Winner Announcement....

Happy Valentine’s Day! Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s Valentine’s Day Book Bundle Giveaway! Now it’s time to announce the winners….

The following names were chosen by the True Random Number Generator at Random.org….

 

Grand Prize Winner: Mindy

1st Runner Up: Julie

2nd Runner Up: Mary Preston

 

Congratulations, ladies! Please send a confirmation email with your name and shipping address to amber@amberleighwilliams.com. Also, if you are the grand prize winner please specify which book bundle you would like to receive….

I hope everyone has a special holiday weekend! Happy President’s Day to my American followers and a Happy Family Day to my Canadian friends! Thanks again for a great Valentine’s Day contest this year!

Upcoming Features & Events....

Howdy, readers! I’m excited to talk about a few fun new features coming here to my cozy corner of the web, starting next month….

Throwback Thursday Book Club

So often I’ve discovered great reads that happen to be five or more years old. I never would have found reading gems like Christine Wells’ Regency romance novel, Wicked Little Game and The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons if I hadn’t started reading titles that aren’t exactly fresh off the presses. So to celebrate titles like these, I’ve decided to open up a new feature on here at The Cozy Page every other Thursday called the Throwback Thursday Book Club. Every other week, readers can find a new recommended read published prior to 2010. You can also comment and recommend your own “throwback” title, which I’ll be happy to include in the following Throwback Thursday Book Club pick….

 

Book Bundle Giveaways

Yes, that’s right! I had so much fun giving away book bundles last year in honor of my Harlequin Superromance debut, A Place With Briar, that I’m bringing back book bundles giveaways to Cozy. I have three of these giveaways planned so far this year, starting with a special Valentine’s Day bundle next month. Be sure to check back in next month for more about our first giveaway of the year and others to follow….

 

Adopt a (Used) Book Reader Service

This is more for readers who have subscribed to my official mailing list, but I wanted to go ahead and mention it anyway. While sorting through my book collection, I realized 1) how little room I have for books on my shelves and 2) how difficult it is to part with these books. There’s little I can do in the first case. However, giving away these books would be buckets easier if I knew that they could somehow find their way into loving homes. (Yes, for me, bringing books home is much like adopting a pet). To that end, I’ve been tossing around the idea of opening up a used book adoption service for readers. Every month in my official author newsletter, I will list titles by genre of used books that are still in good to fair condition. From there, readers will then be able to enter in the drawing for 1-3 listed titles of their choice. There’s something for everyone – romance, sci-fi/fantasy, even a little erotica and non-fiction. A winner will be chosen at the first of every month, except for the months that include a book bundle giveaway here at my blog. All that I ask of winners in return is that they add the titles to their own keeper shelves if they are so inclined or (if a title isn’t to their liking) to keep the used book service going by donating them to their local library, book group, or Salvation Army. So what do you think? Does this sound like a service you’d be interested in? I’d love some feedback on it as I toss around ideas for it throughout the next couple of weeks….

 

Speaking of February, I’ll be blogging both at Roses of Prose and Super Authors on Friday, February 6th. At Super Authors, I’ll be sharing my latest cooking catastrophe. And on Roses of Prose, I’ll be sharing a special “slice of life” from the hero and heroine of A Place With Briar.

Throwback Thursdays will begin here at Cozy on February 5th so be sure to check in next week for this exciting new feature as well as details on the Valentine’s book bundle giveaway which begins on Sunday, February 8th.

 

As a bonus, the third book of my hometown series for Harlequin Superromance not only has its own title and release date. His Rebel Heart isn’t due on shelves until July of this year; it has it’s own Goodreads page already. Add it to your To Read list today. C’mon, you know you want to!

 

Oh, and there might be a Mardi Gras-themed update within the next week!

MARRIED ONE NIGHT Available Now....

I’m thrilled to announce that today my new Harlequin Superromance novel, Married One Night, hits bookstore shelves!

What happened in Vegas…followed her home! 

Olivia Lewis is not the marrying type. So when a wild weekend in Vegas leaves her with a surprise husband, she’s happy to sign anything to erase her mistake—even if that mistake is handsome, charming and comes with an English accent. Fortunately, her groom has other plans. 

Bestselling author Gerald Leighton knows he can make his new bride fall in love with him—he just needs time. In exchange for a quickie divorce, Olivia grudgingly gives him a few weeks to attempt to woo her. And whether Olivia likes it or not, Gerald plans on using every second to win her heart!

