Tag Archives: #bookish #books

November 29, 2021 · 12:00 am

Digital shopping, Covid, and a #99cent sale…

Ever notice how most of my post titles come in threes? LOL

Anyhoo…

Today is – commercially – referred to as CYBER MONDAY, the Monday after Thanksgiving.

The experts tell us this is the most heavily shopped day on the Internet during the holiday season. I don’t know if I agree with that because I know people who are still online, shopping, on Christmas Eve with the thought the gift will be delivered December 25th morning.

With the advent of a spike in Covid cases recently, I wonder if people are going to take advantage this year – as they did last year – by doing a great deal of their shopping online instead of having to brave the outside, infected, world. Shipping and the supply chain issues are also currently problematic, so it may be easier to find that perfect gift online.

It’s said this day is predicted to be the best of the year for retailers who offer online shopping this year. As someone who sells her books, for the most part, through digital means, I hope this is true.

If you are shopping the Internet today and have a book lover and/or romance reader/women’s fiction reader on your gift list, I hope you’ll consider my newest Holiday RomCom, FIXING CHRISTMAS, as a gift. It’s on sale digitally for the next few days at only 99cents at all major online booksellers ( not only Amazon!).

Here’s the universal link if you’re interested: FIXING CHRISTMAS

Christmas has never filled writer Abra Charles with undiluted pleasure. If you’d been left on a doorstep on Christmas Eve morning, you might have a few issues with the holiday as well.


Abra’s avoided her hometown of Dickens for the past twenty Christmas seasons, but now she’s returned in an attempt to get her writing mojo back. Twice-divorced and with her third engagement ending in heartbreak, anger, and blackmail, Abra is now six months behind on submitting her current book. She hopes renting Copperfield House and immersing herself in solitude will cure her writer’s block and get her life back on track. The house she rents isn’t helping her achieve her goal, though, as one thing after another breaks, collapses, or floods.


Colton Bree, Dickens’ very own Mr. FixIt, can’t help but wonder if the new resident of Copperfield House is cursed. After being called to repair a broken window, he’s then needed to fix an exploding coffeepot, an overrunning toilet, and a washing machine that has a mind of its own. Bree doesn’t mind all the unexpected repair jobs, though, because the sexy renter is something to look at despite being a little neurotic and a whole lot of snarky.


Can Abra get her book done with all the distractions and craziness of her life, the biggest distraction being the flannelled hunk with the bedroom eyes and scowling yet oh-so-kissable mouth? Or will Dickens’ Mr FixIt have to step in and save the day and in so doing, fix Christmas for Abra forever?

Happy shopping peeps – in person or online ~ Peg

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December 1, 2019 · 3:56 am

#CyberMonday is tomorrow…Are you ready?

When I was a kid 175 years ago there was BLACK FRIDAY and then regular shopping days until Christmas.

Welcome to the new world, peeps.

CYBER MONDAY starts at midnight tonight and Cyberspace is predicted to be the most jammed it’s ever been this year with people looking for great sales on gifts.

Well, because the marketing end of the publishing business never takes a day off, I, too, am offering up  some great ( in my humble opinion!) sales items. 2 of my books are marked down to just 99 cents on Amazon, Book, and Itunes.

 

CHRISTMAS & CANNOLIS, my award-winning San Valentino holiday romcom is on sale for 2 weeks here: Amazon  Nook  Itunes

With Christmas season in full swing, baker Regina San Valentino is up to her elbows in cake batter and cookie dough. Between running her own business, filling her bursting holiday order book, and managing her crazy Italian family, she’s got no time to relax, no room for more custom cake orders, and no desire to find love. A failed marriage and a personal tragedy have convinced her she’s better off alone. Then a handsome stranger enters her bakery begging for help. Regina can’t find it in her heart to refuse him.

Connor Gilhooly is in a bind. He needs a specialty cake for an upcoming fundraiser and puts himself—and his company’s reputation—in Regina’s capable hands. What he doesn’t plan on is falling for a woman with heartbreak in her eyes or dealing with a wise-guy father and a disapproving family.

Can Regina lay her past to rest and trust the man who’s awoken her heart?

 

And my indiebook IT’S A TRUST THING in on sale exclusively at Amazon.

Nell Newbery has trust issues. It’s hard to trust when you’re the daughter of a fallen financial scion who bilked people out of billions. Nell’s done everything in her power to keep away from men who see her as their ticket to fortune and fame. All she wants to do is run her ultra-successful business, HELPFUL HUNKS, in peace.

