving, whether he was trying to intimidate her or turning on the charm. But if she was being honest with herself, what unnerved her most was her own reaction to him. Not to the Alek who was trying his damnedest to seduce her with his words; to the man she sensed hiding beneath the smart comments and overconfidence.
“You’re privileged, Kat. Usually I don’t offer. Usually they beg me. And then later, they beg for more.” He gave a wicked grin.
Kat didn’t smile. She eyed him thoughtfully. “I think you like trying to shock me.”
He shrugged in response. “I think you don’t want to believe the offer’s genuine.” There was an edge to his voice, as if she wasn’t responding the way he’d hoped she would.
Kat blinked. What offer? What in heck had they been talking about, before . . . Oh, that’s right, the back rub. If that was really what he had been offering, which she doubted.
“Okay. Whatever.” She took refuge in silence, and then realized he was holding his hand out in her direction – like he wanted to shake hands.
“Friends?” he asked, with a spine-melting smile, and at that moment Kat thought she could forgive him anything.

My road to publication, and the story of the day I got ‘The Call” (or email!)
"You never answer your mobile phone," my sister always complains. "It's really annoying."

She's right though - I often have my phone muted so it doesn't disturb me when I'm putting my son to sleep...and then I forget to turn the sound back on. So my call was actually a missed call.

But I'll start a bit further back, with the story of how this book came about.

I've been jotting down story ideas since I was a child, but it wasn't 'til I had my first child in 2007 that I started taking what I was doing seriously. I had less free time than I'd ever had before, but I knew I wanted to write.

I'd worked on dozens of ideas over the years, usually not getting more than a few chapters in (or less!) before abandoning them. One manuscript - for a historical romance - I'd spent about six years on, and it was almost complete at 75,000 words. But I was deeply unhappy with it, and not sure why. Looking back, it was because it was riddled with rookie errors - but at the time, I couldn't put my finger on the problem.

Anyway, I'd told myself that I wouldn't start another project until my historical was finished - but I was well and truly blocked. Meanwhile, I'd been reading some paranormal romance by various authors, and then Twilight fever hit...

Late in 2008, I found myself writing something - just a disjointed fragment - in a real-world setting but with paranormal elements. Over the coming months, I kept thinking about the story surrounding that one scene, and early in 2009 I started to write in earnest. By September, I had a complete first draft, and I revised and polished, and then got feedback from a group of wonderful beta readers. By the beginning of 2010, I'd incorporated their suggestions and revised some more, and then I started querying agents. Many months - and many rejections - later, I signed with my agent. She requested further revisions, and I completed them late in 2010.

Unfortunately the GFC hit then, and selling anything to publishers was harder than ever, so it wasn’t until early in 2012 that my agent sent the first part of DARK CHILD to Momentum, Pan Macmillan Australia's new digital-only division.

Then a month or so later, in February 2012, she emailed to say that they'd requested the full. Still, after playing the waiting game for the previous year, I didn't let myself get my hopes up. On a Tuesday morning at the beginning of April, I was at playgroup with my kids, surrounded by screaming children, and somehow, I heard the beep of my phone as a text message came through. It was from my agent, asking me to call her!

And then I checked my email (gotta love these smart phones) and there was one from her, again asking me to call her. Getting not one, but two messages was enough to have me in a mild state of shock, because my agent is more the email type. Until then, I don't think she'd ever rung me before.

So I called her straight back - and she gave me the news that Joel Naoum, the publisher at Momentum, loved DARK CHILD! And he'd made an offer for world e-book rights.

Honestly, I think I was in shock when I first heard - and rather than scaring all the playgroup kids by jumping up and down and squealing, I limited myself to telling all the other mums and contacting my entire family (and my beta gals, my wonderful cheer squad) to let them know the good news!

It’s taken plenty of work to get DARK CHILD edited and polished and ready for the world, but now it’s out there and I couldn’t be prouder. Hearing from readers who’ve enjoyed Kat’s story makes all the hard work worthwhile!

And now, of course, I’m working on the sequel…

Adina's books:

You can find out more about Adina on her website, or follow her on Twitter, Facebook or Goodreads.

NEW AUTHOR SERIES: Peta Crake

The series continues, and what an exciting one it is - so many fab new authors!

All the featured authors are from the Romance Writers of Australia or Romance Writers of New Zealand, and have just been or are newly published with the digital imprints of Australian publishing houses like - Random House, Harlequin, Penguin and Pan Macmillan.

This week, please welcome Peta Crake.

Peta Crake grew up in a small town on the south coast of Western Australia, where the idea of fairies and monsters residing in the thick forests was perfectly believable.

After spending nearly a decade living in Japan and revelling in its culture, she turned her hand to writing.

Now living back in Australia with a husband, two kids, a cuddle-addicted cat, and a thoroughly confused dog, she writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance full of strong sassy heroines, surprising heroes and disturbed side-kicks.

Title - HARBINGER
Release Date - August 2012
Publisher - Destiny Romance
Call Story - I originally pitched this book to Penguin at the RWA Melbourne conference in 2011. They requested a partial then the full manuscript but then sent back a lovely "revise and resubmit" letter.

