#WIPWeds and Other Fun Stuff

Work In Progress Wednesday...

   From here on out, every Wednesday I will be posting little snippets from whatever project I happen to be working on. This week's snippet comes from the book In The Shadow of The Shield, book two in my Secret Lives series (projected release date is December 15, 2015) Book one, Undercover in Six Inch Stilettos will be available again on November 10th.

So, here it is! #WIPWeds

“Do you know there are twelve pairs of red handcuffs hanging in the tree in your yard?”

“You actually took the time to count them, Mabel?”

“Well, yes. It's not every day one sees a crepe myrtle full of handcuffs.” Mabel Guthrie eyed Diana up and down. “Just what have you and your husband been up to?”

Diana turned and called out to her husband. “Hey, Donnie! Mrs. Guthrie wants to know why we have a dozen pairs of handcuffs in the tree out front!”

“And why are they red?” Mabel yelled through the doorway.

Donnie appeared in the door with a huge grin on his face. “You know that's all the rage now, right?”

“What? Cops having tree cuffs instead of garden gnomes?” Mabel snapped.

Instead of answering the other woman, Donnie turned to her and winked. “Come on, hot stuff, I've got an hour before my shift. Why don't we grab a pair of those things and put them to use?”

“What?” Mabel's face turned the color of the hot pink shirt she was wearing. “Well, I never!”

Donnie stepped past her and the neighbor and headed toward the tree. Diana watched as Mabel watched Donnie walk around the tree inspecting each pair of freshly painted handcuffs as though he were trying to pick the perfect one.

“What is he doing now?” Mabel demanded, her arms folded across her chest.

“Every pair has a specific—use— shall we say. The one he picks is important.”

“Oh, good lord! What is wrong with you people?” Mabel glared at her but made no move to leave. Obviously the old woman was intrigued. Diana wondered how long it had been since Mrs. Guthrie took a tumble through the sheets. The images that filled her mind brought on a smile.

“What are you smiling at?” Mrs. Guthrie snapped. “You're the one married to a deviant!”

The other change I plan to make is a big one. Starting in November, every Monday I am going to post a new chapter of currently unpublished novel. Be sure to stop by on Monday to catch the first installment!

I'll still be sharing new releases and on many Fridays you will find a Feature Friday post that aims to introduce you to some amazing new books.

Please feel free to share the links to the #WIPWeds snippets and Monday #FreeReads and enjoy!

 

 

Fan Fiction and Other Indulgences

A few months ago, a friend introduced to me to something called Fan Fiction. I had never heard of it and had no idea several websites were completely dedicated to it. The concept is that fans of a story (book, show, etc) write their own stories involving the characters of other people's work. For instance, I am a Janet Evanovich fan. I love Stephanie Plum and her on again- off again, sometimes very confusing relationships with Ranger and Joe Morelli. Two different men have never existed in real life or fiction which is what makes it so much fun. Anyway, there are thousands of stories out there written by Janet's fans involving those characters and others taken from many different perspectives. I have been know to be up late at night checking out those stories on my Kindle. I love to see the many ways they are portrayed and best of all for me, many of them are short reads so I will finish before I fall asleep and drop my Kindle on my face. (Yes, this does happen, quite regularly actually.)

My favorite site is www.Fanfiction.net  but there are many others out there.

Last week I also read a book I thought was worth sharing with you. It's called Out of Time by Shona Husk and is the third in a series but very easily read as a stand alone. The premise of bad boy meets good girl is there although the sexy Aussie rocker isn't entirely a bad boy and the good girl is entirely as sweet as she may seem. I am including the link here for you to check it out if you are interested. It was a really good read and I highly recommend it. I tend to judge a book by how much sleep I will give up to read it and this one kept me up late two nights in a row.

Out of Time by Shona Husk


As for my own writing- I am nearly halfway through the third book in the Defenders of Love Series. Book 1 Witness Protection and Book 2 Homeland Security are currently available on Amazon and in KU. Book 3, titled Border Patrol, will be available by the beginning of the new year. More information to follow on that later.

Witness Protection (currently $.99)

Homeland Security (going on sale at the end of the week for a short time due to a reading event- more to come on that)


Last, but certainly not least, Undercover in Six Inch Stilettos is preparing for its debut with my new publisher, Limitless Publishing. I have seen the cover revamp and it is awesome. I promise to share that soon! Debut day is November 10th.  The sequel In The Shadow Of The Shield releases a month later on December 15th. I am very excited about both!

A Few Updates and A Sneak Peak at Undercover in Six Inch Stilettos

Guess who finally joined the Twittersphere?