 

Amazon

Harlequin

B&N

Kobo

Google Play

There’s a special release day book blitz going on today, thanks to Pump Up Your Book. If you happen across one of the following banners on the web today or tomorrow, you’ll be able to enter a giveaway for a $25 Amazon Gift Card. The winner will be drawn on October 3rd and announced here, on Twitter, Facebook, and my website HOME page. (Hint: To find the banner, follow @PumpUpYourBook on Twitter and be on the lookout for Married One Night Book Blitz tweets throughout the day!)

 

In addition, my virtual book tour for Married One Night begins next Monday, October 6. Follow along at Pump Up Your Book or my blog once it begins so that you may read reviews, excerpts, and more fun and exclusive details from the book!

 

And speaking of reviews, a huge thank you to RT Book Reviews who have awarded Married One Night with 4.5 Stars!

 

A special shout-out also must go out to Graphics by Sharlene who designed these gorgeous book graphics for Olivia and Gerald’s book and my special book launch Twitter banner….

 

 

If you happen to see Married One Night out and about at your local bookstore, send a photo to my CONTACT email address and I’ll post it on my blog, Twitter, and Facebook page along with your name and a thank you message. My October newsletter goes out tomorrow so if you aren’t yet a subscriber, click on the pink button on the sidebar.

Oh, and the Goodreads giveaway for a paperback copy of my first Harlequin Superromance, A Place With Briar (April 2014) will be available for entry until October 3rd so don't miss out!

Happy reading!

Book Tour Update + Contests & Winners....

Just an update on A Place With Briar’s virtual book tour stops, contests and prize winners….

Sunday, I revealed the title of my October Superromance novel, Married One Night, at Roses of Prose. Writers, for my 5 Keys to Surviving a Successful Revision, visit the group blog here….

Monday, I was at author Carol A. Spradling’s blog talking about fiction vs. reality. Have you ever wondered how much of a writer’s real life winds up in his/her novels? (I also talk about how the British hero of Married One Night winds up wearing a kilt!) Find the answers here at Carol’s blog….

Yesterday, the hero of A Place With Briar, Cole, was at Rogue’s Angels filling out a customer survey for the heroine’s bed-and-breakfast. Find out what Cole really thought the inn sheets and Briar’s hospitality. There’s still time to enter to win the Ridges of Wayback, TX novella of your choice as well! See Rogue’s Angels for more details….

Tomorrow I will be interviewed by the Plotting Princesses. Friday, I will journey to Susana’s Morning Room. And Saturday will be my all-day Facebook chatting event at Coffee Time Romance’s Mocha Milieu where there will be yet another gift card giveaway. Stay tuned for all this and more….

Now for a round-up of contest winners. Good news: all three of the Fool for Romance Contest book bundle winners have contacted me to receive their prizes – thank you! If you see your name below and have already contacted me regarding your prize, please disregard this posting. If you are a winner and you have not yet contacted me to claim your prize, please do so at amber@amberleighwilliams.com

 

Just Contemporary Romance Giveaway for a trade paperback edition of Forever Amore

Winner: Julie O.

 

RR&H Novel Thoughts & Book Chat Giveaway for $15 Books-a-Million Gift Card

Winner: Tabitha Jones

 

A very special thank you to all those who participated in these tour stops and others. At this time, I do not know the winner for the Harlequin Junkie Rafflecopter giveaway for a $15 Barnes & Noble Gift Card. Please check back within the next few days. I’m sure I’ll have a winner announcement soon. I would like to say thank you so much to those who joined the discussion there about wounded/damaged heroes in romance! It was a wonderful debate and I added many of your recommendations to my own TBR list!

One last bit of good news - In the next week or so, I will be joining a new group blog, the Superromance Authors blog at SuperAuthors.com! I'm thrilled to be a part of this new group of distinguished authors and can't wait to get started. Stay tuned for my first post there....

Cozy Guest Friday: Doris Lemcke + Giveaway

Welcome to this week’s edition of Cozy Guest Friday! Today’s victim…*ahem* special guest is Doris Lemcke, author of Passion’s Spirit available now from The Wild Rose Press….

Untamed Hearts, Worlds Apart – Santa Fe, New Mexico 1892

Raised by Santa Fe missionaries, half-Apache orphan Elena Santiago has vowed to avenge her white, guardians’ murders the Apache way. But first, she must masquerade as a white woman to deliver a dangerous message across the country into the land of her enemies. And after one look at the untamed spirit behind Sean O’Grady’s smoky grey eyes, she realizes that her heart’s response to his body, more like and Apache warrior than a soft, white “gentleman,” is far more dangerous than the warning she carries.”

