Spotlight on Jess Michaels - - Guest Post & Giveaway

There's something special about discovering an author at the beginning of their publication journey. We get to watch their writing skills grow, see them push the boundaries of their comfort zones, branching out to explore new horizons, and, in the case of today's guest, we have the special joy of celebrating a big milestone, one many authors never achieve. I've been following Jess Michaels' career - and reading her books - for almost twenty years. I've had the pleasure of spending time with her in person at romance conferences over those years. I'm delighted to welcome her today as she counts down to the release of her 100th book. 

Welcome, Jess! 

~~~~~~~~

Hi everyone and thanks so much to The Romance Dish for having me as a guest today! If you don’t know me, I’m Jess Michaels and I write historical romance…very spicy historical romance. And I write a lot of it because my 100^th book will be out in just about a month (100 Nights with the Duke). The crazy thing is that I’ve known PJ from The Romance Dish for almost the entire span of that career. So when we started talking about this feature, we couldn’t help but talk about this milestone in terms of how it started and the path it took.

I started writing full-time in 1999 and sold my first two novellas to Red Sage Publishing, a now defunct small press, in 2003. In 2004, I sold my first full-length novels to HarperCollins (Avon) under my Jenna Petersen name, which is when I met PJ. Back then, there wasn’t really a structure for indie publishing (you could sell books from the back of your car, essentially) and none of my first few books even had eBook versions. But Scandalous, my debut with Avon, did really well and I was excited about my career and its trajectory.

Fast-forward to my 30^th book. That was A Scoundrel’s Surrender and it was my last book with Avon. I’d published 18 of those 30 books with them, under both Jess Michaels and Jenna Petersen. But it was time to shift. The industry was changing, I had different options and the working relationship there no longer allowed me to thrive. I moved on, first to Samhain Publishing (which closed in 2015) and then to indie publishing.

Which brings me to book 50. The Scoundrel’s Lover (funny that 30 and 50 were both Scoundrel in the title LOL). This was my second book after I’d gone completely indie (I’d dipped my toe in before but this was all in). This book is really special because I introduced my sexy Regency underground club, the Donville Masquerade and it features a fan favorite hero, Marcus Rivers. I felt the turn in my career right about here. The realization that indie publishing was a much better place for me as an artist and human. And I hit the USA Today with the next book in that series (The Widow Wager).

By book 75, I’d hit that same bestseller list 10 times. The Last Duke marked the end of my most popular and well-loved series, the 1797 Club series. When people ask me where to start on this very massive list of mine, I always point them to The Daring Duke (1797 Club 1) because this is the series I seem to be most well-known for.

And now we’re here, or almost here. 100 Books. And I have to tell you, I’m so excited for this one to come out on May 10. 100 Nights with the Duke was something I wrote very intentionally to speak to the roots of my Jess Michaels career. It’s very sexy, it features a courtesan heroine who is extremely sex positive and a duke hero who absolutely worships the ground she walks on. I wrote all the desperate longing, all the “it can’t be” goodness that I think people like about what I do. And if it’s the only book people ever read of mine, I think it will be a good punctuation point on who I am as a writer.

And so now I look forward to the future. I’m not young in my career by any stretch, but I’m still pretty young in my life (46 this year). I have a long time to keep writing and creating. And I’ve already got the next 50 books and ten years planned…some of it written down, some of it just floating around in my head. Seeing that path laid out before me and turning around to look at the long and lovely path behind me…well, that’s just icing on a delicious cake. Thanks to all of my readers who have taken and keep taking the walk with me.

~~~~~~~~

Thanks for sharing your journey with us, Jess. I'm eager to read 100 Nights with the Duke and wish you continued success with your next 100 books! 

Readers, have you read Jess's books yet? Do you have a favorite?

Two randomly chosen people who post a comment before 11:00 PM, April 8 will each receive an e-book copy of The Daring Duke. 

*U.S. only

*Must be 18

*Void where prohibited

 

Today's Special - - Nancy Northcott Guest Post & Giveaway

Did you know that Romance Dish Reviewer Nancy is also a published author? Her books range from historical fantasy to contemporary paranormal to romantic spy adventures and even space opera. There's a bit of something for everyone! Today, Nancy joins us to talk about the appeal of tortured heroes and share what's going on with some of her own. Welcome, Nancy! 

The Appeal of the Tortured Hero

by Nancy Northcott

 

Thanks for having me today, PJ! 

I have a special fondness for stories of tortured heroes. Watching love bring them into the light is one of my favorite romance journeys. We all admire someone who pushes through to do the right thing, even when it’s difficult. Even when—maybe especially when—it’s painful. Or comes at a high personal price. 

