I’m still on my book tour and today I’m visiting one of my favorite places ROMANCE NOVEL GIVEWAYS. They asked me a question I get asked a lot as a writer and wrote about it for them, here.
So stop by, read all about it and enter the rafflelcopter the tour set up for me. And if you do visit, please leave a comment so I can chat with ya!
Until next time ~ Peg
One of my lovely and talented Wild Rose Press sistahs has a new release and she dropped by with some info about it to share today!!! Judith Sterling‘s, NIGHT OF THE OWL (The Novels of Ravenwood) is the fourth book in the series. Read on to find out a little about it – and Judith!
Blurb
PhD student Ardyth Nightshade has renounced men and pursues her twentieth-century career with single-minded focus. When fate whisks her to medieval England, she meets her match in a man whose passions mirror her own. Can she sacrifice ambition for a love she never sought?
Hugh, Lord Seacrest confounds all who know him. He refuses to marry without a meeting of minds and hearts, and no lady has even approached his ideal…until Ardyth. But she’s an odd one, with unique skills, shocking habits, and total conviction she needs no man. She also harbors secrets, and in the midst of rumors, plots, and murder, trust is fragile.
A woman outside of her time. A man ahead of his. They must take a leap of faith to forge a bond that will shape history.
Excerpt
Ardyth looked from one tunnel entrance to the next, and then the next. The ledge in front of them was substantial. It ran along the rock wall to the right, all the way to the mouth of the cave, winding around it to continue along the outer cliff.
Again, she pointed. “Where does that lead?”
“Shouldn’t you be doffing your clothes?”
Her eyes narrowed. “In other words, you don’t intend to answer my question.”
He grinned. “Clever, aren’t you?”
She returned his smile. “I like to think so.”
“If you’re stalling because you cannot swim—”
“Oh, I can swim.” She could hardly wait to feel the cool water on her skin.
He folded his arms, and his intense, gray eyes held a dare. “Then show me.”
“Hold this.” She handed him the folded smock. Get ready to eat crow, buddy! Quickly, she removed her boots, hose, and tunics. When only her thin, white chemise remained, she stole a peek at her skeptical host. He stared at her bare feet.
She sighed. “I know. My feet are hardly attractive. In fact, I’ve always thought my toes resemble…”
He raised his eyebrows. “What?”
Astronauts. But I can’t tell you that. “Nothing.”
His eyebrows settled again, but the orbs beneath them seemed to glow with a new light. “I beg to differ with your opinion. Your feet are quite…lovely.”
She almost laughed, until heat flooded her cheeks. I’m blushing? “Thank you,” she muttered. With an inward groan, she started toward the water. For crying out loud! He only complimented your feet. Your pale, crazy, NASA-evoking feet. Get a grip!
The ocean breeze caught the hem of her smock as she stepped into the surf. Foamy water—colder than she would’ve liked—enveloped her feet. Thank God for the heat of the sun! But this was the closest she’d come to a bath in days, and she was determined to prove her skills to the man who underestimated her at every turn. She waded forward, and the brisk, undulating water swallowed her calves, knees, thighs, and hips.
“Lady Ardyth!”
She turned. Her dry smock in his hands, Hugh stood with feet well apart on the wet sand.
“You needn’t prove your courage further!” he called above the lapping, swishing voice of the sea. “Come back before—”
“Courage isn’t the point! Swimming is!” The level of the surrounding water lowered to her thighs, signaling a coming wave.
She turned just as it crested and dove headfirst into it. Completely submerged in the chill, rushing water, she headed left and allowed herself to rise to the surface. She swam freestyle for several strokes, then flipped onto her back and floated with abandon. After a minute or two, she flipped over, and swam in the opposite direction. Then she stood with the water at her ribs, waited for the next wave, and indulged in bodysurfing, which carried her with a whoosh back toward shore.
Satisfied, she straightened, knee-deep in the water. Her wet chemise clung to her frame, and she knew Lord Seacrest was getting a lordly eyeful. Her nipples were rock-hard from the cold.
