Sneak Peek Sunday

This is an unedited excerpt from my upcoming release with Entangled Publishing's Ever After imprint titled, Playing Doctor.

Tilting her head, Beth peered up at Gabe through her lashes, curled her lips into a taunting grin, pleased when his Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat.

“I don’t think so,” She informed Caroline with a throaty purr. “Gabriel is busy tonight, and will continue to be…for as long as likes.” And as those words left her mouth, Beth realized she actually meant them, and with that knowledge, she reached out, drove her fingers through his hair, cupped her hand at the base of his skull and pulled his mouth down to hers.

Surprise. She felt his brief pause of shock as their lips met, and then his mouth encompassed hers, shifted and possessed.

Heat. Had a man’s mouth ever felt so hot? Firm, yet soft?  Demanding, yet giving?

His hands came up, framed her face. He tilted her head and took the kiss deeper, sealed his lips over hers. His tongue grazed her lower lip, seeking permission. Her own darted forth, invited him in.

More. She wanted more. Her fingers fisted in his hair, tugged. His groan slid past her lips, over her tongue. Blood pounded in her ears, flooded her sex. The sounds of the wedding reception dulled into a low drone, and nothing existed except Gabriel’s mouth on hers…and Caroline’s frustrated exclamation.

Playing Doctor has found a home!

I'm happy to announce that my debut book, Playing Doctor has found a happy home with Entangled Publishing, and has a tentative release date of September with their Ever After imprint!


This little book has come a long way from the two paragraph blurb for the M&B Medical pitch in February of 2012. [see earlier post].

In June of last year, I sent the first three chapters to Heather Howland, who asked for the full upon completion. It took me a while to get it just the way I wanted it. I worked on it during Entangled Smackdown with Heather and her wonderful assistants, Sue and Tahra, who gave a great 20-page critique.

In the meantime, I was doing a writer's workshops on Savvy Authors using the first chapter of PD for the class, and the editor of Total E-Bound [who was conducting the class] asked to see the manuscript. I thought it would be a good opportunity to get feedback, and so I sent it to her. Much to my surprise, I was offered a contract for the book. This was a good thing, but I had my heart set on Entangled!

On February 25th of this year, I sent the completed manuscript to Entangled, not to the Brazen imprint as I had originally intended, but to the Ever After imprint, as it just felt right to end the story as a novella, and it was forwarded to Heather Howland. On March 15th, I accepted a contract with them!

Now, as I anxiously await the first round of edits, I'm working on the book for the secondary characters of Playing Doctor, Ian Montgomery and Eve Winters, titled, Educating Eve.

When It Rains...

You've heard the old saying, "When it rains, it pours..."

Sometimes that's a good thing, and sometimes it can cause horrendous stress. As you know, I've been working on a book, Playing Doctor [originally titled, A Doctor In The House] off and on for a year. Throughout that year, it's caught several editor's attention. It made it through the Harlequin M&B Medical pitch, with an eventual rejection, but with a wonderful 2-page feedback letter from Flo Nicoll with the invitation to write something else and submit it. Revamped, it made it through the HQN Blaze pitch with a request for the partial manuscript. A few months ago it also caught the eye of Heather Howland of Entangled Publishing with a request for the full manuscript upon completion.

Over the past few months, I've tweaked, twiddled, and fiddled with the manuscript, and just before submitting it, it caught the eye of an editor conducting a writer's workshop with Savvy Authors. [I was using the first chapter for the class] She asked to see the manuscript.

The past two weeks, some wonderful things have been happening. Great things.


Stay tuned to this station for further developments!

Sometimes, spur of the moment decisions pay off.

I had been away from the Harlequin forums for a while, decided to scroll through and see what was going on, and found they had started an Editor's Pitch for the Blaze imprint. I love Blaze! I thought about it, worried over it, then decided to enter. I sent my one page synopsis, the first five pages of the ms, and waited. On the last day, I contemplated pulling out the original entry and sending another, but in the end, let it stand.

The post came out on the forum with a list of the winners who would pitch. Without even reading the actual message...who cares what it says if your name isn't on the list, right?--I scanned the list. My name wasn't there. Might as well read the message now, huh? So, 35 people entered, 5 entries were chosen to pitch online to the editors, and...what's this? Six entries were chosen to bypass the pitch and send partials directly to the editors? Wooo, whooo! Email to follow on Monday to let the rest of us know if we were one of those lucky six. Today is Friday. The weekend passed, Monday drags on. Refresh, refresh, refresh.

There's finally a message in my inbox. Hotmail (1). To open or not to open.

I sent that partial off today!  

Six Sentence Sunday.

This is an excerpt from my current work in progress, Playing Doctor. Gabriel and Beth have agreed to a one night stand...

Dragging his mouth from hers, Gabriel hesitated, measuring her reaction, giving her the opportunity to change her mind, and praying she wouldn’t.

“Are you sure?”  He asked, his voice rough with need.

She reached out, pressed her hand to his chest, just over his heart, felt the gallop and pitch of it beneath muscle and bone.  For her. 

 “I’m sure.”

“Thank God.  I was ready to beg.”  He grazed his fingers along her jaw, humor crinkling the corners of his eyes.  “Would you like me to?”

The corners of her mouth, moist from his kiss, curled in a purely feline smile.  “Maybe later.”

Ruby Lioness Press has closed their doors!

Sadly, a few days after Owner/Editor Marrisa Dobson contacted me stating she was still interested in my ms, the doors to this publishing house closed.  I wish all the best to the authors formerly represented by this house, and to Ms. Dobson who is the Owner/Founder of Sizzling PR.

That being said, I have another publisher interested in my ms, and am diligently working to finish the book and get the requested full out to the editor.  I'm not mentioning any names, but this house is rocking the publishing industry, and I hope to sell my ms to them and soon be a part of their group of authors.

Request for full manuscript!

I took a breath on the 15th of May and submitted the manuscript that had been rejected (with a wonderful "R" and lots of great suggestions) to Ruby Lioness Press. Well, imagine my surprise when I opened my email account and found a request for a full ms this morning!  Now, back to pounding on the keyboard and hoping for a sale!