Sean O’Grady has always dreamed of exploring the Wild West, but at 25 years old, he’s put aside those dreams to wed his neighbor and run their two Georgia plantations. When Elena arrives looking and speaking more like a Spanish lady than an Indian mission girl, he wonders if she's really who she says she is. Is she a virgin or a vixen? The question taunts him as he struggles with feelings he’s never felt before. Feelings that could get them both killed.

Stay tuned for a sneak peek into Passion’s Spirit! We go now to our Cozy correspondent Tink, live from her favorite desert oasis along with a few of her familiar cowpoke friends. Take it away, Tink…

*banjo music*  

Tink: Hello, Cozies! It’s a hot day here at the WanaLuvaCowb’oy Oasis. The water may not be aplenty, but the boys have set up a temporary wet bar. Doris, if you were a mixed drink what would you be and why?  

Doris: Maybe it’s my love of the Southwest, but I’d definitely be a margarita—on the rocks, no salt.  No foam, no fruit, no paper umbrella; refreshing, with a bite that makes you want more.  What more could an author want to be?   

Tink: We’ll have Keefe, Casey, and Judd bring us a round of those. *rings bell* Right away, lovelies! Now, Doris, if you were stranded in the desert and could bring only one of the following…what would they be? Person? Song? Book?

Doris: It’s got to be a person.  And without a doubt it would be my husband.  After four decades together, we’ve seen poverty and plenty, sickness and health, success and failure, along with numerous changes in latitude and attitude.  A desert would be a piece of cake.  

A song?  Can I have two?   I’m told I have NO musical taste, but I’m a word person. I look for lyrics that speak to me.  And one that speaks to me of love, survival, and hope is The Rose, by Bette Midler.  And since I’d be stranded on the desert, I think “The Impossible Dream” would keep me going.

A book?  “How to survive being stranded in the desert” would certainly be helpful.  But since I’m hooked on history, mystery, and romance, and I love stories about the sins of the fathers (and mothers) haunting future generations, it would be “Roses” by Leila Meachum.   By the way, the rose theme is purely coincidental.

Tink: What would be the name of your trusty steed?  

Doris: My mind instantly went back to one of the first real books I ever read,   Black Beauty.  So no matter what color my trusty steed is, I’d choose Beauty—or Fury, from an old TV show.  But Fury sounds angry, so I’ll stick with by first choice.  Beauty it is.

Tink: Let’s talk a bit more about your book. If you wrote to music, what would be this book’s theme song?

Doris:  As I said, NO sense of rhythm.  But my story has such a strong Native American influence, and my heroine was raised by Christian missionaries.  So if I did know anything about music, I’d try drums, pipes, and a haunting Apache melody to accompany my favorite spiritual, “Amazing Grace”.

Tink: Excellent answer! What are the first words your hero speaks to your heroine (or vice versa)?

Doris: “E. Santiago? Are you E. Santiago from Santa Fe? We were expecting a man. An Indian actually,” Sean added, wiping a dirty hand on soiled trousers before holding it out to her.
“You are almost right, Senor O’Grady,” she answered the challenge in his stormy gray gaze. “I am Elena Santiago, and I am an Indian.  Apache, actually.”

Tink: Would you define your hero as an alpha or a beta? Why?

Doris: Sean is an alpha hero: strong, tough, stubborn, and torn between his duty to run the family plantation and his dream of exploring the Wild West.  He’s struggling to turn his bad-boy reputation around when Elena (the kind of woman he’s always dreamed of), shows up right after he promises to marry someone else.  As much as he wants to, there’s too much at stake to trust her—or himself, until both their lives depend on it.   He hides his feelings of being an outsider even with his own family, behind a cocky smile and false bravado, but his actions speak louder than the three little words he can’t say when he puts his life on the line for Elena.

Tink: Does your hero prefer to wear boxers, briefs, a kilt? Or does he go commando like our Keefe here? ;)

Doris: Since nineteenth century underwear offered more freedom—for men, Sean would lean toward boxers.  

Tink: What is your heroine’s idea of the perfect date?