She rolled her eyes toward the bright, blue sky. My kingdom for a bra! And throw in a pair of underwear, too! But both articles of clothing were back at Nihtscua and not likely to appear anytime soon. For the first time since plunging into the surf, she regarded Hugh.
Eyes wide, her dry smock clutched in his hands, he stood as if frozen. Only his gaze moved, traveling from her breasts to the apex of her thighs.
She pulled the smock away from her flesh as best she could and advanced toward him, stopping an arm’s length away. “I told you I could swim.”
He blinked. Then his full, sensual lips curled into a smile. “Indeed, you did.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“You’ve doubted me twice already. Perhaps you owe me an apology.”
His eyes widened, then relaxed. “Perhaps I do. Pray…forgive me.”
The words couldn’t have come easily, and the fact he’d said them made her grin. “I forgive you. This time. But I ask respectfully that you not underestimate me again.”
For two seconds, he hesitated. “ʼTis a reasonable request, and I shall endeavor to honor it.” He gave her a quizzical look. Then he shook his head and chuckled. “Is there anything you cannot do?”
She thought for a moment. “I’ve never ridden aside. If I’m going to ride something, I spread my legs.” The instant the words left her mouth, she cringed inside. Good God. That came out all wrong!
Humor curved his lips, but his eyes smoldered. Did his thoughts mirror hers? He took a step closer, and his masculine aura invaded her personal space. “Tell me more.”
Buy Links Amazon // Amazon UK // Amazon CA // Amazon AU // B&N // Apple books // Kobo
A little about Judith
Judith Sterling is an award-winning author whose love of history and passion for the paranormal infuse everything she writes. Whether penning medieval romance (The Novels of Ravenwood) or young adult paranormal fantasy (the Guardians of Erin series), her favorite themes include true love, destiny, time travel, healing, redemption, and finding the hidden magic which exists all around us. She loves to share that magic with readers and whisk them far away from their troubles, particularly to locations in the British Isles.
Her nonfiction books, written under Judith Marshall, have been translated into multiple languages. She has an MA in linguistics and a BA in history, with a minor in British Studies. Born in that sauna called Florida, she craved cooler climes, and once the travel bug bit, she lived in England, Scotland, Sweden, Wisconsin, Virginia, and on the island of Nantucket. She currently lives in Salem, Massachusetts with her husband and their identical twin sons.
You can follow Judith here:
Website // Facebook // Goodreads // Bookbub // Amazon // The Wild Rose Press // The Captivating Quill
A little extra…
The hero and heroine’s mutual love of history reflects my husband’s and mine. You might say history brought us together because right around the same time, each of us decided independently to move from different parts of the country to Virginia, specifically to seek work at Colonial Williamsburg. Nowadays, we work (respectively) at The House of the Seven Gables and The Witch House in Salem, MA. There’s a lot of both of us in Night of the Owl. That’s why the release date (Oct. 21, 2019) is perfect; it’s our 19th wedding anniversary. As if that isn’t enough, I wore my hair almost exactly like the cover model’s on the big day. Neither my publisher nor the cover artist knew about either coincidence. Pretty cool, right?!
Filed under Uncategorized
Today is the last day of my NHRWA sistah’s GODDESS FISH BLOG TOUR and I’m so thrilled she’s spending it with me!!!
Nora LeDuc has a brand new mystery out titled TRAIL OF SECRETS and it’s a goodie. The reviews coming in have all agreed this may be Nora’s best work yet – and I’m thrilled for her!
BLURB:
Who killed the vivacious, Emily McGuire and laid out her body at the water tower? Orderly, rule-follower Mia McGuire is the least likely person to answer this question. Mia’s life has taken a downward spiral with her sister Emily’s murder, the breakup with her boyfriend, and losing her editing position. But when the homicide investigation crawls, Mia can’t stand by doing nothing. She hires the problematic Lucas Davis to help her find the truth.
After suffering trauma from a shooting on the job, Lucas Davis resigns from the local force. Once known as a daredevil in his small Florida town, he has become an embarrassment to his dad, the police chief. When Mia offers him investigative work, he quickly accepts the job to prove he still possesses the skills and guts to solve the case. Together, these two unlikely sleuths form an intimate bond and are determined to beat the odds. They set out to bring a terrifying killer to justice before he targets them next.