That's right- @CarolynLaRoche is now out there getting her Tweet on! Stop by and say hello anytime. I am still learning the ins and outs but it's been fun getting to know new people.

Baseball season started for my boys this week. we are much busier than we used to be but I am still finding time to start a new series. More information to come later.

In about three weeks my new book Undercover In Six Inch Stilettos is set to be released. April 3 is the big day! As soon as pre-orders become available, I will post a link. I'll provide links to the blog tour as well, once that is set in stone. I am so excited about this book. I had a lot of fun writing it and it kicks off my new series, The Secret Lives of Police Wives where a group of women married to cops always seem to find a little trouble on their own. The second book in the series In The Shadow of the Shield was accepted by my publisher earlier this week and will be available later this year.

Here's a little sneak peak at Undercover...

Even a cop's wife has secrets… When young exotic dancers start disappearing, can Cyndi find the missing girls without exposing her own little secret?
Cyndi Mills has a great life. A handsome husband that desires her, a beautiful daughter, and friends she could trust with her life. It's only logical that she secretly takes a job as an exotic dancer at one of Virginia Beach's night clubs.

When dancers start disappearing, Cyndi is determined to get to the bottom of it. Unfortunately, solving the case means her overly protective husband has to know that she has been lying to him for months about where she goes every Friday night. Cyndi has no idea just how deep she will get by going undercover as a confidential informant. Will she risk her marriage to find justice?

 

 

See what glitter and handcuffs have in common...

Jason leaned against the counter, arms folded across his chest. She recognized that look immediately. He was doing the cop thing, analyzing her, and she could tell he knew something didn't add up. His left eyebrow rose just a tad higher than the right as he studied her. "Why do you have glitter in your hair?"

Cyndi shook her hair and a shower of glitter rained down on her sweatshirt. Damn. Somehow she had missed a boat load of sparkle. Damn, that stuff got everywhere.

"Jody brought her daughter's costume for a dance recital to work so I could help her fix a tear. It was all covered in sparkles. The damn stuff got on everything. Had to go back over the carpets with the sweeper twice and I'm still not sure we got it all."

Jason continued to stare down at her from his full six feet of height. His stare was laser sharp, his presence imposing. It was no wonder he was so good at catching the bad guy. Hardened criminals squirmed under the intensity of that stare. Hopefully he couldn't see through her despite the fact she felt as transparent as the shower curtain hanging in their bathroom.

"You think Harper is going to want to do that stuff?"

"Harper is four. It's a little early to predict if she will be a dancer or a swimmer or...whatever."

"Yeah, well, I just don't want that glittery stuff all over the house. The guys won't ever let me live it down, I show up to work all sparkly like that." He shook his head.

Cyndi stepped closer to her husband and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm exhausted, honey. How about we go to bed?"

Jason hugged her close. "You gonna wear a little French maid's outfit like you do when you clean those offices?"

"Jason!"

"Can't fault a guy for trying." Jason's grin was a sharp contrast to his earlier scrutiny. He pulled out the neckline of her top and peered down into it. "Come on. I know you gotta wear some kinda uniform!"

Thank God she had changed in to her old white bra from the discount store and left her bustier at work. Stepping back, Cyndi held her arms out and spun around slowly. "You're looking at it, baby. Doesn't my ratty old sweatshirt turn you on?"

"Not as much as a little maid's outfit would. It's nearly Halloween. Maybe I ought to pick one up for you to wear at work. You know, so you don't mess up your own clothes."

"Ohhh, Jason... you are such a guy!"

"You would rather I be such a girl?"

"Of course, not! Just don't be so obvious about being a man all the time." Cyndi filled a glass of water from the tap, drank it in one gulp, then placed her used cup in the sink before heading toward their bedroom. "Come on, cop man. You play your cards right I might let you frisk me before we go to sleep."

Cyndi heard light switches flip, door chains sliding and the announcement that the house emergency alarm was being set. Jason rushed through his nightly round of safety checks as he yelled to her from various locations around the house.

"Do you have anything on you that might hurt me?" Snap went the deadbolt on the front door. "Needles, knives, or guns?" Click went the security latch on the sliding door to the back yard. "Do I need gloves or cuffs...?" 

"Not sure you're gonna need gloves but cuffs might be fun," she called back as she climbed out of her clothes and dropped into the cool sheets.

 

 

 

Curled Up With a Book

It's unusually cold here today in the south. I had an unexpected day off from work as both of my boys are sick. The temperature has consistently dropped and it actually feels like snow in our neck of the woods- not a common occurrence but it does happen.