Such characters appear in all genres, but they have special appeal in romance. We expect our heroes to do what’s right, but we love them more when it’s difficult for them. Romances with tortured heroes often involve renunciation, the hero giving up the heroine in the (mistaken) belief she’ll be better off without him. The heroine, of course, refuses to accept this. Sometimes she wins the hero back, and sometimes an external force, a friend, an event, or even a surfacing, long-forgotten memory spurs him to reconsider. To understand where he’s coming from and why he’s wrong. 

Reaching the point where he realizes that he not only deserves love but can be a positive factor in someone else’s life, completes the hero’s story arc. There are heroines who walk away for similar reasons, but such sacrifices are more commonly made by heroes. 

Romance is the genre of healing and emotional redemption, after all. It thus offers wide latitude to a heroine trying to soothe a tortured soul with love. 

Sherrilynn Kenyon’s Acheron is probably the ultimate tortured hero. Through centuries of abuse, he has internalized a terrible self-image. His human death unleashed destruction. He now resolves to be alone, protecting mankind and supporting all the other Dark-Hunters. Until one woman insisted on seeing him a different way. 

Pamela Clare’s Zach McBride (Breaking Point) suffers from survivor guilt that keeps him from building a personal life for himself. Despite his feelings for reporter Natalie Benoit, he walks away from her. Until he can’t, because she has become a target. Protecting her forces him to face his feelings and move beyond his guilt and fear. 

Nalini Singh has written a number of tortured heroes in her Psy/Changeling series. One of my favorites is Kaleb Krychek (Heart of Obsidian), a cardinal telepath who sees himself as a monster. He finds and rescues the only friend from his childhood. She doesn’t see him as a monster, and she also bears scars. The rescue is their chance to save each other. 

As a writer, I gravitate toward friends-to-lovers or second-chance-at-love stories, sometimes a hybrid of the two. But I sometimes write a tortured hero. Richard Mainwaring, Lord Hawkstowe, of The Herald of Day is tormented by his family curse and what it means for any children he might have. Lifting the curse seems impossible, so he resolves to have no children, to stop the curse from dooming another generation. Until a tavern maid who nurtures hope crosses his path. 

I also have a tortured hero in my Light Mage Wars paranormal romances, which I’m re-releasing this year. The ones that were traditionally published have new covers, and the entire series has new branding. I’m very excited about it. I love all the heroes (and all the heroines), but I nurture a special fondness for the the guilt-ridden hero of the second book, Renegade Mage. 

Six years ago, grief and anger over betrayal led Griffin Dare to make a fateful mistake. He was the mages’ top cop, and four of his deputies died that day. Other deputies and friends have died since, and he believes that’s his fault. Now he has the top slot of the mages’ Most Wanted Fugitives list. He expects to die an outlaw, but he’ll be satisfied if he can expose the traitor in the mages’ ranks along the way. Even though he and his friends secretly fight the deadly ghouls, the battle isn’t for him. It’s to protect mages and humans. No one, he vows, will ever risk their lives for his sake again. 

When his path crosses Valeria Banning’s, she has some insights that surprise him. They’re drawn to each other, but can Griff overcome his guilt and pain to seize this chance at love? 

The other two books currently out don’t have tortured heroes, but I’ll mention them here because they’re all recent re-releases, and while I enjoy tortured heroes, I also enjoy those with a little less angst. 

The first book in the series, Mage Sentinel, is a prequel about Griff’s sister, Caroline Dare, and the man her brother’s secrets bring into her path. Rick Moore is on a quest for justice for his dead father, and exposing the help he believes the Dare family has given Griff is his only hope. Too bad he’s falling in love with Caroline. 

The third of the books currently out, number three in the series, is The Deadly Orb. It’s about wildland firefighters. A current of attraction has long run between helicopter pilot Josh Campbell and firefighter paramedic Edie Lang. But Josh has vowed never to marry a woman in a dangerous job. His mother was killed in the line of duty as a deputy sheriff, and his father disintegrated, leaving young Josh to care for his two sisters. When magic forces him and Edie into proximity, though, he finds that vow hard to sustain. 

So that’s it for me on tortured heroes and new books.  Thanks again for having me today, PJ! I’m giving away winner’s choice of either Mage Sentinel or Renegade Mage to one commenter today. (The Deadly Orb isn’t an option because it contains spoilers for Renegade Mage.) 

For a chance to win, leave a comment telling me who your favorite tortured hero is and why you love his story. Or, if tortured heroes aren’t your thing, tell me who’s your favorite hero and why. Books, TV, and movies all qualify. Giveaway ends at 11:00 PM, March 20.

