Saturday, December 29, 2012

Dangerous Flirtation



I'm thrilled to welcome Liz Fielding to my blog again.
Her books are fabulous!
And she's giving away Dangerous Flirtation FREE right now!
Liz, over to you...

Dangerous Flirtation is vintage Liz Fielding. One of my earlier books, I've given it a light brush up and a fabulous new cover and it's yours to download free from 28 December to 1 January.

Here's the blurb -


Rose has her life all mapped out. A job she loves, a thoughtful, reliable fiancĂ©. Everything is just perfect until a stranger with laughing blue eyes and a roguish grin bursts into her life and turns her life upside down with a birthday kiss. Jack Drayton offers romance, excitement and passion – and he challenges her to accept. Dare she?


And an excerpt

Reluctantly she lowered her window. ‘Why are you still here?’ she demanded. ‘Didn’t Anthony pay you enough to move on?’ It was hateful, but she couldn’t help herself.
       ‘There isn’t enough money in the world for that, Rosie.’ He smiled, apparently relishing the memory. ‘I told him he’d better put it back in his piggy bank and save up until he can afford to buy you a ring.’
       She stifled a groan. Behind them someone hooted politely. Jack ignored the hint and leaned on the roof of the car, staring down at her. ‘Where’s he taking you for your birthday treat? A burger bar?’
       ‘A concert and then dinner at Michel’s,’ she said, a little smugly.
       He let out an ironic whistle. ‘Just as well I wouldn’t take his cash. Which concert? The Jay Livingstone Trio is playing at the jazz club, or perhaps that isn’t quite his cup of tea?’
       She stifled a groan. She had wanted to go. It wasn’t often these days that such a group could be tempted into Melchester, but Anthony loathed jazz and she hadn’t even dared suggest it. ‘It’s not my jazz club,’ she retorted, disappointment lending a sharpness to her voice. ‘If you must know, we’re going to the Guildhall, The Shostakovich Cello Concerto.’
       ‘Wouldn’t you rather come and listen to Jay?’ he asked.
       ‘You have tickets?’ she asked, surprised. They had not been cheap.
       ‘No need. Jay’s an old friend.’ He bent down beside her window, examining her face under the lamplight. ‘What do you say?’    
       Her heartbeat began to accelerate again. ‘I...’ She tore her eyes away from his. ‘No. Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous.’
       ‘I wasn’t being ridiculous, Rosie. You’d much rather come with me. Admit it.’
       ‘I’ll admit nothing of the kind.’ She put the car into gear and glared at him. Laughing, he stood up.
       ‘Better run along, then. You mustn’t be late. I’ll see you later, cheer your soul with a little blues.’ He glanced at the instrument case in his hand.
       She stared, horrified. ‘You wouldn’t?’ 
       His eyes gleamed wickedly in the subdued light. ‘I think you know that I would.’
       ‘Haven’t you caused enough trouble for one day?’ she demanded.
       His eyes teased her. ‘Rosie, my darling,’ he drawled. ‘I haven’t even begun.’ And with that he stepped back, leaving her free to drive away, but she couldn’t. Not before he told her why he was tormenting her.   
       ‘What do you want from me?’ she demanded.
       ‘Use your imagination,’ he said, roughly.
       She gasped then. She wasn’t going to use her imagination. It was a dangerous thing, the imagination. It conjured up strong hands and warm kisses to torment her.
      ‘What do you want?’ she demanded again. He didn’t elaborate, refusing to make it easy for her, but it was there in the raw challenge in his eyes and she felt as if a trap were closing around her.
     The knowledge that she had sprung it herself offered precious little comfort. She only knew that if she stayed another moment she would lose everything she wanted. Peace, contentment, security. Precious things. All Jack Drayton could offer was momentary passion, a transitory, crazy sort of excitement that would destroy her peace of mind and when it was over, leave nothing but the misery and humiliation her mother had suffered when her father had walked out on them both.
She was going to marry Anthony and she didn’t know what she was doing even talking to this man.
       The person behind had clearly had enough and an impatient horn galvanised her into action. She eased off the handbrake and stepped on the accelerator. The car shot forward and abruptly stalled. She grabbed at the ignition key, but the car wouldn’t start and the irritation from behind had suddenly become a chorus of people eager to get home. ‘Idiot!’ she said, furious with herself. Why on earth had she even spoken to the man? She was going to be late and Anthony hated to be kept waiting. There were tears pricking at her eyelids when the door opened beside her.
       He took one look at her face and swore volubly, then put an ice cold hand on hers, stopping the desperate churning of the engine. ‘Move over, Rosie. You’re in no fit state to drive,’ he said, very gently.
       ‘And whose fault is that?’ she demanded, angrily.
       ‘That’s open to debate. You didn’t have to stop.’ He threw the saxophone onto the back seat and waited and conscious of the queue of cars behind her, she moved over. He pushed the driving seat back as far as it would go and climbed behind the wheel. The car, infuriatingly, started at the first touch. Everything would start at his touch, she thought, hopelessly. Even her. Especially her.

