Tag Archives: NYC

#TuesdayTeaser Dirty Damsels

Since I’ve got a library of new books coming out in the next few months-to-a- year, I thought I’d start a little sumthin’ sumthin’ on the blog called  TUESDAY TEASER as a way to get everyone interested in what’s coming down the book pike for me.

Why TUESDAY TEASER? Simple answer: I lovelovelove alliteration!

I don’t have my cover from the publisher to share yet, but here’s a little bit from my July 2, 2019 release of DIRTY DAMSELS from Limitless Publications:

When the bridal party fanned out around the altar, the organist signaled a music change, and the entire congregation stood as a unit. I turned to get a view of the bride and her father as the interior doors opened.

None of the drama that’d filled Carrie Ann’s world a few hours ago could be detected on her beautifully made-up, heart shaped face. Luminous blonde hair was coiffed in a waterfall of curls cascading down her neck and shoulders, and a tiara, its faux diamonds twinkling as the sunlight filtered through the stained glass windows, sat atop her head.

The bridal gown designer’s creation of the sexiest dress I’d ever seen drifted down Carrie Ann’s delicate shoulders. The dress was almost completely see-through, strategic silk swatches placed in front of cut-out panels in swirls and circular designs lined with illusion material. At first glance, all I saw were the intricate, etched shapes. Closer inspection and I realized there was more of Carrie Ann on display than previously thought. The neckline was a delicate thread of lace baring her down to below her bellybutton. Again, illusion material gave the semblance of propriety. The deep neckline accentuated her beautiful, full breasts and showed more cleavage than should be seen in a house of God. I could stuff my bra with a box of Kleenex and still not achieve this girl’s natural endowments. The dropped waist was cinched tight, and I wondered how the poor thing was ever going to be able to sit. Or manage to pee. The material hugged her hips, thighs, even the backs of her knees all the way to the floor. One full breath, or pig-in-a-blanket too many at the cocktail party, and this dress was in serious danger of exploding off her. She walked, on the arm of her father, slowly up the aisle, and I knew it wasn’t because she was trying to ensure everyone got a perfect view of her dress. A sloth in a coma moved faster than this gown allowed the bride to.

A few pews in front of me, Carrie Ann’s mother sniffed and dabbed her eyes with a pink handkerchief. When dad and bride sauntered by me, I saw the back of the gown for the first time and gasped. Lined with the same illusion material, it dropped down to the gentle rise of the bride’s butt cheeks. Truly. You could see the top of the crack of her ass in full glory. But it was a superb ass, I will admit, something mine will never be. Full, tight, and round, the dress hugged every God-given inch of it.

At the altar, Casey took Carrie Ann’s hand, leaned in, and whispered something. She grinned from ear to ear. The guests sat and the ceremony began.

Peggy here – this is what I imagined when I came up with Carrie Ann’s gown:

You can see more images from what I “see” in the book on my Pinterest Board DIRTY DAMSELS

The idea for Dirty Damsels came to me when this tagline popped into my brain one, random, Sunday: What would happen if Cynderella had a one night stand with a man named Prince?
Heehee.

Hope you’re intrigued!

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#SundaySnippet 12.2.18 An Oldie but a goodie ( and an award winner, too!)

 

I’ve got an oldie but a goodie here today, peeps. My first book for Kensignton/Lyrical Shine and my first book in the WILL COOK FOR LOVE series, COOKING WITH KANDY. I chose this book for today because it’s currently on sale – the ecopy – for 99 cents and I thought to myself, “self, what a great way to promo the book so people can learn about it and buy it for the romance readers on their holiday lists.” 

Shameless self promotion, thy name is Peggy.

Also, after this post was already in production, I found out that COOKING WITH KANDY won first place in the Contemporary Novel category in the OKRWA  IDA contest! So YAY for me! Here’s the link to the winners; OKRWA IDA My name and the book are listed first – and yes, that makes me very conceited to mention it, but happy too!

Here are Josh and Kandy…..

Josh returned to the filled room and scanned it for Kandy.

“She’s in the ladies’ room with Gemma,” Cort said, coming up and handing him a drink. “Here. Give her this. She’ll need it. And by the way, good move with Chandler. I never liked him.”

“Seems to be the general consensus.” He took the proffered glass.

He made his way to the other side of the room, ignoring the stares and whispers of the crowd, found the lounge, and knocked. “Kandy? It’s Josh. Can I come in?”

It was Gemma who answered. “Yes.”

The sisters were seated in twin floral Queen Anne chairs, Gemma reclining back into hers, arms crossed over her chest. Kandy was opposite, head wrung in her hands.

“Cort thought you could use this,” he said, handing her the champagne flute.

He’d expected tears, but was surprised to see Kandy’s beautiful face pinch in a scowl, her eyes flaring with sweltering anger and venom when she looked up at him.

“Thanks.” Kandy took the drink and downed half of it in one gulp.

When she wiped her lips with the back of her hand, the corners of Gemma’s mouth lifted and she asked Josh, “What did you do to the turd?”

“Explained he needed to leave, put him in the elevator, and made sure he went down in it.”

“Made him how?” Kandy asked.