Doris: At this time, avenging the missionaries’ deaths is the only thing on her mind.  As a half-Apache orphan raised by missionaries, courtship isn’t something she expects—or is even familiar with.  Unfortunately at this time in our history, with her mixed blood, her options are limited and she can only “hope to be treated kindly”.  

Tink: What is your favorite thing about each character?

Doris: Sean’s brashness and confidence that he can handle anything, including a deadly, crooked politician with a network of assassins out for his and Elena’s blood; and how he refines those traits to become a REAL man that a strong woman would want to hold on to. 

Elena’s loyalty, courage, and her ability to “walk in both worlds” while holding true to her own purpose—even if it means losing her only love. 

Tink: More seriously, what was your biggest challenge crafting this story or these characters?

Doris: The time to put it down on paper.  I started this book a long time ago, then life intervened.  Family, education, and career all stepped in front of the dream of telling this story.  But as characters have a way of doing, they wouldn’t go away, so last year I ignored the “Western historicals are dead” advice, polished it up and beat the odds for publication.   The research in creating this book was a pleasure and the characters, after being in my head for so long, were so real that they truly did nearly write the book themselves. 

Tink: Now for a more in-depth look at the author… *puts on her smart glasses* I will now ask you a round of nosy and nonsensical questions developed by Bernard Peevo and used by James Lipton on Inside the Actor’s Studio…. Brace yourself J What’s your favorite word? Least favorite?

Doris: Favorite word:  Hmmm.  “I can”.  I know its two words, but if you say them really fast they can sound like one.  Ican, Ican, Ican.  Without realizing it, I’ve spent most of my life living and learning by those words.  From running a business and going out of business, to gaining a formal education and building a career later in life, and now to writing books, “I can” has worked for me.     

Least Favorite:  This time I’ll go with one word.  “Can’t”.  Certainly there are things we are all unable to do for a variety of reasons, but I see “can’t” as a synonym for “won’t”.  To me, it represents giving up.  It’s a term of helplessness, and whenever I hear it or have to admit it, it makes me sad.       

Tink: What sound or noise do you love? Hate?

Doris: I love sitting in a sheltered spot and listening to the wind in the trees.  I’m from cloudy Michigan and it used to be maples, oaks, and pines.  Now I’m transplanted to sunny Southwest Florida and my lanai is a perfect place to relieve the day’s stress to the sound of warm Gulf breezes rustling the palm leaves.

Hate?  Sirens.  Besides their shrill, painful, dissonance, sirens mean danger and tragedy.  While the sound of a siren means rescue to someone in need, whenever I hear one, I think of the suffering that summoned them.

  

Tink: What’s your favorite curse word?

Doris: I’m never proud of using curse words, but I have to admit I do.  There are two that slip out frequently when something goes wrong or I’m frustrated—“Oh, sh..., and Da... it.”  When I’m particularly flummoxed, it’s “What the H…” or in extreme cases, “What the F…”  It’s a limited vocabulary for a writer, but I don’t care to expand on it.

Tink: What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?

Doris: My day job is in Human Resources, which suits my people-pleasing nature and my constant need to communicate.  The only profession other than writing books that I dream of attempting is to teach, as a college instructor, consultant, or speaker, and help others follow their dreams.

Tink: What profession would you not like to participate in?

Doris: There are several, but the first one that came to my mind is that I would never want to be an attorney.  Attorneys are constantly involved in conflict: contests, judging, winning and losing.  I’m a Cancer, the crab.  I approach things from the side, look at all the angles of a situation and will do almost anything to avoid conflict (except what I can invent and control it in my stories.  That kind of conflict I love).  Although the legal profession provides great story ideas, applying the complexities of the black-and-white world of the law to shades-of-gray, real-life human drama on a daily basis would make my head explode. 

Tink: There, that wasn’t so bad, was it? Now, just in time for the hoedown, let’s share a sneak peak from Passion’s Spirit with the Cozies back home….

When Sean pulled away, Elena looked into his eyes wondering, is this what love feels like, or is it only lust? She decided that nothing as beautiful as the moment they’d just shared could be evil. But it could never be love, either. She had felt his passion press against her and ached for him to fill her. Now she was grateful that he hadn’t. They were from different worlds that still warred against with each other. He could never survive in her world and she refused to live in his.

As if he read her thoughts, he leaned into her, whispering so close to her ear that it could have been a kiss, "Why can’t you be Mary Louise? And I the Apache brave who will eventually claim you?” Then he turned to stare at the stream that patiently followed the course nature had carved out for it.