Here are some links, but it's available in English at Amazon worldwide; download it with my warmest wishes and tell all your friends!

Amazon US 
Amazon UK 
Amazon Germany

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Free book!


LUCKY LOVE is free right now!

Go grab your copy here.

(will end December 28th.)

Monday, December 24, 2012

Christmas recipe

I've had several requests across social media sites for my ice cream pudding recipe, so I'm going to post here.
Wish I had a picture to go with it but once unveiled it usually doesn't last that long!
Though I'm definitely going to take a pic this year.

I've had many variations of this and have experimented myself.
This is the version we seem to like best.

INGREDIENTS:

2 litres good quality vanilla ice cream
1 410g jar fruit mince
2 Violet Crumbles
150g frozen cherries
150g frozen strawberries
Fresh strawberries, cherries, blueberries

METHOD:

Allow the ice cream to soften until a good stirring mix-through is possible.
Add the fruit mince (depending on taste, I add about 390 g, leaving a little in the jar, otherwise the kids find it too strong.)
Crush 1 Violet Crumble and add to ice cream.
Add the frozen strawberries and cherries.
Mix thoroughly.

Line a 2 litre bowl with cling wrap.
Spoon ice cream mixture into bowl and cover.
Freeze.

For serving, remove lid, invert onto serving platter, remove cling wrap.

Crush 1 Violet Crumble and sprinkle on top.
Decorate with a skirt of fresh berries.
(can also add berries on top if desired instead of chocolate. Or both!)

Enjoy!

I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you all a merry Christmas and happy holidays.

Stay safe, healthy and eat lots!

Sunday, December 23, 2012

New Year's Revisions conference


This free online conference is being co-run by a Month9Books publishing buddy, Kristal Shaff.

Loads of fab agents, editors and authors participating.

Go check out the fab books giveaways now!


New Year's Revisions Conference 2013

January 4, 5, and 6 

Totally free, totally online. 

You wrote the book in November. Or maybe you've been working on yours even longer. The time has come... revision time. Pay the piper, meet the reaper -- all those lovely euphemisms for the real work of writing: revising. You do not have to do it alone. We have gathered a group of fabulous book lovers: the ones who write the books, the ones who represent the authors, and the ones who edit the books. They all want you to succeed in making your book as shiny as it can possibly be before you query/publish.

That's the focus of NYRC 2013.

If you love books, want to write, or have written a book, this conference will have plenty for you to love in the way of professional publishing advice, and yes, more giveaways. There will also be a critique partner matching service for those looking for a second pair of eyes for their work.

We'll be live-tweeting the events @OpAwesome6 and using the #NYRC hash tag. Hope you'll join us!

To recap:

  • Professional publishing advice from our panel of experts
  • Guest posts by literary agents, editors, and published authors - all with an eye toward helping you through the revision process
  • Book giveaways - *happy sigh* mmm, books.
  • Critique partner matching service (January 3, the day before the conference officially begins)

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Travel to India for the holidays


Fancy travelling to India these holidays?
You can, from the comfort of your armchair!

Curl up with BUSTED IN BOLLYWOOD.

$3.14 for kindle
$3.30 paperback!

Bargains!

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

New release: LUCKY LOVE


I'm thrilled to announce LUCKY LOVE is now available at Amazon.
It's a $2.99 Christmas treat!