Excerpt:
She shaded her eyes and stepped out of the glare. Her gaze fell on a form lying by the wire mesh fence. Was that a person? Was someone hurt or drunk? Mia shuddered inwardly but crept forward and stopped a few feet from the shape.
Zsa Zsa scampered to her side.
Dread worked its way up Mia’s throat. It was a motionless woman on her back, parallel to the base of Gram’s monstrosity. She was dressed in a dark dress. Black sandals revealed blue toenails. One arm lay outstretched with her fingers curled upward as though beckoning Mia to her. The polish decorating her manicured nails matched the shade on her toes. Long raven-colored hair covered her face from her forehead to her chin.
Zsa Zsa whimpered by Mia’s feet. She scooped up her pet and swallowed the lump of fear increasing with each step closer to the person. Had the woman fallen? Passed out?
The sweet fragrance of a perfume drifted toward her and stirred a forgotten memory. The familiar soft voice asked, “What else would a southern Florida girl wear but orange blossoms? It’s the cool new scent.”
Emily? A sliver of dread formed near Mia’s heart. No, it couldn’t be. Her sister’s hair was pink. But she often changed the color. Mia didn’t have to wait for the truth. The breeze lifted the strands upward from the woman’s face.
Mia’s legs wobbled. A rash of red points blotted her skin, and scratches crisscrossed her neck. Her lips were frozen in an “oh” of shock. Open, bloodshot eyes stared at Mia. Emily!
Tears blurred her vision. She clutched at a last hope. “Emily, is that you?”
The wind picked up and spun a foul sickly sweet odor around her, drowning the other scent. Mia coughed and stumbled backward. Only one certainty floated through her confusion. Her younger sister was dead.
Buy link: Amazon
A little about Nora:
Nora grew up in rural New England where she currently lives with her family. She enjoys visiting and spending time with her friends, the Winettes, in Florida, where she continues to write. Trail of Secrets is her sixteenth book. Her next story is already in progress.
She also contributes to the Romance Gems’ Blog every month.
Amazon // Goodreads // Facebook // Website //
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE:
Nora LeDuc will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Enter here NORA LEDUC
** My review of TRAIL OF SECRETS
Filed under Goddess Fish Tours and Promotion
Since I decided to self-pub IT’S A TRUST THING and I knew I had no real money to invest in a professional graphic book designer, I decided to try my hand at making my own book cover. Since I already do so much graphic stuff for book ads and for this blog, I thought it might be fun.
And it was.
It was also harrowing, mind boggling, and at times, infuriating. What makes a good, eye catching book cover to me, may not necessarily mean it does to you. Plus, since it’s a romance there are things that have to be incorporated into the cover so people who are glancing through Amazon new releases see it for what it is and not say, a murder mystery.
Here are a few of the covers I made before I decided on the one I finally put up: Oh, and the original title of the book was HELPFUL HUNKS, the name of Nell’s business. Since I didn’t talk too much about her business in the book, I figured it would be misleading to call it that.
So I liked this one until a friend of mine pointed out the lousy job ( my word, not hers!) I did of cutting and pasting the couple on the Brooklyn Bridge. I wanted the bridge on the cover because an important plot point concerns it, but with the lousy job I did of C/P I realized it looked sloppy.
I wanted this cover because it matched DIRTY DAMSELS, and kept the branding of the series intact. See: 
But again, the sloppy cut and paste was glaring in this one.
I loved this cover when the title was Helpful hunks, but it didn’t fit in with the branding again, so I opted to use it in ads for the book instead. But I still love this cover!
This is the one I finally decided on because the background was black and I didn’t have to do any sloppy cutting and pasting to get the couple front and center.
It goes along with the theme of Dirty Damsels in the fonts and with the couple embracing. It’s not as sexy as the DD cover, but that’s okay with me.
Now, I just need to know if the cover “SPEAKS” to romance book buyers!
Preorder is up here: It’s a Trust Thing
The book is also available in Kindle Unlimited for those subscribers as well.
Happy reading, folks!! Hope you like my cover and the story.