The question echoed in Elena's mind. For a moment, his heart had beat to the rhythm of hers. The curves of her body had melted into the angles of his as they breathed the same breath and tasted each other’s souls. For a moment, they had truly been one body and one soul.

Now separated, the chilly breeze that stirred the pine needles at their feet told her that when she was with him, even angry, she was whole. And though he changed his moods faster than the mountain gods and was promised to marry a weak and silly white woman, part of her would always belong to this loco Gringo.

She also turned her gaze toward the river. "We can only be who we are.”

Tink: And the final questions Keefe and the other cowboys have been waiting all day to ask…. If you could choose anyone (real or fictional) in the world to rescue you from a deadly outlaw’s grasp…who would it be? J

Doris:  Besides Rhett Butler, Little Joe Cartwright from Bonanza.  His cocky stance, crooked smile and dark eyes filled my dreams as a young girl.  He was the bad boy of the family, the passionate one, the one with the sense of humor and adventure.  He’s the one I would trust to rescue me from any danger—and take me back to that fabulous ranch to live happily ever after. 

Tink: Which is your favorite type of western hero – cowboy, gunslinger, Indian warrior, or lawman?

Doris: Lawman, especially a lawman with a past.  There’s nothing more hero-like than a man with a shameful past devoting himself to upholding the law, and his inner conflict in having to draw on the skills learned in that past to do it. 

Tink: Favorite western villain of all time?

Doris: It’s always the grasping, greedy mayor or judge who’s trying to run the honest rancher sitting on a gold mine, or newspaper woman with the guts to print the truth, out of town.  Politicians make great villains (there’s one in my book).  The thirst for power, land, or money at the expense of good, hard working people always makes me root for the underdog. 

Tink: And most importantly…John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Gene Autry, or Gary Cooper?

Doris: Jimmy Stewart.  He’s my favorite reluctant hero.  Without the bluster of John Wayne, the voice of Gene Autry, or the intensity of Gary Cooper, Jimmy was always underestimated by the bad guys and that gave him his edge.  I like that.    

Tink: *grins* Yes, there are many fans of Mr. Stewart ‘round these here parts J Well, you’ve answered all my questions, Doris! Now for a round of square-dancin’! This is Tink and the cowpokes signing off from WanaLuvaCowb’oy Oasis!  



Thank you to Tink for another great interview! A shout-out to some of my favorite cowboys - Judd and the Ridge brothers - for making a cameo this week! Doris, thank you for answering all of Tink's nosy questions.... And I'm with you and Tink - it's Jimmy for me, too! 


Doris Lemcke is a Michigan native who first fell in love with historical fiction in the fourth grade (Black Beauty and The Silver Chalice).  Then Gone with the Wind cinched it.  She was hooked.  Passion's Spirit and the upcoming Passion’s Secret, as parts of the Passion's Legacy series, waited through years and careers (from corporate accounting, to rural store owner, real estate and moving services sales, to Human Resources executive) to come true.  Her daughter Mary is a professor at the University of New Hampshire, and Doris and her husband, John, recently relocated to Southwest Florida, where he is “retired” and takes care of EVERYTHING while she holds down the day job and writes.  And she wouldn’t be having such a great time on this blog if not for the Southwest Florida Romance Writers’ very true advice that Western Historicals are alive and well at The WildRose Press. Find out more about Doris and her books at her website!


***Cozies, for this week's discussion - name your all-time favorite cowboy, whether  from real life, the big screen or the page! I'm biased so I'll definitely go with Judd Black from Blackest Heart!!!


****GIVEAWAY DETAILS: Doris is kind enough to offer a prize for one lucky commenter: Passion's Spirit in either ebook or paperback (winner's choice)! To enter, simply comment to this post today or tomorrow by midnight EST. The winner will be announced Sunday morning here at The Cozy Page so be sure to check back to see if you have won. Good luck!
(You must be 18 years or older to enter; chances of winning depend on the number of entries.)

Cozy Guest Friday: Rachel Brimble + Giveaway

Welcome to this week’s edition of Cozy Guest Friday! Today’s victim…*ahem* special guest is Rachel Brimble, author of Paying the Piper, available now from Lyrical Press...

Nightclub manager Grace Butler is on a mission to buy the pub where her mother's ashes are scattered but the owner wants to sell to anyone but her. And that owner happens to be her father...who has a secret she will do anything to discover.