Here's the blurb:

For perpetually single Jazmyn Harding, what's worse than being desperate and dateless?
Receiving advice from her brash, sixty-year-old aunt via Skype from Love, a kooky town in California.

Jazmyn has no intention to visit Love but after one too many disastrous dates, agrees to Aunt Flo's challenge: if she's single in a month, she'll swap Sydney for Love.

Determined to find Mr. Right, Jazmyn plays the dating game with renewed vigour. But as the clock ticks down and her man drought continues, to what lengths will she go to avoid Love?

(If you've read CRAZY LOVE, you know what a hoot Aunt Flo is!)

Enjoy!

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Want this free?


As little Chrissie gift from me to you, TAG TEAM will be free for Kindle readers for a few more days...it's a shorter read packed with suspense, Special Ops and sizzle!

Grab it now!

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Old Desires


Liz Fielding is one of my favourite authors and she has just released a new indie-book (a re-release of one of her fabulous Harlequin Romances.)

Over to you Liz...


Thanks so much for inviting me onto your blog, Nicola! I’m having a bit of a fan girl moment here. Having read Crazy Love, I can’t wait for more stories about the inhabitants of the town called Love!

Okay, I’ll keep this short; I know how busy you all are at this time of year – but I’m celebrating the twentieth anniversary of my first book – An Image of You - hitting the shelves. I’ve just re-released one of my early romances, OLD DESIRES, as an eBook. 

To whet your appetite, here’s a little taster:

‘Holly?’
His voice grated against her spine and she stopped and turned slowly back to face him.  He hadn’t moved.
‘Yes?’ she asked, from the safe distance of her porch.
‘There was something else.’
‘Can’t it wait?’ She fumbled desperately in her pocket for her keys.
‘I don’t believe it can.’ Her margin of safety proved illusory as in a stride he was beside her, his eyes smoky dark as he searched her face. It was a look that seemed to touch her, stroke her, burn her up until she thought she would cry out. After a moment, or it might have been an age in which she felt as if she was suspended at the top of a roller-coaster, waiting for that dizzy freefall plunge, he spoke. ‘I don’t believe it can wait another moment.’
She closed her eyes in an effort to blot out the desire in his eyes, not quite trusting it, but knowing that it was far too late for her to fight the echoing response he must all too clearly see in hers. Knowing that she was helpless to resist.
He took her face between his hands, tilting her face upwards cradling it in his long fingers until she could bear it no longer. ‘Please…’ The word, barely more than a sigh, escaped her lips, but whether she was begging for release or capture she scarcely knew. Until he kissed her and by then it was too late.

Old Desires is available from Amazon UK and Amazon US (and from all other Amazon sites if you’re an expat).



Friday, December 07, 2012

Entangled Under the Mistletoe holiday hop


Don’t forget to check out what the other authors participating in the hop are giving away!


I'm excited to be part of the Entangled Publishing blog hop alongside fellow Entangled authors!

I'm giving away ebook copies of my two EP publications:



+




To be in the running:

-Tweet: 

Double your holiday reading pleasure: Busted in Bollywood http://www.amazon.com/Busted-in-Bollywood-ebook/dp/B006GR35RQ/ref=pd_sim_kstore_5 & Not the Marrying Kind http://www.amazon.com/Not-the-Marrying-Kind-ebook/dp/B008LIHU4W/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1 @NicolaMarsh 

(copy & paste, links will appear shortened.)

-Facebook

Place the above tweet, with links, on your FB page.

Leave a comment here with what you've done to enter.

That's it!

And don't forget to check out the other fab Entangled authors giving away cool stuff!

Tuesday, December 04, 2012

Book Lovers Holiday Hop


After not participating in blog hops all year, I'm making up for lost time in December!

(the Christmas Book hop is still running so check it out below. And watch for the Entangled Under the Mistletoe hop starting on the 7th!)

For this one, I'm giving away 2 ebook copies of CRAZY LOVE.



To be in the running:

-tweet: 'Fun, fast & funny!' Welcome to CRAZY LOVE by USA Today bestseller   $2.99 #ebook

Optional:
 -place on your Facebook page 'Fun, fast & funny!' Welcome to CRAZY LOVE by USA Today bestseller   $2.99 

-follow this blog

-follow me on Twitter (@NicolaMarsh)


Easy!

