14 Days of Romance: Vonnie Davis + Giveaway

To continue our 14 Days of Romance celebration is romance author Vonnie Davis, whose latest release is Storm’s Interlude….

I’ve read romance since the mid-nineteen-sixties. My love of the genre began with gothic romances and has morphed to include all sub-genres including ménage and male/male. One can read a lot of books in nearly fifty years. As someone who devoured two to three books a week, well, the numbers added up. So when Amber asked for my favorite romance, my gaze swept my bookshelf of keepers and, after a quick scan, rested on Mackenzie’s Mountain by Linda Howard.

Even with all the head hopping allowed at the turn of the century, it is a terrific read. Why? The heroine is intelligent, determined, brave—and mousy looking. See, in a society focused on beauty, the author gives hope for all of us to find that special someone. I like that. The hero, while scarred by racial bigotry, a wrongful conviction and the war, loves his son and, God help him, this mousy woman who doesn’t scorn him like the test of the town. He will protect those he loves with every breath he breathes. This petite spitfire conquers him; and, by golly, I smile and cheer for Mary every time I read the book.

And now for a sneak peek into Vonnie’s latest romance, Storm’s Interlude….

Nurse Rachel Dennison comes to Texas determined to prepare her new patient for a second round of chemo. What she isn’t counting on is her patient’s twin brother, Storm Masterson. Despite her initial attraction, Storm has two things Rachel can’t abide: a domineering personality and a fiancée. Half Native American, with the ability to have "vision dreams," Storm dreams about Rachel for three nights before her arrival. Both are unprepared for the firestorm of emotions their first encounter ignites. Ultimately, it is Rachel’s past—an abusive, maniacal ex-boyfriend—that threatens to keep them apart…and Storm’s dreams that bring them together again.

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Thank you for sharing your favorite romance with us, Vonnie! Readers, to learn more about Vonnie and her books, visit her on the web at www.vonniedavis.com.

****Vonnie has kindly offered a giveaway today…. By commenting to today’s post between now and midnight EST tomorrow, you’ll be entered to win a free copy of Storm’s Interlude! Be sure to check back to see if you have won. (Chances of winning depend on the number of entries; you must be 18 years or older to enter.)

STORM'S INTERLUDE by Vonnie Davis

Welcome, readers, to Day 4 of 30 Days of Promo Goodness! Vonnie Davis is back to give us a closer look into her latest romance release, Storm's Interlude, available now at The Wild Rose Press, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble....


Nurse Rachel Dennison comes to Texas determined to prepare her new patient for a second round of chemo. What she isn’t counting on is her patient’s twin brother, Storm Masterson. Despite her initial attraction, Storm has two things Rachel can’t abide: a domineering personality and a fiancée.

Half Native American, with the ability to have "vision dreams," Storm dreams about Rachel for three nights before her arrival. Both are unprepared for the firestorm of emotions their first chance encounter ignites. Ultimately, it is Rachel’s past—an abusive, maniacal ex-boyfriend—that threatens to keep them apart…and Storm’s dreams that bring them together again....


I was in a bit of a snit when I started Storm’s Interlude. Rejection stings, and I was stinging at the time. I wanted to write about a different hero than the alpha male. Someone more gentle, more caring, more approachable. Who knows why; perhaps I was suffering from INOC (in need of chocolate) at the time.

No one liked him.

Heck, by the time I got done writing the book, I barely liked him.

So my muse and I had a bit of a tiff. I was grumbling that I didn’t want to write the typical alpha male story. “Well, if you think you can’t,” she hissed in my ear. I shot her a dirty look. I professed I didn’t know how to write sex scenes. Just the thought of it made me blush. Oh, I’m no prude; I enjoy reading them…and have been known to stand in a bookstore, leafing through the pages until I came to the sex scene just to see if it was scorching enough. But write on? Me? “Too bad you’re not passionate enough to write sex,” she said as she buffed her nails on my t-shirt.