It took me a few months to sort out some of the problems and I had just finished editing it for the second round of the Emerald Award when Sarah Fairhall contacted me. She told me that Penguin were starting up a new digital first imprint and if I had made the suggested revisions she would love to read the manuscript as she thought it would be perfect for it. She loved the changes I had made and about four or so months later Harbinger became one of the launch books for Destiny Romance.

What made it even more special was, at the Melbourne conference I decided I wanted to be able to stand up and get my first sales ribbon at the next conference and I just made it.

Peta accepting her First Sale ribbon

About your book:
Hero - Aden Karras, demigod son of Aphrodite and Adonis.
Heroine - Ophelia Lind (Phi),  a human messenger for the gods with a dislike of the deities she works for, and her father Hermes in particular.
Setting - Perth, Western Australia.

HARBINGER
As a messenger for the all-powerful and sometimes frightening gods, suburban Aussie girl Ophelia Lind is used to being at their beck and call. When gorgeous demigod Aden moves into her neighbourhood and starts taking advantage of her services, she believes life could not get any worse.
She's about to be proven very wrong.
Without warning an odious creature - evil incarnate - begins to stalk her. Ophelia is accustomed to adventures and scrapes but this is different. Even Aden, finds it difficult to protect her. Suddenly Ophelia is in a battle for survival and begins to question everything - her upbringing, her identity and her true feelings for the alluring and entirely frustrating Aden.

HARBINGER excerpt
The scarlet seal on the black scroll glowed and disappeared as soon as it touched Aden’s outstretched hand. His eyes flicked up to look at me; the spark of interest in them sent warning shudders down my spine. He slowly looked me up and down, as if appraising a piece of furniture he wanted to buy.
‘So you are one of Hermes’ little friends. Glad to see he is making his messengers more attractive.’
‘I’m sure Daddy dearest didn’t do it for your benefit.’
Aden couldn’t have looked more surprised if I had slapped him across the face with a fish. ‘Hermes is your father?’
‘Supposedly.’ I wasn’t about to tell him I had never met the god and the only thing Hermes had ever given me was my job and a lonely mother. I hadn’t even inherited any demigod powers.
Aden’s forehead crinkled as he slowly re-read the message. I would have given anything to see what Aunt Hera had written, but that was not part of my job description. I could touch but not look. He glanced up at me again, eyes full of speculation. Time to go. If I didn’t, I was going to say something I would regret. The guy seriously set my nerves on edge.
 ‘Wait.’ He touched my arm to stop me from leaving, and then waved his hand over the scroll to record a new message. It sealed automatically as he handed it to me, the red wax forming a perfect circle as a pulsing gold bar of light flowed through it.
‘Take this to Nym Dryad.’
‘Your wish is my command.’
‘Oh yes, I know.’ He dismissed me with a cocky grin and a flick of his hand.

Any upcoming releases?
My latest release, REVELRY, was out 14th August through Destiny Romance. It is a paranormal romance involving wolf shifters, a serial killer and a chocolate shop.

REVELRY
Shifter Revelry Bell is on the run. Pursued by both her pack and the Enforcers of the Preternatural Council, there are few places to hide. When her cash starts dwindling, Revelry picks up work in the small town of Ridgewood, USA. Trouble is, Ridgewood is home to a large shifter community and staying hidden isn't easy. Particularly with the sexy Connor Blythe home on leave and watching Revelry's every move.

Connor is everything Revelry is trying to avoid. A fellow wolf, he is also an Enforcer, and very suspicious of the new girl in town. But when danger and violence rock Ridgewood to its core, Revelry must decide if she can trust him, even if it means losing her freedom – or possibly even her life.

You can find out more about Peta on her website, or follow her on Facebook, Twitter or Goodreads.

NEW AUTHOR SERIES: Louise Forster

Time for a new series, and what an exciting one it is - New Authors!

All the featured authors are from the Romance Writers of Australia or Romance Writers of New Zealand, and have just been or are newly published with the digital imprints of Australian publishing houses like - Random House, Harlequin, Penguin and Pan Macmillan.

This week, please welcome Louise Forster.

Louise Forster grew up in a Victorian country town. She ran barefoot along dirt roads and loved looking through the leaves of tall eucalypts at the azure summer skies.

Eventually, she grew up, and the country town became a suburb of Melbourne. Running barefoot to catch her train to work would have caused more than a few raised eyebrows so she opted for stilettos, of course.

At eighteen, Louise travelled through Europe, parts of Africa and the Pacific Islands. These days Louise lives on the far north coast of New South Wales on a small property that includes her extended family, three dogs, three cats and all manner of wildlife.

Title – FINDING ELIZABETH
Release Date –  1st February
Publisher – Escape Publishing

Call Story – I didn’t hear about Harlequin’s Escape Publishing until the first round of authors were announced. Anyone would think I live in a cave and never venture out. The cave does have a window and I do make my escape sometimes.

I submitted a manuscript and thought, they won’t accept…nuh, I’ll never be that lucky. May as well deal with the inevitable now and soften the blow when the rejection come comes through. One morning, not expecting anything, I saw their email.