Please leave a comment with how you've entered.

And check out the rest of the giveaways HERE!

Saturday, December 01, 2012

Christmas Books Giveaway Hop


If you love Christmas themed books, this blog hop is for you.

Every giveaway is a Christmas book.

And while my cover and title may not look Christmassy, my editor requested I write a Christmas themed book and this is it!

What could be more romantic than a Christmas Eve wedding?



I'm giving away 2 print copies of WEDDING DATE WITH MR. WRONG.

To be in the running:

-Like my Facebook author page 

For optional entries:

-follow this blog

-follow me on Twitter (@NicolaMarsh)

Easy!

Please leave a comment with how you've entered.

And check out the rest of the giveaways HERE!

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Maximising your Amazon potential

Authors, here's a great article by NYT and USA Today bestseller Laura Kaye on maximising your Amazon potential.

Savvy Authors have some great craft stuff so while you're there, check it out.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Blog hop winners

Thanks to everyone who entered the Black Friday blog hop.

The winners of Crazy Love are:

-Lily B.
-Lynne

Please email me to claim your book prize.

To see the grand prize winners, check here

Friday, November 23, 2012

Black Friday blog hop



While the rest of the US is out battling the mall crowds, why not stay home and join the second annual Black Friday Blog Hop?

The hop is ONE DAY only.
There will be over 200 giveaways.

And grand prizes. Head to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 200 times!

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet
2nd Grand Prize: A $75 Amazon or B&N Gift Card
3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!



I'm giving away 2 copies of CRAZY LOVE


To be in the running, tweet the following (or place it on your Facebook page) and leave a comment here indicating what you've done:

Have you fallen in Love? 'Fun, flirty & fast!' http://www.amazon.com/Crazy-Love-ebook/dp/B0099GXVES/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1 Read Crazy Love today! @NicolaMarsh USA Today bestseller 

Check out the other fab prizes on offer here



Friday, November 16, 2012

WEEKEND BOOK CLUB: Bella's Run

It has been too long since I've read any rural-lit. I love Rachel Treasure's books but has been years since I've read one.

Then I picked up Bella's Run recently and was hooked all over again.

Here's the blurb:


Bella Vermaelon and her best friend Patty are two fun-loving country girls bonded in sisterhood no blood could ever beat. Now they are coming to the end of a road trip which has taken them from their family farms in the rugged Victorian high country to the red dust of the Queensland Outback. 

For almost a year they have mustered cattle stations, cooked for weary stockmen, played hard at rodeos and danced through life like a pair of wild tumbleweeds. And with the arrival of Patty's brother Will and Bella's cousin Macca, it seems love is on the horizon too..

Then a devastating tragedy strikes, and Bella's world is changed forever. 

So she runs from the only life she has ever known. But can she really turn her back on the man she loves? Or on the land that runs deep in her blood?

It's a cracking book filled with real characters and real emotion.

It's poignant, romantic and funny, seamlessly weaving rural Australia and its lifestyle into an emotional story.

I loved it!

What are you reading this weekend?

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Writers: be inspired

I'm a huge fan of Larry Brooks' STORYFIX blog.

He has some absolute fantastic posts on writing, from craft to guests.

Today's post on The Commodity of Courage by guest Art Holcomb is a must read for writers.

Inspirational stuff.

Thursday, November 08, 2012

I'm a sweetheart


NOT THE MARRYING KIND is up for the 5 Heart Sweetheart over at The Romance Studio.

If you enjoyed my 'marriage of in-convenience!' book, please vote here 

Monday, November 05, 2012

FALLING FOR FLYNN half price, $1.99!


FALLING FOR FLYNN, my military contemporary romance set in Melbourne, is under half price for a week only.

You can grab it for $1.99 at Amazon now!

Here's what readers are saying about the book:

"Aww..... Nicola, you write the sweetest emotional love stories *sniff sniff*. Falling For Flynn was just beautiful to read! THANK YOU!!" Sheryl, Goodreads

"These stories are why I keep reading Nicole Marsh's books. A sweet reunion story. Great characters, great emotion." Michelle, Goodreads

Add it to your Goodreads list now!