But it wouldn’t hurt to find a guy who doesn’t know a thing about her father’s felonious past; one she can give her heart to and trust it won’t come back to her battered, bruised, and broken.

Is Charlie Churchill that guy? On the surface he seems perfect, all polished manners and quiet mirth. Nell’s convinced he knows nothing about her, other than she likes superhero movies and views junk food as a food group.

Can she trust him to be what he appears to be? Or is he just pretending?

For Nell, trust is everything in life…and in love.

So, if you are shopping in your jammies, haven’t brushed your hair or teeth yet, and are looking for a great book deal for the Romance book reader on your holiday list – or if you just want to gift yourself a good book – I hope you’ll take advantage of my sale.

Be well and happy shopping!
Until next time ~ Peg

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November 29, 2019 · 2:33 am

It’s #blackfriday and I’ve got a sale for ya! Funny how that worked out!

Sometime I get things right: this is one of those times. Today is the number one sale day of the year and I’ve actually got a book ON SALE!!!

If you’re looking to gift someone a holiday romance/RomCom, or even if you’re ready to take a break from all the shopping you did today and just relax with a good book, CHRISTMAS AND CANNOLIS is just #99cents at Amazon  B&N  and Apple books starting today.

I’m so proud of this little story of love, loss and finding happiness because it’s won a ton of awards this past year, including the 2019 NERFA Award, and it was recently announced that it was the winner of the International Digital Awards for 2019. And while I’m uber-proud that it’s done so well, I simply just love the story and want to share it with readers everywhere at this Holiday Season.

With Christmas season in full swing, baker Regina San Valentino is up to her elbows in cake batter and cookie dough. Between running her own business, filling her bursting holiday order book, and managing her crazy Italian family, she’s got no time to relax, no room for more custom cake orders, and no desire to find love. A failed marriage and a personal tragedy have convinced her she’s better off alone. Then a handsome stranger enters her bakery begging for help. Regina can’t find it in her heart to refuse him.

Connor Gilhooly is in a bind. He needs a specialty cake for an upcoming fundraiser and puts himself—and his company’s reputation—in Regina’s capable hands. What he doesn’t plan on is falling for a woman with heartbreak in her eyes or dealing with a wise-guy father and a disapproving family.

Can Regina lay her past to rest and trust the man who’s awoken her heart?

I’m so pleased to announce that CHRISTMAS AND CANNOLIS also won first prize in International Digital Awards 2019.

Here’s video clip of the winning entries:

Happy shopping and reading, everyone!
Until next time ~ Peg

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October 7, 2019 · 12:48 am

Book trailer for It’s A Trust Thing….

I’ve made so many great friends and met so many wonderful writers and people since I started my writing journey. Nancy Fraser is one of them. Not only is she an award winning writer, she’s also a damn fine graphic producer and artist. She made my book trailer to Dirty Damsels and did such a  great job I asked her to do one for my 11.1.19 release of It’s a Trust Thing. I think it captures the essence of the book perfectly. Have a gander:

Isn’t it great!!!??

Remember, It’s a Trust Thing is up for pre-order right now and will be available ONLY in Kindle and KU. And if you haven’t read DIRTY DAMSELS yet, let me whet your appetite with Nancy’s trailer for that book, too! Hee hee

Until next time ~ Peg

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July 19, 2019 · 5:05 am

#ConferencePacking…the bane of my existence

So today’s the day I start to try on clothes I haven’t worn in a while ( okay, a year!), figure out how many “travel sized” personal care items I need to buy, do laundry to ensure I have enough underwear to last a week, and find shoes that go with more than one outfit so I don’t have to pack my entire shoe closet.

Stress, they name is Margaret-Mary.

Cause of stress? I need to pack for RWA.

I am, usually, a fabulous packer. I just came back from a week in London with one suitcase and a backpack, and my packing skills are enviable. When you fly international, you’re only allowed so much poundage per stored luggage. I came in under, more than 20 pounds lighter than what they allow.

Score! If the plane had crashed due to overpacking and overweight, it wouldn’t have been because of anything I’d contributed to.

You’d think since RWA is in NYC this year, I wouldn’t have to worry. No planes, no airport parking, just a drive to MetroNorth, hop on a commuter train and then hail a cab from Grand Central Station to the Marriott Marquis.

Easy peasy.

Yeah., not so much.

Backstory: I have 2 torn rotator cuffs and a bunch of ancillary damage to both shoulders. Due to scheduling issues I’m not having my first surgery to repair one shoulder until the end of august. What that means is that I’m severely limited in how much I can pull/lift/push with my arms. I’ll be attending RWA solo, as always, and getting my suitcase filled with a week’s worth of stuff and then carrying it to NYC is going to be a pain in the…shoulder.