I looked at it for a couple of beats, took a deep breath, opened it and read, “Thank you for submitting Finding Elizabeth to Escape Publishing. I'm delighted to accept it for publication.”

Arms reaching for the sky, (have no idea why I did that) I jumped out of my office chair, ran around the house, yelling, Aarrgghh YAY-YAY-YAY!!!! I did it-I did it!

Flowers given to Louise by her son-in-law.

DH hugged me tight and took me out to lunch. Dear son-law came home with the biggest bunch of flowers he could find. Hugs and kisses from our DD’s and DGC. Lots of love and huge smiles all around me.

About your book:
Hero –  Australian, Jack Riley, had a flawed upbringing, which he has overcome. He’s strong, takes control when heroine is in danger. Always gentle, caring, loving. Knows what he wants and is out to get it. Since he wants Katherine, he’ll freeze his butt off to make her his.
Heroine – Katherine Bell, is a loving, gentle person. She is strong, and protective of those she loves. Katherine makes the difficult decision to give up ballet and take up a new career. Falling in love with Jack soon proves there are far greater challenges ahead for her.
Setting –  It’s almost Christmas in a snowbound country town in Alberta Canada.

She’d give anything for a mobile phone connection, and an empty biscuit tin.

Katherine Bell has finally returned home. She’s left the bright lights and the besotted stalker behind—or so she thinks. Can her newly rescued furry sidekick keep her safe? There’s a blizzard outside, and a daredevil girlfriend in her bed; and if that wasn’t enough, sexy Australian Jack Riley needs to be kept at arm’s length. So why did she let him kiss her? Especially since she knew Jack would leave the moment he found the person he was searching for. When Katherine disappears, will Jack go searching for her?

Will Jack’s laid-back strength, tenderness and light-hearted banter change Katherine’s mind about him? He’s full of surprises. Will one too many have Katherine running for cover?

FINDING ELIZABETH excerpt
(From CHAPTER 2 Jack sees Katherine across the street.)

Jack Riley’s butt hit the icy bench. Instantly, the brutal cold pierced his skin through a thick layer of thermal underwear and denim.
Man, it was freezing. He should never have slogged into town wearing tennis racquets on his feet. With every step, snow splattered up the back of his legs. The locals must think him a novice. No, rephrase that, the locals knew he was a novice.
Stretching to remove the kinks from his spine and legs, Jack tried to catch as much of the sun’s rays as possible. He could have been lazing on white, sandy beaches under the tropical sun of Port Douglas or Sydney; instead he was in an icebox that made his face ache, his eyes water and his nose drip. He felt like moaning—so he did.
He lifted his sunglasses and rested them on the ridiculous multicoloured hat with a pom-pom on top…Everything about his hat made him smile.      
“Wow, who’s that?” he whispered and quickly forced his slouching body upright.
A young woman had stopped at the kerb opposite him, making sure it was safe before she crossed. The blades of her skates, slung casually over one shoulder, flashed as they caught the sun. Her long raven hair, in brilliant contrast to her red snow hat, had escaped the scarf wound around her nose and face, and the dark waves bounced and fluttered in her wake. She had pushed her sunglasses up on top of her hat and all Jack could see were two inches of pale skin and a pair of expressive eyes. When her eyes met Jack’s, he held his breath.
If only he could see the rest of her face. She made his blood pulse hot through his body, which moments ago had almost been frostbitten. Her elegant posture, the sway of her hips and her long legs—everything about her made him smile.
Pull the scarf down. Come on, pull the scarf down.
Something about her seemed familiar. She waited in the centre of the road for a battered cream pickup to pass. It left a trail of polluted condensation. She coughed, and waved at the smog. It can’t be, Jack smiled. She came closer and caught him staring. Their eyes locked for a heartbeat. Oh, oh. Did he see a spark of anger—or worse accusation?
Dismissing him, she scanned the area up and down the street in search of something or someone. She was humming, perhaps to cover the fact that she was nervous, or wary. She approached, to the right of him, just feet away now, and her gaze dropped, pinning him with clear, blue eyes.
“G'day,” he said, giving her his best, slow easy smile.
Was that a nod? He wanted it to be. As she passed, the air moved and he caught a hint of her perfume; a light scent, a promise of spring.

Louise's lovely beach view

You can find out more about Louise and her books at her website, or follow her on Facebook or Twitter.

NEW AUTHOR SERIES: Jacquie Underdown

The series continues, and what an exciting one it is - so many fab new authors!

All the featured authors are from the Romance Writers of Australia or Romance Writers of New Zealand, and have just been or are newly published with the digital imprints of Australian publishing houses like - Random House, Harlequin, Penguin and Pan Macmillan.

This week, please welcome Jacquie Underdown.

Jacquie resides in sunny Brisbane with her husband and two sons. Numbers and practicality are a way of life for Jacquie as she works as an accountant by day. So it’s no wonder, for sanity’s sake, she balances this banality with words, characters and imagination in all other possible moments.