Social worker and all around good guy Jimmy Betts needs funds to buy a house for three special kids before their care home closes. Time is running out and he's desperate for cash. He agrees to to a one-time 'job' for bad-man Karl Butler. But in a sudden turn of events, Jimmy finds himself employed by Karl's beautiful, funny and incredibly sexy daughter, Grace.

Their lives couldn't be more different, yet one thread binds them: they're both trying to escape the bonds of their fathers. Maybe the only way they'll be free is by being together, instead of alone.

Stay tuned for a sneak peek into Paying the Piper! We go now again to our Cozy correspondent Tink, live from a lounge chair on her favorite tropical island of PutSomeRumin’it along with a few of her swashbuckling friends. Take it away, Tink…

*luau music*

Tink: Hello, Cozies! I’d like to take this time to point out that the island natives have appointed me their queen so I should herein be addressed as “Her Majesty.” J  

It’s a sunny day here on WanaLuvaPir’ate Beach. Jack believes that since I have named him my official consort he should no longer have to man the tiki bar....

Tink: Ah, no matter! Rachel, if you were a cocktail, what would you be and why?

Rachel: Rum and diet coke – Rum because I’d love to live somewhere hot and sultry with white sands and blue sea and diet coke because I’m a traditional kind of girl too. Does that make any sense at all, lol?!

Tink: Of course it makes sense – and most appropriate considering PutSomeRumin’it meets all your qualifications! Now for a game of Desert Island. Ready? If you were stuck on a desert island and could bring only one of the following…what would they be? Person? Song? Book?

Rachel: Person – This feels so unfair because I’ve got two kids who I’d love there too BUT for the sake of romance, I will say my husband. He’s still my best friend after 19 years together and know he’d always make me laugh.

Song – “She” by Elvis Costello (my favorite song EVER!)

Book – Because I’d want a hefty tome that I could read again and again, I’ll say Gone With The Wind. I have made a ceremony of reading the book every 10 years since my 15^th birthday. So far I have read it three times – the next due date is 2019!

Tink: Excellent choice! Rhett Butler was my second choice for official consort…but alas, Jackie charmed the title out of me. Now for a bit about your book. What are the first words your hero speaks to your heroine (or vice versa)?

Rachel: “What are you--” (my heroine)

“Doing rummaging around in your rubbish?” (my hero)

From Paying The Piper

Tink: Intriguing! Would you define your hero as an alpha or a beta? Why?

Rachel: Jimmy is most definitely beta – I can’t even write alpha heroes, I’m afraid. As I don’t find alpha men that attractive in the real world, I find them incredibly hard to write in the imaginary one. I love a hero who is the whole physical package on the outside but softer in the center. That’s makes a real man to me rather than a guy going around shouting the odds!

Tink: Does your hero prefer to wear boxers, briefs, a kilt? Or commando? ;)

Rachel: Boxers.

Tink: What is your heroine’s idea of the perfect date?

Rachel: Naked in bed with Jimmy – door shut, wine opened, old movie on the TV and her father and the business far, far away.

Tink: I could relate to Grace. What is your favorite thing about each character?

Rachel: Grace (my heroine) – her tenacity and her undying loyalty to her mother. I admire her in ways I never knew I would when I was creating her. She has a tough job but is able to look after her loved ones at the same time.

Jimmy (my hero) – his pride. Rather than being a sin in Jimmy, it’s his essence. He takes pride in his work, his kids (he’s a social worker in charge of several homeless children) and his decisions. He bows down to no one and I really like that in a man. He gets what he wants through hard work and consideration. Yes, I am in love with him… J

Tink: Now for a more in-depth look at the author… *puts on her smart glasses* I will now ask you a round of nosy and nonsensical questions developed by Bernard Peevo and used by James Lipton on Inside the Actor’s Studio…. Brace yourself J What’s your favorite word? Least favorite?

Rachel: Possibility  - Favorite

Prejudice - Least

Tink: What sound or noise do you love? Hate?

Rachel: Noise I love – my kids belly-laughing

 Noise I hate – my kids fighting!

Tink: What’s your favorite curse word?

Rachel: I honestly don’t curse a lot (I leave that for hubby!) – “Crap” is usually enough for me to vent my frustration, lol!

Tink: We have that in common, Rachel…though Jack mostly keeps his cursing to bugger. What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?