“Little persuasion trick I know. His wrist’s gonna be sore tomorrow. Maybe for the next few days.”

“You physically removed him?” Gemma asked.
 Josh almost laughed at the excitement in her voice. He shrugged.

“Yeah. He was going to follow Kandy if I didn’t.”

“Please tell me you have unmarried, available brothers at home,” Gemma said.

It hurt to keep the smile from his face, but he did. “Three, in fact.”

“Are they all like you? No, scratch that.” She sighed, the sound wistful. “I doubt there’s anyone like you.”

“If you mean are they all workaholics and career-driven, then no. They’re not like me. But they are available.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.” She glanced at her sister and said, “Well, looks like my work here is done. She’s all yours now.”

She stood and kissed the top of Kandy’s head. “Evan Chandler is an egotistical, phony prick. Remember that.”

“How could I forget it?” Kandy grabbed her sister’s hand and kissed the back of it. “Thanks.”

When Gemma left, Josh took her empty chair. “You okay?”

She took a deep breath before saying, “Mad, but okay. I underestimated him.”

“How so?”

“I didn’t think he’d have the guts to crash my party. I thought he was too much of a wimp to risk it after our last encounter. Guess I was wrong.” She stood and crossed to the vanity. Peering at her reflection, she ran a lazy hand through her hair, fluffing the curls. She caught his gaze, watching her, in the mirror. “Aren’t you going to ask me about it?”

He’d considered it. But the weary look in her eyes told him he was better off asking Stacy or Gemma.

“No. If you want to talk, I’ll listen. Otherwise, you’ve got a pretty fancy shindig going on out there.” He cocked his thumb in the direction of the ballroom. “Maybe you want to get back and enjoy it. Bask in the adulation,” he said with a good-natured grin.

She turned to him and her eyes softened. When her lips moved upward into a small, lazy smile, the dimples dancing, his legs went a little soft and he was thankful he was seated.

“Yeah,” she said, moving to him. When he stood, she linked her arm in his. “Thanks. You’re right. Let’s go have a party.”

He returned her smile, glad he could help.

“You’re not so bad, Keane. This bodyguard thing might be fun after all.”

It was a moment before he trusted himself to speak.

“I aim to please.”

Buy Links: Kobo// Apple // Amazon // B&N // Google play  // Books a Million // Walmart

And remember – all the Will Cook For Love books are on sale right now – just in time for the holidays! Put a little romance under your tree this year….

 

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Filed under Alpha Hero, Alpha Male, Author, Characters, Contemporary Romance, Cooking, Food lover, Foodie, Kensington Publishers, love, Lyrical Author, Romance, Romance Books, Strong Women, The Laine Women

My mind is numb, but my motivation is turned on high!

RWA15 has turned into one of the best conferences I have ever attended. Ever. The diversity of the workshops is truly amazing,  today no exception.

This morning, during breakfast, I attended  a doctoral focus group gaining information on what romance novels mean to writers and  readers. The panel I was with were a widespread group of traditonally published and self-pubbed authors who brought a wide array of ideas and thoughts to the table. After that, a heartwarming speech by author Julia Quinn didn’t leave a dry eye in the house (or ballroom, if we’re being literal!)

My morning session included  workshops on how to tweak my prose, and how to zing more emotion into my writing. It seems my writing does indeed need zing after hearing these authors speak! After lunch, I pitched myself ( not literally, folks) to my dream Literary Agent. I’m keeping her name mum, but she is fabulous! Fingers, toes, and whatever else my arthritic body will let me cross, crossed. More to come on that to be sure at a later date.

The afternoon workshops had me laughing with Susan Ann Phillips as she taught a packed house how to give our characters more depth and dimension, and then on to another packed conference room where the amazing Kristan Higgins schooled us all in the care, keeping and use of  secondary characters. It seems she has a secret boyfriend named Tom Hiddleston  aka Loki, and she enjoys using images of him in her lectures. Thank you for doing so, Kristan! Both of these talented ladies had the rooms rolling with laughter.

Dinner tonight is a treat for me because I get to see my baby girl and spend some quality time with her, so I’ll sign off for now to go get ready.

Here are some pictures taken today to ponder over.

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today’s book haul – how the heck am I gonna get all these home…and there will be more tomorrow!!!

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Just hanging out in the hotel lobby, all decked out and waiting for someone to dance with.

And then there was this guy…I just can’t explain him.

 

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Filed under Author, Contemporary Romance, NHRWA, Romance, Romance Books, RWA

RWA15 whirlwind

I am one tired little romance writer, kids. Yesterday was an astounding day on several fronts. I won’t talk about everything, just the highlights I was able to hit.

In the morning I had my RWA PRO retreat where we played a spin on speed dating. 20 PAN members at 20 tables with 20 topics to discuss. You could visit 3 tables/authors during the retreat. I visited the ones on social media and branding – two topics I need to learn a lot more about. First, branding with author Anna Alexander  who was a weath and cavern of knowledge on what your romance “brand” should be, how to tie it in with all your promotional products, and how to develop it as your writing changes and evolves. Branding knowledge is her super power – go to her link to find out why I describe her that way!