Jacquie is an author of a number of novels and writes contemporary women’s fiction that is emotionally driven and possesses unique themes beyond the constraints of the physical universe. She strives to offer romance, but with complexity; spirituality, without the religion. Her novels express a purpose and offer subtle messages about life, the spirit and, of course, love. 

Title – THE PALER SHADE OF AUTUMN
Release Date – 1 February 2013
Publisher – Escape Publishing

Call Story – I didn’t receive a ‘call’ as such but, rather, an email from Kate Cuthbert from Escape. It was 9.30pm and I was just about to jump into the shower when my phone whooshed letting me know that I had an email. I opened it, saw it was from Kate, and my heart began to pound in my chest.

After four years of rejections with the other novels I had written I was anticipating a stock-standard rejection but, instead, the opening lines of the email read, ‘I really, really, really loved your story’. I had never received a personal message back from any publisher, let alone one that started like this, so you can understand that I was so excited I could barely read on.

Unfortunately that first email came with a ‘but’. I had to rewrite the ending of my story to make it happier. So I did and sent it back to Kate.

I checked my emails every five minutes for the next three weeks until my next email came back saying that I needed to change some more things with my ending. So I did. Then, thankfully, the third email read, “Alright, Jacquie, let’s do this.” Two months later, my book was released.

About your book: 
Hero –  Jet Stark 
Heroine – Autumn Leone 
Setting – Bodh Gaya, India and Brisbane, Australia with visits to Sydney, Tokyo and Mongolia.

Autumn Leone travels to India to find answers about her unique ability to see into other’s minds. But instead of answers she finds love. It takes one night of passion to fall for Jet Stark, whom fate had sent her half way around the world to meet. But, too soon, Autumn is to fly back to Australia and out of his life.
When Autumn bumps into Jet back in Australia after five long years apart, it’s difficult to dispute fate’s intention in crossing their paths not only once, but twice. Autumn knows it is a risk to fall for an old fling, especially because Jet now happens to be rich, her new boss, and involved with another woman.
But a connection like theirs proves impossible to sever.
Reunited with the only man she has ever truly loved, Autumn thinks their relationship is flawless. But she fails to see that Jet is hiding secrets from his past. Secrets, which threaten to fracture not only their love for one another, and her career, but also her relationship with her family.
Will the truth about her gift and their unbelievable history be revealed in time before Autumn loses all she cares about? And will the truth be enough to mend old wounds?

THE PALER SHADE OF AUTUMN Excerpt
“Do you mind if I ask you a question?”
His voice reminds her of his presence and when she raises her head she actually sees him as though for the first time. Before he was a solid shadow, a nebulous structure of strength who had taken her from the lifeless eyes of the old woman and led her, unseeing, to the refuge of this quiet space under a tree. Now, as her mind begins to restore a vague sense of equanimity, he has substance, takes on form, and she is shocked because he is utterly gorgeous. She opens her senses to him, seeing his buttery brown eyes, dark brown hair hanging loosely around his ears and neck, long overdue for a cut. His face possesses a strong, square jaw with a long, masculine nose and full lips. He is tall and lean, shoulders broad, skin tanned an Australian copper and complimented with a few freckles.
“Um,” she answers, shaking her head. “What did you say?”
“I want to know how it is you could see that old woman’s life?”
Autumn’s eyes widen.
“You said that you can see all that she has seen and I want to know how that is possible?”
She glares at her drink bottle and internally berates herself for having even given the hint that she has such ability. Her gift of insight is not something she shares with people, especially men she doesn’t know one thing about. “Bloody old witch,” she whispers, focus
still on her water bottle.
“Are you ok?”
She nods and finally lifts her gaze to his. “I didn’t mean to share that information with you.”
 “I see,” he says, eyes narrowing.
She can’t quite look away from those eyes, compassionate and warm, the colour of melting caramels. “I don’t even know your name,” she says.
His lips curl up slightly at the corners. “My name is Jet.” He extends his hand. She glares at it, outstretched before her, but after all that has happened she cannot take his hand in hers. He retracts the gesture after the moment passes.
“And you are?” he asks.
“Autumn.”
“Autumn?” he questions.
She nods.
“That’s a beautiful name.”
She lowers her eyes feeling her cheeks prickle.
“It suits you,” he continues.
She inclines her head, eyes narrowed. “How so?”
“You share the shades of autumn, your hair and your eyes.”
Jet is right. Her hair shares the colour of fallen autumn leaves: a luminous russet. And her eyes are of faded grey and blue, like a cloudy autumn sky. Her skin is pale, possessing colour only in her cheeks and in the pink of her plump lips.
“Anyway, I’m sorry,” he says. “That’s appearances—rather off topic.”
Autumn nods and takes in a deep, courage‐drawing breath and reaches for his hand. Why? She doesn’t know. Perhaps because he is a stranger in a strange country, and she will never see him again after today. She first takes his wrist and slowly brings her fingers to the palm of his hand, crawls her fingertips along the length letting splashes of colour and imagery, all belonging to Jet, to saturate her mind.

Any upcoming releases? I have my second novel, BEAUTIFUL ILLUSION, set for release on 1st October 2013, with Escape Publishing.