So that’s one point.

Point 2 is since I haven’t been able to exercise much due to the pain and immobility issues of the shoulders, I’m a little….chubbier….than usual, and I haven’t bought any new clothes, so I need to be able to fit into the stuff from last year. And fit into stuff where I won’t look like  a stuffed sausage!!! Can you lose 4o pounds in a weekend?

Yeah, I didn’t think so.

Le sigh….

Oh well. Let me go try stuff on and see what — it anything — fits and doesn’t make me look like a tent.

And don’t forget to come see me in NYC. I’m doing 2 book signings this year:

And

Come see me and get a free book!!!

Until next time ~ Peg

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July 10, 2019 · 4:36 am

#LongandShortReviewsWednesdayBloggingChallenge 7.10.19

So if it’s Wednesday, it’s time for a L&SR blogging challenge.

This weeks’ topic? Favorite authors in the ROMANCE genre.

Honestly, I could write this one in my sleep while having a nightmare and sleepwalking.

The number one name on my list is (no surprise to anyone who knows me): Nora Roberts and her literary doppelganger JDRobb.

No one. No. One. Writes like the doyenne of romance. Yes, she head hops, but so what? Yes, some of her stories, esp.  the paranormals can be…farfetched. SO what, again? The recent plagiarism lawsuit she is involved with proves there are some writers so intimidated by her success and brilliance, they will take her words as their own to get ahead. As JD Robb, Roberts has given the romance reading world two of the best characters it has ever seen: Eve Dallas and Roarke. Le sigh…Roarke.

‘Nuff said.

The second name on my list is a contemporary romance writer, Lauren Layne.

 

The very first time I ever picked up a Layne book as a Netgalley selection, I was hooked after the first page. It’s been that way with every subsequent book I’ve read of hers. Snappy, witty dialogue, delicious love scenes, and a casts of friends who would do anything for any one of their group. I simply adore the way she phrases a sentence.

For historical romance, a genre I don’t read much of, but that I love when it’s done right, you can’t go wrong with Elizabeth Hoyt and Eva Leigh.

And although she writes both historicals and contemporaries, I prefer Lisa Kleypas’ historical books. Lots of sexy spice and wicked, wonderful heros!

So, I read romance. A lot of romance. Let’s see what some of the other authors in this challenge read, and who their fav authors are: L&SR

Don’t forget, DIRTY DAMSELS is available now, in KU and at these sites:

Amazon US:

Amazon CA:

Amazon UK:

Amazon AU:


One famous book reviewer called it the best romance she’s read all year!! That’s some praise, believe me! Get your copy today.

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July 3, 2019 · 12:07 am

This never gets old and is always exciting!

So, just when my newest book released yesterday, DIRTY DAMSELS,

I received notification form the First Coast Romance writers chapter of RWA that I won the Contemporary Romance category for 40K-56K word books for CHRISTMAS & CANNOLIS! Woot Woot!

I’m starting to think maybe this writing career will pan out in the end! hee hee

Blurb:

With Christmas season in full swing, baker Regina San Valentino is up to her elbows in cake batter and cookie dough. Between running her own business, filling her bursting holiday order book, and managing her crazy Italian family, she’s got no time to relax, no room for more custom cake orders, and no desire to find love. A failed marriage and a personal tragedy have convinced her she’s better off alone. Then a handsome stranger enters her bakery begging for help. Regina can’t find it in her heart to refuse him.

Connor Gilhooly is in a bind. He needs a specialty cake for an upcoming fundraiser and puts himself—and his company’s reputation—in Regina’s capable hands. What he doesn’t plan on is falling for a woman with heartbreak in her eyes or dealing with a wise-guy father and a disapproving family.

Can Regina lay her past to rest and trust the man who’s awoken her heart?

Excerpt:

It had been a long, long time since a guy’s hands had been on me in anything resembling a carnal way. My ex had decamped to parts unknown five years ago after signing the divorce papers and I’d been so busy rebuilding my life that adding any kind of relationship to it wasn’t even a notion. Besides, with my hovering parents, one of whom worked for me while the other popped in daily to check up on their only daughter, I had enough on my plate fending off the men they wanted to introduce me to. Guys who, for the most part, had shady lifestyles, carried concealed, and owed my father innumerable favors. And by favors I mean the kind that usually get signed for in blood and paid back the same way.

Welcome to mia familia.