Until next time ~ Peg
Looking for me? I’m here:Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me//Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me// Triber// BookMe // Monkey me //Watch me
Filed under Dot Com Girls Romance, It's a trust thing, Romance, Romance Books, Strong Women
I was a little silent on Social Media over the weekend because I was flat out, ass crazy busy with writing stuff. I’ve got a sale going on right now for DEARLY BELOVED; I’m partnered on two Booksweeps giveaways, one in Romantic Comedy , one in Sweet Romance, and I’ve got a ton of blog appearances set for the next two weeks in addition to other authors visiting my blog. I got one newly contracted book back for edits, another I needed to finish and a third I needed to start. This past Saturday and Sunday I spent all day, both days, playing catch up.
My husband, who still thinks when I say “I’m working,” means I’m sitting in my office trolling the Internet, for the first time understood what that meant.
You see, I write a detailed daily to-do list each week in a spiral notebook I keep on my desk. Each page is filled with what I need to accomplish for that specific date. This weekend there were 48 individual things on the list. He came into my office yesterday morning, saw the list on my desk and asked, “is that everything for next month?”
My reply? “No. Thats everything for today and tomorrow.” Then I flipped the pages and showed him the week ahead.
He won’t be asking anymore what I do all day.
Hey – here’s a reminder. Tomorrow I’m doing a facebook page takeover over on Trashy and Terrific. Here’s the page link: T&T
I’ll be on from 4am EST until about 9 pm EST, so join me. I’ll have games, a few giveaways and lots more stuff! Pleas join me and pass it on to all your book reading and romance loving friends.
Until next time ~Peg
Filed under Author Branding, author promotion
SO, are you looking for some new-to-you authors and books? Like Contemporary or Steamy Romance? I’ve got sumthin’ sumthin’ for you. The Wild Rose Press has two chapter samplers out now, each just 99 Cents and each with a collection of first chapters from over 20 authors.
The first, a Contemporary Romance Collection, titled FALLING FOR YOU, features the following authors, and serves all genres of contempRomance from RomComs ( me!) to Romantic suspense and more.
Sunset in Laguna by Claire Marti
Dearly Beloved by Peggy Jaeger
The Millionaire Mountain Climber by Laura Boon
Morgan’s Walk by Suzelle Johnston
Only the Beginning by Daphne Dubois
Saying Yes to the Mess by M. Kate Quinn
The Saffron Conspiracy: A Novel by Marilyn Baron
Operation Sizzle by Darcy Lundeen
Without Love by Theresa Stillwagon
Don’t Let Him Go by Kay Harris
And for those readers who like a little more spice, heat, and passion in their reads, PASSIONATE CRAVINGS is for you.
Finding Redemption by Desiree Holt
Ella’s Triple Pleasure by Anna Lores
Angel’s Collar by Anna Hague
When You Close Your Eyes by Roxanne D. Howard
Sin City Alibi by Sophia Ryan
Heaven’s Watcher by Kayden Claremont
Highland Dom by Marie Tuhart
Play A Game With Me by Cadence Vonn
Kilty Pleasures by Nancy Fraser
Through the Red Door by Sadira Stone
Better To Marry Than To Burn by Michal Scott
In Deep by Stacy Gold
More Samplers from different romance genres will be coming in upcoming months, so stay tuned!
“I’m culling,” my mother said. With a snap of her wrist she sent another two-hundred-dollar silk shirt into a black plastic trash bag situated next to her bed.
3 Wishes ( A Candy Heart Romance)
Valentine’s Day is chocolatier Chloe San Valentino’s favorite day of the year. Not only is it the busiest day in her candy shop, Caramelle de Chloe, but it’s also her birthday. Chloe’s got a birthday wish list for the perfect man she pulls out every year: he’d fall in love with her in a heartbeat, he’d be someone who cares about people, and he’d have one blue eye and one green eye, just like her. So far, Chloe’s fantasy man hasn’t materialized, despite the matchmaking efforts of her big, close-knit Italian family. But this year for her big 3-0 birthday, she just might get her three wishes.