Don’t you hate a challenge? They just set my blood pressure to boiling. So I sat down, opened my laptop and powered it up, glaring at the bossy wench as I did so. Then I wrote the most bizarre opening scene I could think of as steam puffed out my ears.


Opening Scene from Storm's Interlude:


Someone swaggered out of the moonlit night toward Rachel. Exhausted from a long day of driving, she braked and blinked. Either she was hallucinating or her sugar levels had plummeted. Maybe that accounted for the male mirage, albeit a very magnificent male mirage, trekking toward her. She peered once more into the hot July night at the image illuminated by her headlights. Sure enough, there he was, cresting the hill on foot—a naked man wearing nothing but a black cowboy hat, a pair of boots and a go-to-hell sneer.

Well, well, things really did grow bigger in Texas. The man quickly covered his privates with his black Stetson. Rachel sighed. The show was evidently over. Should she stand up in her Beetle convertible and applaud? Give a couple of catcalls? Wolf whistles? Maybe not.

She turned down the music on the car’s CD player. Sounds of crickets and a lonely bullfrog in the distance created a nighttime symphony in the stillness of this isolated stretch of country road.

Lightning bugs darted back and forth, blinking a display of neon-yellow glow.

The naked man strode toward her car, and Rachel’s heart rate kicked up. Common sense told her to step on the gas, yet what woman wanted to drive away from such a riveting sight? Still, life had taught her to be careful. She reached into her handbag and extracted her chrome revolver. Before he reached her car, she quickly slid her gun under the folds of her skirt.

Just let him try anything funny—I know how to take care of myself.

Both of his large hands clasped his hat to his groin. His face bore annoyance and a touch of chagrin. “I need a ride.” By his bearing and commanding tone of voice, she guessed the man was used to giving orders and having them followed.

Her gaze took a slow journey across his face. Even in the moonlight, she could see traces of Native heritage. His shoulder-length ebony hair, too long for her tastes, glistened against his bronzed skin. Proud arrogant eyes sparked with anger. Because Rachel believed in indulging herself, she allowed her gaze to travel over his broad shoulders, muscular chest and tight abdominal muscles. She saw a thin trail of dark hair starting below his navel, and, knowing full well where it ended, she fought back a groan. Her eyes slid back up to lock on his. “You need a pair of pants, too.” Knowing her voice hummed with desire, she cleared her throat, hoping the naked man hadn’t noticed.

He looked up at the sky for a beat. “Just my freakin’ luck! A birthday party gone bad, and now I’m bein’ ogled by some horny kid with damnable blue eyes.”

What the heck was wrong with her eyes? She quickly glanced in her rearview mirror and saw nothing amiss. She narrowed those “damnable blue eyes” and sneered. “Look, buster, I’m not the one prancing around Texas naked as a jaybird. I’ll have you know I’m hardly a kid.” She glanced down at the black cowboy hat. “And, furthermore, stop hiding behind that big ol’ Stetson. From what I saw, a French beret would do the job.”

There, let the arrogant fool stew on that while he strutted back to whatever rock he’d crawled out from. She slammed her car in gear and sped off. She swore she wouldn’t look in her rearview mirror. Nope, she would not look. As if the mirror were a magnet emitting a powerful homing signal, her gaze slowly slid to the glass surface. He was standing where she’d left him…What do you think? Did she go back?

I’m honored to say Storm’s Interlude recently got a 5-Star review from Single Titles Reviews. “Loved every morsel of this story. Each chapter brought a smile to my face, the chemistry between Storm and Rachel is a barn burner. A compassionate story that takes a difficult subject and brings hope to a family struggling to figure out what will happen next. When they begin to live day to day, the love of each person in this story brings a warmness to every page. A wonderful book.”

Vonnie Davis: Not Your Ordinary Salesman

Thank you to everyone who visited The Cozy Page Monday and yesterday for our August blog event! The winner of Marie Tuhart's contest will be announced later today.