Buy Links:

Amazon//  B*N // Google Play // Kobo // itunes

Until next time ~ Peg

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June 25, 2019 · 12:09 am

#teaserTuesday

You could have guessed where today’s #TeaserTuesday was coming from before you even clicked on my blog, couldn’t you? hee hee.

Here’s a little snippet of conversation between Ella and Buddy that I love, which is kinda good since I wrote it!

“I wasn’t sure you’d come,” he said when I got to the table. A weird sense of déjà vu crept up my neck as I slid into the booth across from him without touching him. Once I was settled he sat back down

“I debated with myself about whether I should,” I admitted.

The waitress shot over to the table, took my coffee order and left. Silence shifted between us, until I broke it. “How did you find out where I live?”

“Aunt Cal. She was worried when you left so suddenly. When I dropped her off at a cocktail party, she ordered me to make sure you were okay, gave me your address and, well, here we are.”

“Oh.”

You could have sliced the air around us. It was rife and thick with tension, silence, and in my case, worry.

“Ella,” Buddy finally said, on a sigh. He folded his hands on top of the table and a quick, hot flash of them trailing across my naked skin popped into my head. “At least now I know your name.”

My gaze shot to his face, registered the wry, almost shy smile across his lips.

“You knew my name.”

“No, I didn’t. It was only after I woke up the next morning I realized it.”

I frowned. “But you said my name. Twice that I can remember.”

His own eyebrows lifted. “No I didn’t.”

“You called me Cynderella. Once in the penthouse and then at Diablo.”Shock takes many forms on a face. Buddy’s was the classic kind: jaw dropping, mouth falling open, eyes bugging wide with disbelief.

“Your name is Cinderella? For real?”

I get this reaction a lot. “It’s spelled with a “y” but, yes. If you didn’t know it, why did you call me that?”

With a shake of his head, he trailed a hand down his temple to rest on the back of his neck. “Sweetheart, the first time I saw you, you were cleaning the fireplace and your cheek was covered in soot. I wiped it away with my handkerchief. Calling you Cinderella was a joke, said in the moment.”

A little niggle of uneasiness danced in my tummy. “What about at the club?”

His beautiful mouth twitched at the corners. “I wasn’t certain it was you until I got closer. The name just popped out. You never told me your real name. Not once.”

Intrigued? You can preorder your copy here.

here’s the link for the Kindle version: Kindle 

Buy you can also get a print copy here: POD

Costs: KU ( free with subscription)’ KINDLE: 3.99 and POD 12.99

and if you haven’t seen it yet, here’s the trailer  made for my uber-talented writing friend, Nancy Fraser

Until Next time ~ Peg

 

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June 21, 2019 · 12:22 am

#1stKissFriday 6.21.19

It just stands to reason that since I’m promoting my upcoming DIRTY DAMSELS release, I might as well show you the first kiss between Ella and Buddy, no?

Hee hee.

Problem is…I really can’t. This blog is billed at PG13 and the first kiss between these two occurs during a time that’s…not. ( PG 13, that is!!!)The second kiss is equally as sexy, so I can’t show that one, either.

Sorry! ( Not, sorry!)

To make up for it, here’s a little snippet between them that’s fairly tame…maybe!

In a smooth move he pulled me into his arms, the length of our bodies touching.

“You don’t have to thank me, Ella. I’m just happy I could put that beautiful smile back on your face.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “And it sounds like it’s about time someone took care of you for a change.”

Can I just tell you how I almost melted into a puddle at those words?

Without thinking I shouldn’t – for so many reasons – I lifted up on my toes and pressed my lips against his, just as I had in the hotel room. Kissing him for the first time at midnight when I knew what was about to happen between us had been a new and titillating experience. But now I knew how he tasted, how amazing his lips and tongue felt mating with mine, and anticipation pushed aside all the thoughts of why I shouldn’t be doing this with this man again.

I hadn’t known who he was before or what the consequences of being with him could be. Now I did.

And you know what? I didn’t care.

His hands tightened around my waist pulling me even closer. The beat of his heart quickening drummed through his chest and pounded against mine. He kept the kiss sweet, apparently giving me the choice to deepen it.

I did.

Some inner wicked spark made me swipe at his lower lip with the tip of my tongue, then drag along the seam separating his two lips. When they parted for me on a breath, I dove in.

The kiss went from sweet and thoughtful to frenzied and mind-blowing in a nanosecond. One of his hands ran up my spine to cup the back of my neck, the other dipped lower to mold over my ass. I let my head fall backward into his able grip while Buddy changed the angle of the kiss, allowing him even greater access to my mouth. All of my mouth.