Thanks for stopping by today!

 

###

 

Book links: 

Mage Sentinel: 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mage-Sentinel-Light-Wars-Novel-ebook/dp/B09PGXSMWX 

Everywhere else: https://books2read.com/u/m2YNzj

  

Renegade Mage: 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09PJRVY97 

Everywhere else: https://books2read.com/u/baDQA8

  

The Deadly Orb 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09TJCLR2H 

Everywhere else: https://books2read.com/u/baDQw8

Today's Special - - Tracy Solheim - - Guest Post & Giveaway

It's my pleasure to welcome Tracy Solheim to The Romance Dish today. After a few years away, creating thrilling romantic suspense tales set in Washington, D.C. and introducing readers to a new football team in Wisconsin, Solheim is returning to one of my favorites of her fictional locations. Her new book, Second Chance Christmas takes readers back to Chances Inlet, North Carolina and her McAlister family. This time, it's youngest son Ryan's turn in the spotlight and I cannot wait to follow along as the professional baseball playing McAlister everyone underestimates finally finds someone who sees beyond the traffic-stopping face and body, who challenges the way he views life, and the way he views himself. This is going to be fun.

Holiday Traditions

by Tracy Solheim

There are only eighty-one more days until Christmas! Are you stressing or getting excited? In my case, it’s felt like Christmas all year. I’ve spent much of my time writing, editing, and promoting my upcoming book, Second Chance Christmas. I’m worried that the actual holiday may feel a little anti-climactic.

I’m a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to holidays. Fall is my favorite time of year, and I don’t like to rush it away to prepare for the Christmas season. I’ve always believed it helps the excitement and anticipation build by not celebrating too early. Of course, that was before you could watch Christmas movies in July!

Second Chance Christmas is set in the coastal North Carolina town of Chances Inlet—a very different setting from all those movies with snowball fights, warm fires, and hot cocoa. But that doesn’t mean the Christmas spirit isn’t alive and well in my little fictional town. There’s a tree-lighting, breakfast with Santa, a holiday flotilla, and even a parade on Christmas Eve.

What can I say? I’m a sucker for all those holiday festivities. I’ve celebrated Christmas in three different countries and ten different states from North to South and East to West, and it’s those unique holiday traditions that make the season special. And not all of them involve snow.

For the McAlister family, I wanted to give them a fun tradition that was unfamiliar to me until I spent Christmas day with friends one year: the Legend of the Christmas Pickle. Are you familiar with it? This one involves an ornament shaped like a pickle. Legend has it, the first person to find the ornament on Christmas morning gets an extra gift. In the case of my friends, the winner got out of helping clean the brunch dishes. There were twenty-seven people over for brunch, so it was quite the prize! Needless to say, the tree did teeter a bit, but much like in my book, it didn’t fall.

When I decided to include this in the McAlister’s celebration, I was curious about how the Legend of the Christmas Pickle began. And that’s where everything got a little confusing. Most sites claimed it was an old Bavarian tradition. But when I dug a little further, many Germans had never heard of it.

Eventually I landed on the site WhyChristmas.com where I found several possible explanations:

“In the 1880s Woolworth stores started selling glass ornaments imported from Germany and some were in the shape of various fruit and vegetables. It seems that pickles must have been among the selection!”

Or perhaps one of these even crazier tales:

“One features a fighter in the American Civil War who was born in Bavaria (an area of what is now Germany). He was a prisoner, and starving, he begged a guard for one last pickle before he died. The guard took pity on him and gave a pickle to him. The pickle gave him the mental and physical strength to live on!

The other story is linked to St. Nicholas. It's a medieval tale of two Spanish boys traveling home from a boarding school for the holidays. When they stopped at an inn for the night, the evil innkeeper, killed the boys and put them in a pickle barrel. That evening, St. Nicholas stopped at the same inn, and found the boys in the barrel and miraculously bought them back to life!”

 

I don’t know about you, but I’m going with the story that the Legend of the Christmas Pickle is the result of a very inventive ornament salesman!

Do you hang a Christmas pickle on your tree? Do you have any other fun traditions that you practice with your family during Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa?

Share with us in the comments and one random person (who posts before 11:00 PM, October 8) will win a signed print copy of Second Chance Christmas and a pickle ornament! (International winner will receive a digital copy only.)

