Veronica is hosting me and Andi on her blog today. Stop by and comment to be entered to win a Valentine prize.
http://wildwomenauthorsx2.blogspot.com/2016/01/which-admirer-will-she-pick.html?showComment=1453149137561#c8199496323016613118
Monday, January 18, 2016
Monday, January 4, 2016
Launch and Release Day
It's Release Day! Not just for me, but for the Candy Hearts
Romance Series from the Wild Rose Press.
I'm privileged to share my release day for SECRET ADMIRER with
Emma Kaye and Jana Richards today.
Andi’s new to
town and looking for a fresh start in the dating department. She’s attracted to
the guy she sees each morning, but begins flirting via text with Garrett, a
friend of her new co-workers. Despite many attempts and determination, she
misses opportunities to introduce herself to Cute Coffee Shop Guy or actually
meet Garrett in person. With Valentine’s Day approaching she succumbs to the
sugar rush of Candy Hearts and when ‘Secret Admirer’ continues to appear in the
messages, she takes it as a sign to decide which guy is her real Secret
Admirer.
Where to buy Secret Admirer -
The Wild Rose Press:
Where to find Ally Hayes -
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Ally-Hayes/e/B00N3IQ834/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1443551798&sr=8-1Twitter https://twitter.com/Partlyhazy
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Ally-Hayes-272896349585982/timeline/?ref=hl
Blog http://allyhayes.blogspot.com
Blog http://allyhayes.blogspot.com
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ahayes0256/
Email: allyhayes@comcast.net
It's Valentine's Day,
and candy heart sayings mock Drew Engledown's lonely state. He wants more in
his life than work, but hasn't met anyone he can imagine spending his life
with. When he puts his own life at risk to save a friend, he's sent back in
time to Regency London and mistaken for a murdered earl. Has he been given a
chance at love with the earl's beautiful widow, or will he suffer the same fate
as the previous lord?
When her husband's heir
lays claim to all she once owned, Lady Engledown is left nearly destitute. So
she doesn't know whether to be relieved or angry when the earl returns but
claims he's not her husband. Could he be telling the truth, or is he toying
with her? She doesn't know what to think of this man who is so different from
the husband she never loved. Can they find happiness together, or will this man
she comes to love leave her worse off than before?
Ally's
Review:
Time travel to discover your true love? Worked for
Drew.
As Valentine’s Day approaches, Drew Engledown is
facing another lonely holiday until fate steps in – or plows into him. Waking
in Regency England and in the arms of the widow Lady Engledown , Julia, he is
mistaken for her murdered husband. After much deliberation he assumes the dead
earl’s persona and is soon doing a much better job at being Julia’s husband
than his predecessor.
I loved the development of Drew and Julia navigating
the kinda-married situation they find themselves in and the awkward positions
that two hundred years creates. As Drew attempts to fit into society and help
save her family’s finances, Julia tries to understand the new sensation of
desire Drew has presented.
When
Drew is faced with returning to present day – well I’m not giving that away.
You’ll enjoy finding out as much as I did.
Where to Buy For You -
Where to find Emma Kaye:
Website: www.emma-kaye.com
Email: emmakayewrites@hotmail.com
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/emmakayewrites
Twitter Page: www.twitter.com/emmakayewrites
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/emma-kaye
The Wild Rose Press: http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=1122
Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/emmakaye
Renata Cabral needs to
hide for the weekend. Her cousin’s Valentine’s Day wedding means she’ll face
embarrassing questions from her large, extended family. Questions like “Why aren’t you married yet?” Since the
breakup of her last relationship, she’s not ready to answer that question. She
invents a work-related excuse and escapes to a friend’s lakeside cottage.
Noah Brownlee has been
hiding for two years. But now he’s ready to come home and mend his broken
relationship with his brother. When a friend offers the use of his lakeside
cottage, Noah arrives in the middle of a blizzard with his English Mastiff,
only to find the place is already occupied. With her big brown eyes and quirky
sense of humor, Renata stirs feelings he thought long dead.
As the blizzard rages,
the candy hearts predict love. Can Valentine’s Day work its magic between them?
Ally's
Review:
Can
a big, slobbery dog be part of a love story? He can when he’s Spike - Noah
Brownlee’s English Mastiff who falls just as quickly for Renata Cabral as his
master.
When Noah and Renata find themselves unintentionally
riding out a snowstorm at a mutual friend’s cabin they discover they have more
in common than just a desire to escape Valentine’s Day. Both are avoiding a
painful part of their past, but as their love grows along with their desire
they realize moving on will be easier with each other’s support.
I really enjoyed the development of the story and
discovering the characters’ backstory as they became closer. The attraction and
tension between the two was believable and kept me turning the pages. Spike
added comic relief and became an integral aspect of Noah and Renata’s
relationship.