I also placed in RWA’s Little Gems short story competition so you’ll get to read my contribution, At a Glance, in the Sapphire Anthology.

If you'd like to know more about Jacquie and her books, check out her website or follow her on Twitter or Facebook.

NEW AUTHOR SERIES: Juliet Madison

Time for a new series, and what an exciting one it is - New Authors!

All the featured authors are from the Romance Writers of Australia or Romance Writers of New Zealand, and have just been or are newly published with the digital imprints of Australian publishing houses like - Random House, Harlequin, Penguin and Pan Macmillan.

This week, please welcome Juliet Madison.

Juliet Madison is a naturopath-turned-author with a background in dance, art, internet marketing and perfume sales (yes, she was one of those annoying people in department stores who spray you with perfume).

Nowadays she prefers to indulge her propensity for multiple careers by living vicariously through her characters. She likes to put these characters into extraordinary situations and take them on a challenging journey to discover their true passion and inner strength, weaving in some laughs, tears, romance and sometimes a touch of magic along the way.

Living near the beach on the beautiful south coast of New South Wales, Australia, Juliet spends her days homeschooling her son and running her internet business, and her nights writing fiction while doing her best to avoid housework.

Title - FAST FORWARD
Release Date - 1st February 2013
Publisher - Escape Publishing (Harlequin Australia’s digital imprint) 

Call Story - FAST FORWARD was my third completed manuscript, and my first to be published. I finished writing it during RWA’s 50 k’s in 30 days challenge, and after editing I started querying it to agents and entering pitch competitions.

I had a few requests here and there, and racked up about twenty rejections overall! (what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?).

Then I went to the RWA conference in August 2012 and heard about Harlequin’s new digital imprint. I was aiming for print initially, but then got thinking about digital... faster release schedule, global reach...etc, and after doing some research I decided to go for it. I submitted to Escape, got a full request after ten days, and an offer of publication after three weeks.

For an impatient person such as myself, this made me very happy! Less than four months after the offer, FAST FORWARD was published. :)

About your book:
Hero - William McSnelly
Heroine - Kelli McSnelly
Setting - City and suburbs, twenty five years in the future.

Aspiring supermodel, Kelli Crawford seems destined to marry her hotshot boyfriend, but on her twenty-fifth birthday she wakes in the future as a fifty-year-old suburban housewife married to the now middle-aged high school nerd.
Trapped in the opposite life of the one she wanted, Kelli is forced to re-evaluate her life and discover what is really important to her. Will she overcome the hilarious and heartbreaking challenges presented to her and get back to the body of her younger self? Or will she be stuck in the nightmare of hot flushes, demanding children, raunchy advances from her husband and hideous support underwear forever?

FAST FORWARD Excerpt - [Set up: Kelli is a twenty-five-year-old model who’s been transported to the future where she’s a fifty-year-old housewife married to a nerd, and is desperately trying to find a way to return to the past...]

“Take a deep breath, Kelli,” Ben instructed. “And then allow yourself to simply fall forward.”
I didn’t know whether to cry or vomit, or both. I imagined my half-digested yolkless eggs going on a bungy jump of their own, only without the cord, landing in the water below with a big splosh. That made me want to vomit even more. I looked back at Ryan one last time, and his enthusiastic expression combined with his ridiculous hairstyle only reinforced the fact that I didn’t belong here. Didn’t belong in the McSnelly family. I needed to get back to my young, carefree, childless life. With Grant. I couldn’t wait for him to wrap his arms around me again and get down on one knee to…
“Arghh!”
I lost my balance before I was ready, my arms circling frantically around in an attempt to stay on the ledge. But to no avail. My scream followed me down before, all of a sudden, the air inside my lungs whooshed out like someone had stuck a vacuum cleaner nozzle in my mouth.
I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t scream anymore. I was surely about to die. Something yanked at my ankles and my body flung upwards. Oh thank God, it must be over…
“Arghh!”
Here we go again. Whatever breath was left was sucked out again, along with what felt like all my insides. Yank. My ankles jerked again and my body went upwards. And back down again. I could feel my eardrums vibrating! Up … and back down again. Oh my God, it’s never going to end! Up, down, up, down. Bounce, bounce, bounce. The eggs in my stomach were surely scrambled by now.
The dark water below swam into focus as the bouncing subsided and I hung there, desperate for something to hold onto. Now what? Were they just going to let me hang? Help! And then the best thing I’d seen all day caught my eye. A boat, yippee! I thought I’d died and was in heaven, but the putrid stench of body odour assured me it wasn’t.
“There you go, sweetie. Wasn’t so bad, was it?” Smelly man said as he pulled me into the boat.
I couldn’t speak. I just lay there, limbs shaking. Wait. He called me sweetie. That’s a name reserved for young women, isn’t it? I must have changed back to ... I jerked upright and looked down at my body.
“Arghh!”
My scream lasted longer than my bungy jump. Nothing had changed. I was still fifty-year-old Kelli Jelly Belly McSnelly. Or McSmelly, thanks to my deodorant-phobic rescuer, whose primal scent had rubbed off on my clothes.