*Must be 18

*Void where prohibited

Second Chance Christmas

by Tracy Solheim

Release Date: October 25, 2021

Chances Inlet, North Carolina is the last place major leaguer Ryan McAlister wants to hide from the media to rest up his broken hand. He left his gossipy, Christmas-obsessed hometown in the dust over a decade ago. When he gets caught up in the town’s holiday antics, he finds himself responsible for making a little boy’s Christmas wish come true. The kid’s widowed mother, however—a blast from Ryan’s past—just might make his stay a bit more exciting.

Physical therapist Jane Sheffield loves her hometown. Especially at Christmastime. Since this may be her last in Chances Inlet, she’s determined to make the most of it with her young son. But after her childcare falls apart, she gets more than she bargained for when her best friend’s younger brother volunteers to help out. The rebellious teen she tutored in high school has grown up into a sexy charmer and so much more than the pretty face he pretends to be.

Can a stray dog, the Ghost of Christmas past, and a host of meddling townsfolk muster up enough Christmas spirit to convince Ryan and Jane to give their hometown—and each other--a second chance?

This book is the third book in a family saga but can be read as a standalone.

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55757734-second-chance-christmas

BookBub:

https://www.bookbub.com/books/second-chance-christmas-a-chances-inlet-novel-by-tracy-solheim?bookstory=6536555

PRE-ORDER LINKS 

AZ US: https://amzn.to/3AnIJXn
AZ UK: https://amzn.to/3kn7JZy
AZ CA: https://amzn.to/2XyUAUG
AZ AU: https://amzn.to/3nO7YP9
B&N: https://bit.ly/3AqeGhQ
Apple Books: https://apple.co/3CqMvAa

Spotlight on Romancing the Holidays, Volume 2 & Birthday Giveaway #21

  

I'm happy to welcome author Melody Johnson to The Romance Dish today. Melody is here to tell us about a new anthology presented by multi-genre authors belonging to the First Coast Romance Writers. I've read Melody's Halloween contribution to this collection and immediately started searching out more stories in her Witchy Business short story world. She reeled me in hook, line, and sinker. It's left me even more excited to sample the thirteen other stories in Romancing the Holidays, Volume 2. Scroll down for Melody's post, an excerpt from her short story, and don't miss the giveaways at the bottom. 

Over a dozen ways to fall in love at the holidays…

Looking for a Happily Ever After? How about fourteen of them?! Romancing the Holidays, Volume 2 is a collection of romantic short stories all with the happy ending you crave. Genres include: contemporary, historical, paranormal, romantic suspense and young adult. 

And what better time to find romance than during the holidays? Escape into these Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Three Kings Day and Valentine’s Day adventures, and swoon anew with each couple as they fall in love. 

Proceeds from this anthology benefit First Coast Romance Writers, a non-profit chapter of Romance Writers of America that helps writers hone their craft and expand their knowledge of the publishing industry.

FIND ROMANCE FOR THE HOLIDAYS

“We all need a little escape from reality sometimes, and I hope this anthology of short stories will help readers get into the holiday spirit,” says Melody Johnson. “The holidays are sometimes a reminder of the people or traditions that one has lost, but through the magic of storytelling, we are never alone.” 

Melody is one of fourteen First Coast Romance Writers (FCRW) contributing to Romancing the Holidays, Vol. 2, the second installment in the group’s holiday anthology series. This compilation of short stories transports readers from Halloween and Thanksgiving antics to Christmas and Valentine romantics with over a dozen unique happily-ever-afters, ranging from sweet to steamy. Readers who enjoy contemporary, historical, or paranormal romance will be whisked off their feet and away to worlds where love prevails. 

“Usually, I write full-length novels, so participating in this annual anthology is both fun and challenging,” says Melody. “Fun because I love taking a break from the project I’m currently working on to return to Witchy Business, a world I’m already in love with. But challenging because developing a relationship, motivation, high stakes, and finding a satisfying resolution in only thirty pages is a wild ride. I hope people take as much pleasure in reading these stories as we did in writing them.”

In addition to Melody, the other contributing authors in this anthology include: Debby Grahl, Elise Darby, Barbara Whitaker, Maggie FitzRoy, Leah Miles, Karen Renee, Sara Walker, Vickey Wollan, Abigail Sharpe, Gloria Ferguson, Laura Salas, P.K. Brent and Candese Nieves. All fourteen women are members of FCRW, and proceeds from this anthology benefit their organization, a non-profit chapter of Romance Writers of America®, that helps writers hone their craft and expand their knowledge of the publishing industry. 

“I’ve been a member of First Coast Romance Writers for six years. I’m a past Event Coordinator, Treasurer and President of the chapter, and have helped to bring publishers, agents and other industry professionals in person to speak to our members. But participating in this anthology is the accomplishment I’m most proud of,” says Melody. “It just feels right that we are writers raising money for our chapter by doing what we’re most passionate about: writing romance.” 