Buy links:
Amazon // Wild Rose Press // Kobo // B&n // Walmart // Google play //i-books // Books-a-million
also available in audio
and you can find me here:
Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me//Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me//Google+Me// Triber// BookMe // Monkey me //Watch me
and here’s the link to my TELL ME ABOUT YOUR DAMN BOOK podcast interview, just in case you missed it: TMAYDB
The other day I found out that two of my recent books – Dearly Beloved and Christmas and Cannolis – were both reviewed by InD’Tail magazine – a leader in independent book reviewers. Today I’m going to share the Dearly Beloved one, tomorrow C&C. Can I just tell you how happy this makes me!!!!
ROMANTIC COMEDY: Slade Harrington is big time in Manhattan, very successful and very rich. He’s also very protective of his baby sister Izzy, who is ready to marry the man of her dreams. Slade is ready to give her the wedding of her dreams, he’s paying for whatever she wants. Their father has not been the best role model, with multiple ex-wives on his resume. Slade has sworn off marriage indefinitely. Colleen O’Dowd is a wedding coordinator in Heaven, New Hampshire. Her sister runs an Inn where Izzy’s wedding is booked. When Slade accompanies his sister to check out what he’s paying for, Colleen is an added bonus. There are some undeniable sparks between them, but Colleen knows he’s a playboy and cannot mix business with pleasure.
“Dearly Beloved” will take readers on a journey of a fairytale wedding, or rather a true wedding filled with family drama start to finish! Ms. Jaeger captures a beautiful sibling relationship that flourishes when the parents are not emotionally or physically available. This story does have the stereotypical rich hero and not so rich heroine, but the added siblings and family members balance it out. There is the cheating ex that makes an appearance which is predictable in this situation, but he is the one that readers will love to hate. Overall, the push and pull of the budding romance is delightfully written, and readers will enjoy this quick read that ties up with a red-bow ending! This is the first book of a series, so readers might want to check out the others and see what feisty grandma Fiona is up to next!
~Viola Robins
and because I’m a little nuts, here’s what the review looks like in the magazine
Filed under WIld Rose Press AUthor
At RWA 2018 I attended a workshop about making the most of your backlist, and by making the most the presenter meant sales. So, this is good question for a writer to be asking him or herself.
So, what is a backlist? Well, it’s a publisher’s list of older books still in print. The definitive word in that sentence is older. But what constitutes older? How many years or even decades is considered enough for a book to be truly defined as backlisted? 
I’m asking this because I had my very first book published in 2015. That’s only 3 years ago. (Sometimes, it seems like 300, but that’s just me!) Now, in no one’s mind would 3 years past be considered old. But, believe it or not, in the publishing industry, it is. The reasons vary, but if you’ve ever heard this phrase: You’re only as good as your last book – you’ll know it’s true, because each time a writer releases a new book, that becomes the yardstick readers measure you by because it’s the most current, and available in the here and now.
I realize what I just wrote may be a little convoluted, so let me ‘esplain.
Most well-known writers put out a book a year, maybe 2, or if you’re Jill Shalvis or Nora Roberts, 4 or more! I’m not either, but since 2015 I’ve averaged 3 a year. This year it’ll be four, which is giving me agita even as I write this.
But I digress…
Since most authors have a lag period of about 6-12 months between releases, they don’t have much to promote while they are writing/editing/editing some more/ their coming soon book. Here’s where the back list comes in. I’m going use myself here s an example because it’s easier. My first book, Skater’s Waltz, released in March 2015.
It was promoted heavily for a few months until my second book came out. Same scenario until my third book released. By the time the 4th and 5th books went out into the world, no one was hearing about Book 1 which started the entire 5 book series.
So. With each new addition to the series, I tweeted/facebooked/instagrammed – you get the picture: I used my social media sites – to REMIND people about the first book, the one that started the series ( and my new life!) and put all the buy links up with each promo. I was lucky enough that each time I had a new book come out, I also had people buying the previous books because of that promo. I’ve written my series as stand alone books, which means you don’t need to read the one before the newest one to know what’s going on, but readers still went ahead and purchased those previous books.
In essence, this was me promoting my backlist.