Buy FAST FORWARD via...
Escape Publishing, Amazon, Amazon UK, iTunes/iBookstore, Kobo, Google Play, B&N/Nook, JB Hi-Fi, Booktopia. 


Any upcoming releases?
    •    I DREAM OF JOHNNY - A romantic comedy novella with a fantasy twist , coming 1st September 2013.
Getting three wishes isn't all it's cracked up to be when an unfortunate typo in Mandy's high-tech magic lamp changes her wish for a Greek God into a Geek God.
    •    STAR STRUCK IN SEATTLE - A contemporary romance novella with a magical twist , coming 1st October 2013.
TV extra, Anna, has a crush on the leading actor and seeks help from internet guru ‘Lulu The Love Angel’ to transform from extra to leading lady in life & love. But Lulu really IS an angel and destiny has other ideas.
    •    THE JANUARY WISH - A contemporary romance/women’s fiction, coming 1st January 2014.
An eighteen year old secret, a hidden talent, and two guilty hearts collide when Dr Sylvia Greene’s impromptu wish comes true. 


Connect with Juliet online: Website, Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads.

NEW AUTHOR SERIES: Alison Butler

Time for a new series, and what an exciting one it is - New Authors!

All the featured authors are from the Romance Writers of Australia or Romance Writers of New Zealand, and have just been or are newly published with the digital imprints of Australian publishing houses like - Random House, Harlequin, Penguin and Pan Macmillan.

This week, please welcome Alison Butler.

Allison Butler lives in a small country town in NSW Australia with her very own Scottish hero, two beautiful daughters and a Jack Russel named Wallace.

Allison writes by day and cares for the elderly by night. She loves travelling, dancing like no one's watching and seeing the sights from the back of her husband's motorcycle.

Title - THE BORDER LAIRD'S BRIDE
Release Date - 10th February 2013
Publisher - Penguin's Destiny Romance

Call Story - I attended the Penguin launch of their new digital-first Destiny Romance imprint at the RWA 2012 conference on the Gold Coast and when they announced they were taking pitches, I decided to give it a go. I pitched the next day to the lovely Carol George and she requested the full manuscript. I returned home, finished polishing my story and sent it off. Three weeks later, I received the 'CALL' from Carol. I pretended to be calm and in control, but must admit to shedding a few happy tears.

Hero - Jamie Graham is a gorgeous, strong hero with a kind heart, protective instincts and a dash of humour, who has promised to sire an heir but has vowed never to fall in love.

Heroine - Kenzie Irvine is a likeable firebrand who bravely protects and provides for the neglected, but has vowed never to marry and bring a child into an uncaring world.

Setting - The Scottish Borders.

 

To fulfill his father's dying wish, border laird Jamie Graham must marry and sire a legitimate heir. But his marriage will be one of convenience, for he has vowed never to open his heart for betrayal.  While guarding his cattle from thieves, Jamie catches the spirited daughter of a neighbouring laird stealing his horse.

Despite viewing an arranged marriage as a death sentence, feisty Kenzie Irvine has no choice but to wed the domineering laird. But she has sworn an oath never to bring a child into an uncaring world...

THE BORDER LAIRD'S BRIDE Excerpt 
'All I possess becomes my brides the day we wed. My home is a castle. The people of clan Graham are my family, and my garron, De Brus, is a sturdy mount and is brave of heart.'
She stared into the fire, hard. Was talking his special form of torture?
'Aren't you curious to know who the lucky lass is?'
The only thing she was curious about was what he would do once she escaped.
'I also have a talent for making the ladies sing.'
Before she knew it, she found herself looking at him, watching his brows waggle above his glittering blue eyes, brows a shade darker than his wheat-coloured, shoulder-length hair.
She frowned. He should save listing his attributes for his unfortunate bride.
A wave of pity swamped her for the woman destined to be his wife. Jamie Graham was charming and smiled often and with ease. A dangerous smile that could melt the stoutest of icicles clinging to winter trees.
Whoever the woman was, she'd best have her wits about her at all times. She'd soon be lost within this man's beauty, his confidence and his charm. A shade, as many women who wed became. Women like her mother had been - alive but adrift; known but forgotten. A shade instead of a whole.
'I also have a large herd of prized cattle. But you are aware of that already.'
Her gaze met his before darting back to the fire. She swallowed. She'd been lulled by the sound of his voice and teasing banter. For a few moments, she'd forgotten why she was here. His next words ensured she'd never do so again.
'Lifting a man's cattle is punishable by death.'
The teasing tone had been stripped from his voice. A chill swept through her.
'A fitting punishment, and one I'm certain you know of also.'
She forced her gaze to meet his, refused to show him any fear.
'My bride will take my name and have my protection,' he said quietly.
He held her life in the palm of his hand, yet continued speaking of what his wife would gain when they wed. Just like her father, his thoughts only ever concerned himself.
'What say you, Kenzie?'
Her senses scattered, torn from her mind like the last autumn leaves clinging for life to bare branches.
'Aye. I know who you are. I also know I am the only one who can keep the noose from about your bonny neck.'
His soft-spoken words sent her world tilting again, but she refused to let him see. She returned his stare and despite his calm facade, she noticed the anxious gleam lighting his eyes.
He wanted something from her. Just as she expected.
'Marry me, Kenzie?'
Her heart seized, and then pounded in her ears. She fought for every breath and with each breath she won, her shock and fear subsided.
She swallowed and looked into his summer-sky eyes. 'I'd rather hang.'