Melody’s contribution to this year’s anthology is Fated by Fire, a Halloween romance and the third installment in her Witchy Business short story series. When the hero of Fated by Fire, Marcus Kyle, stops to assist a stranded driver change a flat tire, the last person he expects to face is Jenavieve St. Clair, the young witch whose unnervingly accurate visions consistently cast him as the harbinger of death and destruction for their covens. Crossing paths with her is unsettling, but perhaps fate has intervened on his behalf, granting him the opportunity to prove to her that he’s just a man, not the monster that her visions predict him to be.

“I chose to feature Halloween for this anthology because what better holiday to frame a romance brimming with witches, sparking with magic and fighting against fate?” says Melody. “I’m a voracious paranormal romance fan. My heroes are Laurell K. Hamilton, Chloe Neill, Anne Rice, and Karen Marie Moning. Besides the obvious perks to the genre—danger, action and adventure—I’m drawn to paranormal romance because of the world building. I love taking a beloved genre and putting my spin on it with my rules in a world of my creation.” 

In addition to her contributions to Volumes I and II of Romancing the Holidays, Melody has also published the “out of this world” full-length sci-fi romance novel Beyond the Next Star and the gritty, four-book paranormal romance Night Blood Series with Kensington Publishing/Lyrical Press. The New York Times and USA TODAY Bestselling Author, Lynsay Sands "laughed out loud" reading Beyond the Next Star, and Kirkus Reviews praised is as, "an engaging and unusual otherworldly tale." 

Romancing the Holidays, Vol. 2, releases the first day of fall, September 22, 2021, and is available online in e-book and paperback formats. Preorders are available at https://books2read.com/RTHVol2.

  

Fated By Fire   

Excerpt (The “first look” scene)

Melody Johnson

 

Rumor had it Dr. Marcus Kyle could siphon as well as merge magic, and if he chose to, he had the power to drain entire covens to husks with a single, powerful flex of his will.

In her vivid and increasingly—frighteningly—accurate visions, he was often testing the limits of that power in a parody of Carrie, wearing the blood of his slaughtered witches and warlocks with trembling glee.

In reality, his cheeks dimpled when he smiled.

Jen stood to face him, leaving her lug wrench on the asphalt where she’d dropped it mid-spin at the sight of him. No need to call attention to the fact that in addition to the lug wrench, she’d also dropped her car, having stuttered on her levitation spell. Goddess help her if he’d noticed.

He paused at her rear tire, looking a bit sheepish. “You’ll have to excuse the get up. I was on my way to a costume party, but I couldn’t pass by without asking if you might need help changing that tire?”

Breathe. She’d seen Dr. Kyle’s face in her mind’s eye for years, but her visions hadn’t prepared her for the heat of his direct gaze nor the distraction of his angled jaw. From the curls of his faux hawk to his perfect teeth, beaming at her from behind those lush, parted lips, and every smooth-as-caramel, baby-faced feature in between, he was fresh and friendly. Adorable, even.

She supposed the wrath and violence in her visions had prevented her from truly appreciating his appearance because before this moment, she would have described Dr. Marcus Kyle as dangerous, vicious, and volatile. Now that he was before her in the flesh, the phrase “cutie pie” came to mind.

And holy mother of Earth and Rain, she wanted a bite.

 

Birthday Giveaway #21:

One randomly chosen person will receive an e-book copy of Romancing the Holidays, Volume 1 (donated by Melody Johnson).

One randomly chosen person will receive an e-book copy of Romancing the Holidays, Volume 2 from PJ.

Giveaway ends at 11:00 PM, September 23.

*Must be 18

*Void where prohibited

 

 

ABOUT FIRST COAST ROMANCE WRITERS:

First Coast Romance Writers, an affiliate of Romance Writers of America®, is an organization for both published and unpublished writers, as well as any individuals involved in the writing and publishing industry. The membership includes writers of all levels, from those working on their first manuscripts to multi-published, award-winning authors. The chapter is dedicated to promoting excellence in romantic fiction through monthly meetings and workshops in a comfortable forum where published and unpublished writers share knowledge about the constantly evolving publishing industry. FCRW strives to help writers become published and establish careers with innovative programs, networking opportunities and pertinent information on effective marketing techniques for members’ novels. Find FCRW online at https://www.firstcoastromancewriters.com

                                                                             

Romancing the Holidays (Vol. 2)

A First Coast Romance Writers Anthology

 

ON SALE: September 22, 2021

Holiday Romance / $2.99 / B09881F57V