With his tongue twined around mine he tugged at it with tiny pulses, the motion striking a flame deep in my core. My legs grew restless and the bubble of need churning in me sought relief as my hips pushed in even closer to his body. The hand at my butt squeezed. Hard. At the same time Buddy pressed me against the counter and slid his knee between my quaking knees. The weight of him against me, coupled with the erotic motions of his tongue dancing with mine pushed all coherent thought from my mind. All I could do was feel and respond to his touch.

Intrigued? you’ll be able to read more when DIRTY DAMSELS releases on 7.2.19. Preorder links should be available soon and you know I’ll post them when they are.

For now, come back on Monday, June 24 for the big cover reveal! I can’t wait to share it with you.

 

Until next time ~ Peg

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June 1, 2019 · 1:00 am

Through the Red Door is #0nsale Get your copy today!

I love when I find a great book. I love it even more when the author is one of my Wild Rose Press Sistahs!   And the best? When that great book by that fab author is ON SALE!!!! Sadira Stone is having such a sale!

99-Cent Sale! Through the Red Door, Book One in the Book Nirvana series, is just 99 cents (eBook only) on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iTunes from May 31st through June 13th.

Fans of steamy contemporary romance, bookshops, and sexy historical artwork will love this tale of new beginnings after grief.

Blurb:

Letting him inside could be her salvation…or her undoing.

Clara Martelli clings to Book Nirvana, the Oregon bookshop she and her late husband Jared built together. When rising rents and corporate competition threaten its survival, her best hope is their extensive erotica collection, locked behind a red door. In dreams and signs, her dead husband tells her it’s time to open that door and move on. When a dark and handsome stranger’s powerful magnetism jolts her back to life and he wants a look at the treasures of that secret room, she can’t help but want to show him more.

Professor Nick Papadopoulos is looking for historical erotica. Book Nirvana’s collection surpasses his wildest dreams, and so does its lovely owner. A widower, he understands Clara’s battle with guilt, but their searing chemistry is too strong to resist. Besides, he will only be in town for two weeks, not long enough for her to see beyond the scandal that haunts his past.

 

Here’s a peek inside:

Clara and Jared were adventurous lovers, but this was beyond anything they’d tried, or even imagined. She turned the book sideways and peered closer at the drawing. Something touched her shoulder and, startled, she squeaked like a little girl and slammed the book shut.

Beside her stood Nick, the smutty professor, holding a plate with two scones. Was that a blush coloring his chiseled cheeks? With his deep olive complexion, it was hard to tell. She lowered her gaze and found herself looking right at his crotch.

Damn it!

With no safe place to direct her gaze, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Sorry, Clara. Beautiful women bring out my devilish side. Please forgive me.” He slid a new scone onto her empty plate, then sat beside her. “I guess Shunga isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.”

“Shunga?”

Nick nodded. “This type of painting or woodblock print. There’s usually a funny text to go with it.” He balanced the book between them, resting on the arms of their two chairs, then glanced at her, an eyebrow raised.

Okay, Clara, time to put on your big girl panties. You can handle this.

She nodded.

Nick flipped to a new page. “The beautiful costumes and hair arrangements date from the Edo era, roughly the 1600s through the mid-1800s. And here’s the text.” He pointed to columns of delicate Oriental writing.

“Can you read it?”

“Not very well. I have a friend here at the university who can help with the translations. This really is an extraordinary book.” He sipped his coffee and flipped the page.

“Are their, um, private parts always so large?”

He shot her another devilish grin. “Always. You know, it’s funny. In European artwork, male genitals are often unusually small, compared to…” He glanced down at his own lap.

She followed his gaze, then jerked her eyes away. Her voice creaked like a twelve-year-old boy’s. “Yes, I’ve—uh—I’ve noticed.”

“But in Shunga, all the genitals are outsized.”

“Doesn’t that scare women away?”

“On the contrary—these drawings were presented in ‘Pillow Books’ designed to instruct young couples in the art of love.”

Author Bio:

Ever since her first kiss, Sadira’s been spinning steamy tales in her head. After leaving her teaching career in Germany, she finally tried her hand at writing one. Now she’s a happy citizen of Romancelandia, penning contemporary romance and cozy mysteries from her home in Washington State. When not writing, which is seldom, she explores the Pacific Northwest with her charming husband, enjoys the local music scene, belly dances, plays guitar badly, and gobbles all the books. Visit Sadira at www.sadirastone.com.

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