Rachel: Editing – I quite fancy the idea of getting to read all those stories first and helping writers craft it into a bigger and better story. That must be such a fantastic motivation for getting up every day J

Tink: There, that wasn’t so bad, was it? Now, just in time for our weekly luau, let’s share a sneak peak from Paying the Piper with the Cozies back home….

She sat bolt upright. “Where are you going?”

“To the soup kitchen. Four of my kids have been helping out down there today, so if you don’t need me ‘til seven--”

“Can I come?”

“What?”

“What?” Gerald echoed.

Jimmy stared at her. Was she serious? But knew he wouldn’t refuse her when her eyes were wide with that damn innocent doe-eyed look again and her cheeks flushed pink. He swallowed, clenched his hands into fists inside his pockets.

“You want to come to the soup kitchen?” he asked, hoping against hope he’d gotten the wrong end of the proverbial stick.

She winked, and it had as much the same effect as if she’d wrapped her hand around his penis. “Why not?”

He opened his mouth. Shut it. Opened it, took a breath, but still nothing came out. Her smile widened. “Cat got your tongue, Jimmy Boy?”

Just a few short days ago at her mother’s pub, he’d wanted to ravish her, possess her, let her know what she did to him. And now the same desire coursed through his veins again. She never stopped surprising him and it just added more fuel to the already burning fire.

“And why would you want to do that?” he asked.

“Beats going into the club early,” she said, brushing past him.

She wandered across the room. Her slender body sashaying around the furniture and then her piece de resistance was to snake all five feet nine inches of it across the oblong dining table to grab her bag--the sight of her perfect ass and even better legs sent Jimmy’s senses skyrocketing. His nostrils flared. Grace by name, Grace by nature. She was beautiful, sexy, funny, and he didn’t doubt for one minute she knew exactly what the sight of her did to him.

She turned around and hitched the bag onto her shoulder. “My life is sad. I’ve got nothing else planned for the afternoon. Come on, Jimmy, help me show my father I have a life away from him. Even if it is a complete lie, for now.”

He threw his hands in the air. “Fine.”

Tink: And the final questions Jack has been waiting all day to ask…. If you could choose anyone in the world to be the captain of your…er…ship…who would it be? J

Rachel: My husband – without sounding corny, he is the best man in the world. Seriously.

Tink: I sense a theme here with romance writers and their husbands ;) Which savvy piece of the Caribbean would you most like to take home – the Black Pearl, the Dead Man’s Chest, or the Fountain of Youth?

Rachel: Is this a good place to admit I’ve never watched any of the movies only trailers? Shall I tip-toe out of here now…

Tink: Not at all! I’m glad I could introduce you. *lowers voice* Though we won’t tell Jack. J Would you rather take your chances with a zombie, a mermaid, or Blackbeard?

Rachel: A mermaid – has to be better odds of survival, doesn’t it? Yes? No?

Tink: Mermaids can be avoided if, as Georgie pointed out last week, one stays out of the water – so very wise choice on your part.

And most importantly…Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner or Commodore Norrginton? ;)

Rachel: In any other role it would be my boy Johnny but as Sparrow, not so much. I’ll take Will, thank you very much J

Tink: Ah, Will – Amber will be pleased he made a cameo on WannaLuvaPir'ate this week….

Tink: And now we hula! From PutSomeRumin’it…this is Tink, Rachel, and Jack signing off….

Thank you to Tink (and Jack, of course) for another great interview. And to Rachel for answering Tink's nonsensical questions. She does love nosing around. And so glad I’ve found another lady who would choose Will Turner over Jack Sparrow…though I will admit it can be a difficult decision at times....

Rachel lives with her husband and two young daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK.  She started writing short stories about eight years ago but once her children were at school, she embarked on her first novel. It was published in 2007. Since then, she’s had several books published with The Wild Rose Press, Eternal Press and Lyrical Press.  She recently acquired a US agent with her second Victorian historical. A member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America, Rachel hopes to have a further two novels, one contemporary and one Victorian published in 2012. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family.  Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England. And in the evening? Well, a well-deserved glass of wine is never, ever refused… Find out more about Rachel at her website, blog, Twitter, and Facebook!

***Cozies, for this week's discussion - do you prefer your heroes alphas or betas?

****GIVEAWAY: For one lucky commenter today Rachel is generously offering a free download of the winner’s choice from her backlist, including her most recent release, Paying the Piper! Enter before midnight EST tomorrow evening for a chance to win and be sure to check back in Sunday morning to see if you have won….

(Must be 18 years or older to enter; chances of winning depend on the number of entries.)