Buy Links
Destiny Website
iTunes
Amazon


Any upcoming releases? I'm currently revising another Scottish medieval romance tentatively titled, The Healer. This story is linked to THE BORDER LAIRD'S BRIDE and I'm hoping it will be published late 2013.

Thanks so much for having me, Kylie. 
It's been a pleasure having you visit, Alison! :-)

If you want to find out more about Alison go to her website, or you can follow her on Facebook.

NEW AUTHOR SERIES: Jennifer St.George

Time for a new series, and what an exciting one it is - New Authors!

All the featured authors are from the Romance Writers of Australia or Romance Writers of New Zealand, and have just been or are newly published with the digital imprints of Australian publishing houses like - Random House, Harlequin, Penguin and Pan Macmillan.

This week, please welcome Jennifer St.George.

Jennifer St George is a romance author whose sexy stories feature courageous, career-minded heroines, strong heroes in glamorous international settings. Jennifer has three books – The Convenient Bride, Seducing the Secret Heiress and The Love Deception - published by Penguin’s digital-first imprint, Destiny Romance. The Convenient Bride won the 2012 Romance Writers of NZ Clendon Award.

She spent the first 20 years of her career in corporate marketing and management consulting roles. Jennifer is currently a member of the Romance Writers of Australia Executive Team and is a member of Romance Writers of America and Romance Writers of New Zealand.

Title – THE LOVE DECEPTION
Release Date – 10 June 2013
Publisher – Destiny Romance (Penguin)
 
Call Story - I do lots of volunteer work for Romance Writers of Australia (RWA).  I was talking to the lovely Sarah Fairhall from Penguin about their sponsorship of the 2012 RWA Gold Coast conference. She casually asked me what type of stories I wrote.  I told her category romance.

She asked “Do you have anything you could send me?” I said, “Penguin don’t publish category romance.” (Yes, perhaps it would have been better to just say yes!) What I didn’t know then was Penguin was in the process of developing Destiny Romance, their new digital-first romance imprint.

I sent her The Convenient Bride and from there, everything happened so fast. Sarah came back to me in about a week saying she loved the story and I ended up being one of the launch authors for Destiny.  All very exciting!!

About your book:
Hero – Damon Fullbright – hot sexy lawyer with tragic past.
Heroine – Felicity Carter – feisty law graduate with a secret life or death mission.
Setting – THE LOVE DECEPTION is set in Melbourne and the exotic island of Barbados. 

THE LOVE DECEPTION excerpt
Felicity slammed into something hard. Something warm. Something . . . Damon’s chest. She jumped back, as if scalded.
‘At it again?’ A scornful smile marred his otherwise annoyingly perfect face.
‘At what?’ She snapped on her professional mask.
‘We’ve not been alone for a minute and you’ve already got your hands all over me.’ He folded his arms slowly, deliberately, knowingly.
Her eyes swelled. Her jaw tightened. Her fury soared.
‘In your dreams.’ She tried to edge past him to the safety of reception. His body blocked her path.
Damon opened a side door. He put his hand on the small of her back and ushered her into a tiny meeting room. The transfer from the corridor to the room was executed so quickly that she didn’t have a chance to react. Felicity swung around to face him. The door closed with an ill-omened clunk.
Imprisoned again.
‘Don’t you dare touch me.’ She backed around the table.
‘You’re kidding, right?’ He leant against the wall as though the world owed him a confetti parade. ‘Felicity, there’s something you need to understand. We have an extremely strict code of conduct. You clearly have a drug and alcohol problem, and this is not a rehab centre.’
Her pulse kicked up as though she’d just had a line of crystal meth. She blinked stupidly. Drugs? Alcohol? The words swirled like a fancy lime cocktail. What in God’s name was he talking about? Sure, she liked a chilled chardonnay once in a while, but drugs?
She searched frantically in her mind for missing details of that night. The lack of factual evidence made it impossible to mount a credible defence.
‘I don’t use drugs.’ The words sounded lame and strangely well rehearsed, as though she’d practised them over and over for some small role in a television pilot.
‘All evidence to the contrary. I’ll give you this, you’re the first scholarship-winning addict I’ve met.’
Addict?
‘Your qualifications got you over the line today, but one false step and you are out. Don’t even think of bringing your problems to the office, they won’t be tolerated.’
‘You have me all wrong. That night—’
He placed his palms on the table and loomed across the small distance between them.
The tang of his minty citrus aftershave compounded the confusion hurtling through her mind. She tried not to react to his obvious attempt to intimidate her, but took an involuntary shuffle back.
‘Don’t even try it with me. I know all the tricks,’ he said.
Her brow furrowed with what felt like as many lines as your average affidavit. Tricks?
‘I’ll be watching you.’
She squared up. Bloody hypocrite. ‘Professional conduct?’ she laced her voice with a heavy note of scorn. ‘What about you?’ Take that. She enjoyed planting triumph on her own face.
His face twisted with shock.
‘Me?’ He pushed off the table with such force that wood creaked and the metal legs shuddered. ‘What would you have preferred I do? Explain exactly how I knew you? What you did? I don’t think that would have done either of us any good.’

