Debut Author Month and Other Things

I am sitting here listening to the Top 20 of 2014 countdown on CMT and lamenting the fact that I have to return to work on Monday. Being home for the past two weeks has been nice. Lots of family time, plenty of rest and all the time I wanted to write and edit. I even indulged in one of my other hobbies- crochet. I am not highly talented at it but I really enjoy it. A friend of mine who prefers to knit and I are collaborating on a baby blanket for a colleague of ours. She knits the squares, I crochet a border and then connect them into an afghan. It has been very therapeutic.

One of my resolutions for 2015 is to learn to make granny squares. I would like to make some personalized gifts for my closest friends and family members for Christmas next year. I need to start now though if I hope to finish in time!

I belong to a group on my favorite social networking site that posed two questions this morning: "What are you thankful for from 2014?" and "What are your goals for 2015?" Of course, I am ever thankful for the turn my writing career has taken in recent months. It has long been a dream for me to share my passion for storytelling with the world and it is overwhelming and exciting that it is finally happening. I am every thankful for the safety of my husband at work every night and the blessings my two sons are to me.  I am terrible at making resolutions because I always end up feeling like a failure when I don't keep them but I will be giving this some thought. 2015 is a blank slate and I want to fill it with memories.

January is debut author month at the blog Romancing The Genres and guess who is guest posting on January 17th?? I am very excited for this amazing opportunity that just so happens to coincide with the print release of Witness Protection!

If you are not familiar with this blog, it is hosted by several published authors that write everything from contemporary romance to young adult to inspirational novels. Here is the link if you would like to check it out:

Romancing The Genres

Don't forget, if you have been waiting for a print copy of Witness Protection, it is available for pre-order right now at

Pre-order Link

My father in law ordered three copies this weekend so I guess I have made the big time!

Feel free to comment below on something you are thankful for in 2014 or that you hope to accomplish in 2015.

Book Release! Making Waves by Juliet Chastain

January is cold. Making Waves is Hot. Check it out!

 

 

 

 

About the Book

Passion combusts at seaside, with hot and heavy love-making in the sand, in the ocean, and even in the bedroom.

What's a shy fourth grade teacher to do when she is washed up at the feet of a hot young surfer? Nathalie burns with desire for Kai, but fears he will find her too old. Can she let her inner cougar roar?

                                                ***

This is how the story begins:

The surfers call it the green room. A wave catches you. Down you go and around and around as though you were inside a washing machine. Not nice. I tumbled over and over, no idea of what was up or what was down, desperately holding my breath while what felt like gallons of seawater pumped painfully into my sinuses.

And then bang! I slammed head first into the shore and a pair of sun-tanned legs.

I lay stunned, my face on someone's foot and the rest of me on a bed of tiny prickly seashells.

A pair of hands pulled me to my feet as a masculine voice said, "Better get up before the next wave catches you." I couldn't have agreed more.

One quick glimpse of sparkling blue eyes before the next wave shoved me into him real up-close and personal. We rocked slightly, but thanks to the sturdy stance of my rescuer it didn't knock us over. Lucky, as I hadn't caught my breath yet.

He turned us around, so the waves slammed into his back instead of mine as he danced me out of the water while I noisily sucked air, happy to know which end was up, glad to be alive.

I became conscious of being held tightly against a solid male body. A very solid, mostly naked, male body. I was under-dressed myself.

He released me, saying. "You're all safe now." I looked up, still a bit dazed, into a movie-star gorgeous face. Wide, sensual mouth, strong chin, dark straight brows, and heavy lashes, which—be still my beating heart—curled. To add to the effect, the low sun behind him made a halo of his damp, dark blond curls. I figured I'd drowned in the green room and gone directly to heaven, although not exactly the one they'd told me about in Sunday school. This heaven would be a whole lot more fun.

 

And, indeed, Nathalie has a whole lot of steamy fun with her surfer boy.

 

A warm and sunny romance that is guaranteed to heat up the cold winter months. Available in the following locations right now!

To buy Making Waves go to Breathless Press, All Romance e-books, julietchastain.com, Amazon, Nook, etc.

 

Sign up for Juliet's mailing list to get special offers, sneak peeks, etc. http://eepurl.com/Ihio1

 

Happy New Year!

2015 rolled in pretty uneventfully in this household. The kids managed to stay awake until midnight while I continually fell asleep on the couch. We had a nice night as a family eating Chinese food and watching a movie together. Low key and relaxed. We don't get a lot of family time these days so to me it was the perfect way to ring in the new year.

Today we met with mom, had some pizza and some family time before my honey had to take a nap for the night shift. My youngest wanted to take his new remote control car out in the dark because it lights up so we bundled up when the sun went down and hit the street. It was awfully cold for a southern winter!

If you followed my previous blog, welcome to my new home and thank you for joining me here. I have high hopes for this new year. I haven't set any traditional resolutions because I am still working on the ones from last year. I do have some professional goals that I hope to achieve and I look forward to all of you celebrating with me as they are accomplished.

Many of you may already know, I just signed the contract for the second book in the Defender's of Love series. Titled Homeland Security, it is the story of how Kaiden James, cousin to Logan James of Witness Protection discovers not all women take issue with a man's call to duty.

I am also looking forward to the release of Undercover In Six Inch Stilettos set to be released in early spring. The book is the first in a new series, The Secret Lives of Police Wives about, you guessed it women married to police officers with a penchant for finding trouble and a talent for crime solving. Stay tuned for a cover release in the near future! I am very excited about this series. It takes romance in a new direction with plenty of action and...um... extracurricular activity... with sexy men in uniform.

If you belong to Goodreads, mosey on over and check out my new author profile. I had no idea how to utilize this feature but I have an amazing editor who is full of great knowledge and she willingly shares it with me. Thankfully!

Here is the link if you are interested: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7734909.Carolyn_LaRoche?from_search=true

If you are not familiar with it, Goodreads is a great resource for all things books. You can read reviews, write reviews, participate in giveaways, see what people are reading, make lists of books to read, etc... etc...  www.goodreads.com

What are you reading these days?

Preditors and Editors Reader Poll Voting is Open!

The Preditors and Editors Yearly Reader Poll is open and looking for your votes!

There are nominees in every category, many of them from the incredible talent at Breathless Press. Some of the nominees (poster compliments of author Torie James)

You can choose from the books listed or add others- just scroll all the way down the voting page in a category and add the nominee there.  Just click the link below and scroll until you reach the voting section:

Readers Poll Voting

There is nothing an author enjoys more than to know readers like their books so take a moment and cast your vote or nominee.  Now, go read something!

In other news...

If you are waiting for the paperback version of Witness Protection, don't forget it is currently available for pre-order on the BP website (release date is January 20, 2015)

Pre-order Witness Protection here!

I hope that all of you had a wonderful holiday season and are ready for a fresh start in 2015!

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.

Twelve Breathless Days of Christmas

 

Beginning today and running through Christmas Eve, Breathless Press is giving away two free ebooks per day to newsletter subscribers!

       Click here to sign up: Breathless Press Newsletter Sign Up

There are dozens of talented authors at BP! From today's free downloads I chose one called Mistletoe Madness:

Click here to check it out- Mistletoe Madness

Books make great gifts and Breathless Press literally offers something for everyone so head on over and see what might suit your fancy...Breathless Press

Of course, you an always pick up a copy of Witness Protection :-)

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!