Today we continue 30 Days of Promo Goodness with author Vonnie Davis! Make sure to give her a warm, Cozy welcome! Take it away, Vonnie....


I never wanted to be a salesperson. I don’t have the knack. Perhaps it’s because I have a keen distrust for salespeople.

I don’t like anyone manipulating me into buying something. I prefer to make my own decisions, thank you very much.

Of course being raised in a generation when women were taught self praise stinks makes it even harder to sell or promote myself as a writer.

Self-promotion seems easier for the younger generation, but we “boomers” struggle with it. A young man in our writers’ group told me I needed to start telling the world I was the best romance writer out there. After I picked myself up from the floor, I told him I didn’t have it in me. He looked at me as if I were daft. “You’re as good as anyone else,” he insisted. I just shook my head and replied, “Promoting myself is beyond hard for this old bird.”

Yet, that’s what experts tell us to do. We’re told not to promote a singular book, but to promote ourselves. To make ourselves a brand name. We’re encouraged to make a brand or slogan and use it in our email signatures, blogs, business cards, etc. For example, mine is I write stories of the heart. I also have a picture of roses with a diamond nestled in a bud that graces my website, blog and business cards. This, too, is part of my brand.

For ultimately, it’s not our books or short stories we’re selling; it’s ourselves. If Storm’s Interlude is my primary focus now, then when I sell another book (please, God, let there be another book), I’ll have to start from square one with my promotion. Better to promote Vonnie Davis, Romance Author.

If you read Marie Tuhart’s fantastic article on Monday, you’ve already gotten a wealth of information from her. What miniscule advice I can give you will be anticlimactic, but I want to throw in another element: establish relationships.

I belong to RWA, as many of you do. I also belong to VA Romance Writers, From the Heart Romance Writers and Hearts thru History Romance Writers. Most have Yahoo loops. There are Yahoo loops for romance readers, too. My publisher, The Wild Rose Press, had two active loops. Being active on these loops creates relationships. When one member posts about a request for a full manuscript, or a contest win, or a rejection, contract, book release, book review or that dreaded visitor, Ms. Writers Block, respond with a kind, upbeat remark. Make online friends. Build relationships. This, too, is the force behind facebook and twitter: Forging relationships. (insert online friends)

I’m a great fan of blogging. Book release blog tours are effective ways to spread the word about your recent release. Foolishly I scheduled 2 and 3 blogs visits a day for the last couple weeks. People are as tired hearing from me as I am of the blogging. But folks are beginning to recognize my name, especially when I take the time to respond to every comment. Building relationships.

Take advantage of a few blog hop tours. Not only will you drive traffic to your site, but people will learn your name and what you write. Keep your eyes open on twitter for links to blog hops. I’m currently one of two Americans participating in a blog hop for residents of the UK and European Union. My stats show a lot of traffic to my blog from the UK, Netherlands and Germany on a regular basis. Why not increase it? My prize? A copy of Storm’s Interlude.

The company where I order my business cards also makes t-shirts. I’ve ordered a few with my book cover and I “heart” romance printed on them. These I give out as prizes, too. My winners become walking billboards for me. I wear one myself when I go to the local Barnes and Noble. I always get stopped and questioned by at least one person. I can whip out a business card quicker than a gunslinger can his revolver.

Self-promotion takes a lot of time. Time I’d rather be writing. I’m a creative person, after all, not a marketing maven. But if I don’t have good sales for book number one, what publisher will want to take me on for book number two? Our world is run by the bottom line. Profits. If I don’t do what I dislike, I won’t get to do what I love. It’s just that simple.

Thank you, Vonnie! Very well put! Readers, be sure to visit Vonnie on the web at www.vonniedavis.com. You can also find out more about her and her books at her blog, Vintage Vonnie. She also blogs monthly at both The Roses of Prose and Voices of the Heart.

Stay tuned tomorrow for a glimpse into Vonnie's latest romance, Storm's Interlude!