The social media use with Catherine Bybee was a headspinner. As we were sitting, listening to her talk about all the kinds of media we should be using and involved with, she was Tweeting about what she was saying and about RWA15. The one line I took away from her talk and that will stay with me for a life time is “People need to hear your name 7-10 times before it becomes recognizable to them.” Something to really think about and work towards when your livelihood depends on book sales and you want people to know who you are.

In the afternoon I sat in on a great workshop with Kristan Higgins and Tracy Brogan on how to use humor in your romance stories. They both had the audience rolling with laughter with their witty anecdotes and heartfelt stories -humor0us of course- that they incorporate into their books.

And one final note that made my day. I met with my editor from Wild Rose Press ( and don’t I love saying that!) She is so incredibly supportive and knowledgable and I owe her a great deal of thanks for all her help,guidance, and patience with me as a new author. So, another day of workshops and networking. Here are some pix from today.

The Fabulous Kristan Higgins

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20150723_084219Book swag day 3.

20150722_103349 another random New Yorker

 

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RWA15, continued

Day 2. The Goodie room is now open and can I just say YEAH! Free stuff and SWAG!!

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heres my contribution:

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Hey! Who doesn’t like  candy??!!

So I’m sitting in the hotel bar/restuarant area watching all the famous, infamous, and want to be both ( or either!) walk by. Every time someone looks at me and they are wearing an RWA lanyard I smile because you never know who it is smiling back. Could be my dream agent…could be the author I love most in the world ( Are you listening Nora Roberts??!) Could be my new best friend. Okay, those last two sound a little creepy, but you know what I mean…

The Nora Roberts Foundation for literacy is sponsoring the author signing this afternoon that unfortunately I couldn’t get into…next year for sure!!!.. but I’m volunteering at it so I will let you all know who I see and everything about the event.

BTW here are some random New Yorkers just walking around on a sunny day.

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RWA15!!

Well after a longlonglong drive from home, that included traffic stopped dead in Connecticut and then a truck not fitting under an overpass in NYC, I MADE IT! It is unbelievably hot here. 92  today and NYC humid. I will be staying in the hotel, folks, for most of the visit, that is for sure.

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Here’s the Swag Bag for this year and the host of books included it in. Yes – even hard cover books are given for free!

20150721_174705Here are a few random pix of NYC I took today while I walked around and sweated! Things go into full swing tomorrow and I will be sure to blog if I see any of my fav authors. I’ve already had two fan-girl moments so far: saw Nora Roberts AND Jayne Anne Krentz in the hotel tonight. Hyperventilating is the least of what I did!

20150721_153001Minions everywhere!

 

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The Famous FlatIron building

 

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The view from my room of 42nd st

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Conference time again…

In less than 2 weeks I will be going to the National Romance Writers of America 2015 conference. For those of you who were here with me in the blogosphere last year, it was my very first time attending Nationals and I blogged about the experience while I was in San Antonio. This year it’s in NYC – my hometown – and I go a very different person and writer than I was in 2014.

Some of you may recall that at last year’s conference I found out from the person who would soon be my editor, my first book SKATER’S WALTZ was going to be published by the Wild Rose Press. I was speechless, terrified and excited all at the same time. I couldn’t tell anyone I knew at the conference because I hadn’t signed the contract yet and I didn’t want to jinx myself. Let’s face it, try as I might I can’t get away from my Irish Catholic mysticism thoughts. I had to hold that enormous news inside me until the contract was signed, sealed and delivered and it was a legally done deal. Then and only then did I let my crazed exuberance free!

This year, when I attend, I am no longer an RWA conference virgin, nor am I another unpublished author dying to network and get someone to read my work. I go this year as a published author with two books currently in release (Skater’s Waltz and There’s No Place Like Home ) with a third (First Impressions) coming out this Fall.  I’ve also contracted for a Valentine’s Day novella  3 Wishes releasing early in 2016. I know vastly more than I did last year about the process and business of writing, publishing, and marketing. Plus, I’ve now got street cred because I’ve walked the walk of the published romance writer.

Having said that, I still have oodles left to learn, which is why this conference is so wonderful for any romance writer to attend. There are dozens upon dozens of workshops with topics that cover the craft of romance writing, to marketing, to independent publishing, and even how to write great sex scenes ( a personal fav of mine.)

In addition, RWA hosts the Readers for Life Literacy Autographing session where over 400 romance authors are available for a meet and greet and book signing. This year, I am a volunteer at this event and I can’t wait to meet all my fav authors and snap a couple of selfies with them.

The week culminates in the Rita and Golden Hearts awards ceremony on Saturday night and this year is extra special for me because one of my NHRWA chapter sistahs is up for a Golden Heart award. I’m so happy I’ll be there when she wins – nothing like a little cocky self assurance, eh?! LOL

So stay tuned and I’ll be blogging from NYC come July 21. And if you’re in NYC on July 22, drop on down to the Marriott Marquis from 5:30 until 7:30 for the author signing.

If you see me, give me a shout out!

 

 

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Filed under 3 Wishes, Author, Contemporary Romance, NHRWA, Romance, RWA, Strong Women, There's No Place Like Home