Another way to get readers to read the books that came before your soon to be released one and utilize your back list effectively is to have a sale. Each time my newest book was a month or so from release date, I asked my publisher(s) to put the previous book I released on sale and then promoted the sale to try and garner new readers. It worked.
This holiday season I have a new San Valentino Christmas story coming out called CHRISTMAS and CANOLLIS. I don’t have the exact release date yet, but when I do I’ll be having a sale of my previous San Valentino Christmas Story A KISS UNDER THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS to try and get people interested in the new book.
The theory if you like this one, you’re sure to like that one, is the prompt for this. BTW – just a little side note: I’m having a cover reveal of Christmas and Canollis soon, so stay tuned!!!
Get the idea now of why a backlist is important to promote if you’re an author? And it doesn’t matter if your backlist is from 1 year ago and has 2 books on it, or 10 years ago with 30. ALL your books should be promoted as frequently as you’re comfortable doing.
Backlists. They’re a good thing for a writer.
When I’m not pushing, er promoting my backlist, you can find me here:Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me//Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me//Google+Me// Triber// BookMe
Filed under Author, author promotion, love, Romance, Romance Books
I wanted to write this blog before I finish up with all the RWA stuff I have planned to tell you all this week.
Yesterday I flew home from Denver. Due to severe storms in the Colorado area and on the eastern seaboard ( where I was heading) my flight was delayed for 2 hours, 90 minutes of it spent on the tarmac just waiting in line to lift off.
Not fun. Not even a little bit.
There were two shining lights during this waiting time, though, that made this trip home one of my favorite ones to date of all the places I’ve traveled.
First, some backstory. My husband loves to fly on Southwest ( me, not so much) so he booked my trip through that carrier to Denver. I always sit in exactly the same seat on Southwest if I can. Last row, right before the lavatories, close to the stew crew and the kitchen. Why, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you. My legs cramp when I sit down for too long and in this seat I can stretch them out fully without worrying I’m going to trip someone coming down the aisle. I can stand whenever I want ( that is if the seatbelt sign isn’t illuminated) and stretch, plus I tend to drink a lot more water on flights to stay hydrated. And when you drink more, you…..you can finish this sentence!
So, I sat in the same seat as always when I boarded. About ten minutes later the plane was almost full when two lovely women around a similar age to me came down the aisle and asked if they could sit in my row. Of course they could! And did.
Well, when you put two or more women of a similar age together, conversation will ensue, and ensue it did. While we waited FOREVER on the tarmac all three of us got to talking. They asked what I’d been doing in Denver – working or vaca, and I told them both and then explained why I was there and what I do for a living. To say they were excited would be an understatement!
By telling them I was a writer and of romantic fiction, it opened a flood gate of more questions about writing, publishing, how I get my ideas, did I always want to write — and on and on.
It was wonderful!!! Truly wonderful!! For a few hours I actually felt like a famous author instead of the relative unknown that I am. I was so enamored with these two lovely women I gave them each a signed copy of COOKING WITH KANDY that I just happened to have in my carryon. I was never a Boy Scout but that thing about always being prepared is smart! I also gave them some swag and my business card with all my author info on it.
Now, when I was reaching up to put my carryon back into the overhead compartment, the second shining light appeared in the guise of another lovely woman who was sitting in the row in front of ours. She excused herself, told me she hadn’t been eavesdropping ( with the loud way I talk it’s unavoidable for people around me not to!), but she was a Librarian, and could she have my card so she could look up my books?
Well, this is me, peeps, so I did one better – I gave her a copy of my newest release CAN’T STAND THE HEAT, which I also had in my carryon ( see? always prepared!) as a donation for her library, and I gave her my business card as well so she could look up my other titles.
Best. Trip. Ever.
I lovelovelove making new friends, and friends who happen to like reading are my absolute favorite people! So, Mary Pat and Honoree – here’s to you!
I told those lovely ladies this, so I’ll tell you, too; you can find me here if you need me:
Tweet Me//Read Me// Visit Me//Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me//Google+Me// Triber// Book Me
Filed under #RWA2018, Romance, Strong Women
Peggy Jaeger, Author 