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.)

Guest Spot Update...

Yesterday, I guested at fellow Crimson Rose author of The Wild Rose Press, Rachel Brimble's lovely site. My article about the fun to be had researching the contemporary west can be read here!

TALKING INSPIRATION w/ Rachel Brimble

My birthday blog extravaganza continues with TWRP author Rachel Brimble! Welcome, Rachel!

It’s great to be here today, thanks for inviting me, Amber! I want to take this opportunity for your readers to get to know a little bit about me and my books.

To start with a little about me, I’m married with two young daughters and live in South West England, just a few short miles from the beautiful, historical city of Bath (yes, the place where Jane Austen set Northanger Abbey and Persuasion).

I began writing once my second daughter was born and it soon became a hugely important part of my life. Many writers will tell you they NEED to write and I couldn’t agree more – I write everywhere…doctor’s waiting rooms, while the kids are at dance practice, on holiday (my husband does not find this amusing in the least)…basically as much as I possibly can around a part-time job, two kids, a home and social life.

Romance as a my chosen genre happened organically – I decided to sit down and attempt a short story one Sunday afternoon and before I knew it, I was on the hazardous, bumpy path of boy meets girls, things going wrong, they try to be together, they fail, they try again and eureka! Happily Ever After triumphs!

And on it went, and after MANY short story rejections and two years had passed, I decided to forget the short story and go full steam ahead with a novel idea that had been bouncing around in my head for almost a year. The result? My first romantic suspense novel `Searching For Sophie’, which was accepted for publication by The Wild Rose Press in 2007.

Since then I have published a book a year. Another romantic suspense in 2008 called Reluctant Witness, a romantic comedy in 2009, The Sharp Points of a Triangle which I am here to talk about today…and for 2010? My very first historical, The Arrival of Lily Curtis.

The inspiration behind The Sharp Points of a Triangle was a newspaper article about a couple who met again after years apart and were married within six months – a bit cut and dried for a page-turning romantic comedy so I added one or two (or maybe closer to a dozen!) problems to keep my hero and heroine, Jamie and Hannah, apart….here’s the blurb…

Hannah Boyd has been crowned the youngest Independent Financial Adviser in the UK. She has kicked out her boyfriend whose idea of romance is leaving a present of skid-marked boxers on the bedroom floor, or sharing a chilli-kebab in front of the football on a Saturday night. She is successful, single and about to secure the one of the wealthiest men in England as a client. But then the one person she never wanted to see again reappears as her biggest competitor…and temptation.

Jamie Young never stopped loving her but is now competing against Hannah in the cut-throat business world. He has to find a way to secure both the lucrative client and her. Will she agree to work to him so he can keep her close and let him mend the heart he broke so badly? Or has he lost her forever?

I am thrilled with the reviews so far! Check them out at LASR and Got Romance Reviews! If you fancy reading the entire book, it is available direct from my publisher’s website! I LOVE hearing from readers of romance fiction or anyone generally interested in talking about books and writing, feel free to contact me anytime on rachelbrimble@googlemail.com.

Rebecca Brimble is an author of both Romantic Suspense, Romantic Comedy and most recently Historical Romance. She lives in Chippenham, England, a small market town near the famous Georgian city of Bath or Jane Austen country as some people like to call it. Find out more about her upcoming releases at her website!

News & Upcoming Events

To celebrate Bet It On My Heart's launch, I'm on the cyber road, so to speak, this week and a bit of next. On Wednesday, March 10, I will be guesting at fellow western romance author Paty Jager's blog. And yes, I'm bringing an exclusive excerpt! Thursday, March 11, I'll be guesting at author Rachel Brimble's site. Don't miss either...

I also have a date with the Sizzlers. I'm helping some of my favorite southern ladies countdown to the Silken Sands Conference on the Beach...and I might do a giveaway or two there so save the date - Thursday, March 18th!

Don't forget I will be attending Silken Sands Conference on the Beach and presenting a workshop on "Grogging" (Group Blogging) with two fellow writers of The Roses of Prose Lisa Lipkind Leibow and Laura Breck that Friday, March 19th.

I'd also like to announce that I am now a reviewer for The Season. Check out the historical romance site, hosted by author Beverly Kendall. It's on my list of morning web-browsing.

The Romance Writers United website has been updated. Authors, this is a free organization to join and the resources have been helpful to me and others of the genre. The "Write Right" newsletter also received a makeover this month - read the March edition, which includes articles by yours truly. If you do not subscribe to RWU, contact me at amber@amberleighwilliams.com and I'll forward a copy to your inbox!

More updates are on their way. I'd like to thank everyone who went out and bought Bet It On My Heart early last week and this week. Your words of praise mean the world to me! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!