Any upcoming releases? I’m working on a story about two characters from completely different worlds. The hero is an IT guru working in central London and she runs a wildlife sanctuary in Brunei. Having them find anything in common is proving difficult. It creates fabulous conflict. I’ve already cried a couple times while writing their story, so I hope I’m conveying this emotion on the page.

You can follow Jennifer on Twitter, Facebook or Goodreads, or find out more about her on her website or the Lovecats DownUnder blog.

NEW AUTHOR SERIES: Nina Blake

The series continues, and what an exciting one it is - so many fab new authors!

All the featured authors are from the Romance Writers of Australia or Romance Writers of New Zealand, and have just been or are newly published with the digital imprints of Australian publishing houses like - Random House, Harlequin, Penguin and Pan Macmillan.

This week, please welcome Nina Blake.

Nina Blake didn’t learn English until she went to school but that didn’t stand in the way of her love of reading. Unlike many other authors, when she was growing up her house was never full of books and as a teenager, her mother told her she read too much. As if such a thing was possible.

After university, Nina worked in public relations managing publications. She still loves publications, both hard and soft copy. She is delighted that Escape Publishing has picked up Forget Me Not, her personal favourite of all the romances she has written.

She was lucky enough to meet the man of her dreams when she was at university. Though it wasn’t love at first sight and Nina was a bit slow off the mark, they’re now happily married. And it’s staying that way.

Nina was always lousy at sport and still can’t run, catch or throw. Despite this, she enjoys aerobics and working out at the gym. Some of her friends call her a gym junkie, an accusation that’s completely unfounded.

She lives in Perth, Australia with her husband and son.

Title - FORGET ME NOT
Release Date - 1 May 2013
Publisher - Escape Publishing

Call Story - The "call" came by email. It's the first email I've received from an agent or publisher that started off "I am delighted..." Well, I was delighted too! My husband and I celebrated that night with beer. It's bubbly and similar in colour to champagne. We waited for the weekend for a bottle of the real thing.

About your book:
Hero - Stefan Porter has amnesia. He's lucky enough to have an ex-wife who will help him, but why on earth would he ever have left her?
Heroine - Claire is a compassionate lawyer (no, the two are not mutually exclusive) who must help Stefan get back on his feet.
Setting - Sydney from the spectacular harbour to the terrible traffic.

Claire and Stefan’s marriage was over. They’d been estranged for six months, living in separate apartments, leading separate lives. Until an unknown accident leaves Stefan with no memory of who he is, what he wants, and the wife he left behind.
Claire’s compassion leads her to caring for Stefan. Though he is back to being the thoughtful, affectionate man she fell in love with, she can’t let herself get too involved. The instant Stefan’s memory comes back, he’ll remember who he was and what he really wants – and it’s not Claire.
Or is it?

FORGET ME NOT excerpt
Stefan needed her. Whether he liked it or not. And there was nothing either of them could do about it.
Claire Simons followed the nurse down the hallway. It felt like a tunnel, the walls painted pale gray to match the carpet, the muted prints on the walls failing to brighten the place up even slightly. She wished the nurse would talk to her, say something, anything; the only noise was the soft thud of their footsteps on the threadbare carpet and the faint clink of crockery in the distance.
Stopping outside one closed door, the nurse knocked and pushed it open without waiting for a reply.
Her heart racing, Claire wanted to yell. She needed more time, she wasn’t ready, she was never going to be ready. One look at her and Stefan would remember everything, and they’d be back where they started—or finished—and that was more than Claire could handle.
But she’d already come this far. Taking a deep breath to steel herself, Claire followed the woman into the room.
“Mr Porter,” the nurse said.
He sat on a chair, looking out the window, with his back to them. Stefan’s shoulders were broad in a crisp white shirt, his figure imposing. Even in the bland surrounds of a hospital room, he had a certain presence that was palpable.
It was strange to see Stefan so still. He was normally so busy, so active, never stopping for a moment. Whether he was working on a case, working out to an exercise program, or ordering people around—as he often liked to do—he was always on the go.
“Stefan,” the nurse said, more loudly.
He turned his head. “Yes.”
“Your wife is here.”
He shifted his gaze to Claire, standing by the bed. ‘I guess I should say “hello”.’
Claire was glad to hear his voice again, a distinctive American accent tempered by years of living in Australia, a voice wholly his own. It was so familiar, so reassuring.
Claire looked him up and down. Same dark brown hair, though it was longer now. Same blue eyes, same chiselled features. Only the neatly trimmed goatee was new, adding a funky edge which softened his features.  But something else was different. The Stefan she’d known seemed missing. His eyes had always been striking, pale irises ringed in dark blue, lined with thick lashes. They now seemed dull and empty.
That was it. In his eyes, there was … nothing.

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