I used the unexpected day to get caught up on some work related to my upcoming releases and somewhere in the middle of it all, I fell asleep on the sofa. With one sick child curled up in bed playing on his Kindle and another sitting at the table working on an assignment his science teacher emailed to me, the house was quiet and invited a nap.

The cold weather just sucks the life out of me!

At least winter is a great time to get a little reading done. There are so many books being released this month from Breathless Press that I can't help but get excited.

Two books from the same line as mine, the covert line that are being released in print this month have my Witness Protection in good company.

Released last week was Jinn and Toxic by Frannie Armstrong. This is next up on my to be read list.

'Toxic Tango Troop' is an elite team of soldiers tasked with halting the illegal shipment of drugs from Mexico. For a team that doesn't officially exist, someone across the border knows their every move. They were betrayed by one of their own and captured by the very people they were sent to terminate.
Jinn Dennison, and her twin Julie, are a military secret weapon, sharing a unique psychic ability that links them. When Julie disappears, Jinn covertly takes her place in order to find her before time runs out.
At least, that was the plan...Tab 'Toxic' McIntosh has one of his own. His sister was taken by the Iceman, a notorious drug runner, and he wants her back no matter the cost. Using Jinn as bait seems like the only reasonable method to save his sister.
Things don't always go as planned, especially when Jinn and Toxic fall in love. Can they battle against all odds to win the day, or will they die trying?

Order your copy here!

Don't forget to join me for debut author month on Saturday January 17th when I visit Romancing the Genres and discuss why I write romantic mysteries.

Romancing the Genres Blog

They have a great post today about the impact of the Baby Boomer generation on book sales.

Whether you love to read or to write or both, keep warm and be blessed.

Holiday Happenings!

Four days until Christmas...have you finished your shopping yet? Remember, books are great gifts!

Witness Protection is doing well in ebook! Thank you to all who have read it. Feel free to offer up a review on Amazon or Goodreads. They love it on those pages when books get comments. If you haven't read it yet and are looking for a fun read full of action and a sexy cop with a little attitude check it out on Amazon or Breathless Press.

If you one of the many folks that have been holding out for the print version....It is NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER at Breathless Press (Print)  !!!!   I can't tell you how exciting this is! Release date is January 20th!

There are hundreds of others to choose from as well, both print and ebook at www.Breathlesspress.com.

Maybe you just need a quick escape from the hustle and bustle of the holidays. One of my favorite short story (BP calls them "Flirts") authors, Spencer Dryden has a new release this week:

Follow this link for a summary of the story. It's heart warming and relatable: New Flirt

I have a new book in the works, due for release sometime in the early spring. I just received the amazing cover art and will be doing a cover art reveal just after the New Year. The artist did an amazing job and I can not wait for you all to see it! The title is Undercover in Six Inch Stilettos.



I would like to take a moment to wish you all the very best this holiday season.

Cyber Monday Sale!

Looking for some great gifts for the romance readers in your life? Check out the Breathless Press and Lycaon Press (Young Adult titles) Cyber Monday sale for deep discounts on all print and ebooks. Witness Protection is currently $2.60!

                                                            www.BreathlessPress.com

There are hundreds of titles by very talented authors- a little something for everyone!

November Happenings

Thank you to those who already follow me on my other blog, Boys, Badges and Writer's Block. I love that blog and I will continue to visit it and add my two cents to the world whenever the mood strikes me.

This blog is sort of an addendum to that one. It is a place where I can post all the comings and goings of my books and other writing stuff such as blog tours and spotlights. This is an exciting time for me and I want to share it with all of you. My first book with my publisher, Breathless Press, is available for pre-order on www.breathlesspress.com and http://www.amazon.com. The official release dates are November 28, 2014 for ebook and January 20, 2015 for paperback. There are several blog spotlights and blog tour dates coming up over the next few weeks that I will be sharing here and on my Facebook page www.facebook.com/Authorcarolynlaroche.

I am also planning an online release party for the evening of November 28th. Stay tuned for more information- there are games, contests and giveaways already in the works.

This will also be the place that I share with you reviews of books I am reading, spotlights and reveals for up and coming new releases and invite other authors to share their work.

If you would like to following what's happening, please take a moment and sign up for email updates or add me to your google+/circles.

Today I would like to thank romance author Mia Epsilon for hosting me and Witness Protection on her blog. Check it out when you get a chance.

http://miaepsilon.blogspot.com/?zx=f01fb4b76d7fed64

Thank you all for joining me here where mystery and romance come together.