Where to buy Chill Out:
All
Romance Ebooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-chillout-1937524-149.html
Chapters/Indigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/home/search/?keywords=Chill%20Out%20%2B%20Jana%20richards
Where to find Jana
Richards:
Website: http://www.janarichards.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JanaRichards_
Amazon Author
Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/janarichards
Newsletter Signup: http://www.eepurl.com/m3UnT
Google+ Profile: https://plus.google.com/100820406211390323245
Check back for more Candy Hearts Romance stories each Monday & Wednesday through Valentine's Day.
Monday, December 28, 2015
One Week 'Til Valentine's Day - Sorta
A week from today the Candy Hearts Series from the Wild Rose Press debuts and with it my novella, Secret Admirer.
On this post-Christmas, back-to-work (and here in the Midwest, icy) Monday, I was thrilled to receive this review and share it here with you.
Monday, December 28, 2015
Review: SECRET ADMIRER ( A Candy Hearts Romance) By Ally Hayes
SECRET ADMIRER ( A Candy Hearts Romance) By Ally Hayes
Review by: Peggy Jaeger
5 stars!
SECRET ADMIRER is a quick, cute and thoroughly enjoyable, satisfying read. Ally Hayes has that rare ability to draw you straight into the lives of her characters as a reader, and right into Andi’s life and dating dilemmas. I highly recommend you add SECRET ADMIRER to your Valentine day reading list.
Available for Pre-order onAmazon
Review by: Peggy Jaeger
5 stars!
A fresh start in a new town and at a new job are just what almost-30 Andi needs. And flirting with the hot guy she sees in her new favorite coffee shop each morning is a welcome bonus. If she could only discover what his name is without seeming too aggressively flirty.
Combined with the new job are new office friends, and when Andi takes the plunge to meet an even wider circle of “friends of new-friends,” she discovers a texting soul mate in a guy named Garret, who sounds almost too good to be true. Through a series of missed how-do-you-do-meetings and family obligations, they are prevented from a face-to-face encounter, but the texting relationship grows more intense with each new missive they send.
Coffee shop guy looks better every time Andi sees him, and when she finally discovers his name, she starts to devise a way to get to know him over more than just their morning caffeine shot.
Andi now knows the name of one hot guy, but not the other, and both are making her girly parts go zing! What’s a girl to do?
SECRET ADMIRER is a quick, cute and thoroughly enjoyable, satisfying read. Ally Hayes has that rare ability to draw you straight into the lives of her characters as a reader, and right into Andi’s life and dating dilemmas. I highly recommend you add SECRET ADMIRER to your Valentine day reading list.Available for Pre-order onAmazon
Monday, December 7, 2015
Exciting News -
You may still be thinking about candy canes, but the authors at the Wild Rose Press have been thinking about candy hearts for the past few months. I'm thrilled to announce that my novella, Secret Admirer, is part of The Candy Hearts Series launching January 4, 2016.
Throughout January and February romance novellas will release in different genres, but all are fun and sure to get you thinking about Valentine's Day.
Here are just a few of the covers of the first titles coming soon:
For more info on these upcoming titles and pre-orders, visit www.thewildrosepress.com and check back here soon for more sneak peeks.
Sunday, November 1, 2015
A Sneak Peek from Reality Rewind…..
“Beth?” Scott asked tentatively when I answered
the phone the morning after I sent him the email. It wasn’t our usual time to
talk, but I was prepared, knowing he’d call as soon as he finished reading and
absorbed the tell-all statement.
I pulled my robe tight against chill of the
November air as I tried to sound as normal as possible. “I’m here. Are you at
the office?”
“I haven’t been able to get myself to go in yet. I
read it last night and it was too late out there to call you. I slept a little,
but oh honey, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to tell you how sorry I am you
had to go through this. I actually hurt for you.”
I knew he did and part of me didn’t want to share
the details with him for this reason, he loved me so deeply, relaying the
events of the night would put him in pain too. I was careful with my words.
“I hope you understand now why I needed to share
it this way. Writing is my coping mechanism.”
“I realize it’s easier than talking about it, and
I don’t want to push you, but I wonder if I could ask a question.”
“Of course, anything.”
“This is what kept me up last night, Beth. How did you get home? Please tell me you didn’t fly back alone.”
“No, Alex flew out to meet me right away as both
my brother and lawyer. He dealt with whatever I couldn’t and made the calls to
Tom’s family. It was he who decided to wait until we returned home together to
tell Emma. She’d been staying with Judy and Chuck. In fact, when we returned, I
couldn’t even go back to the house and just stayed there with Emma and them. I
don’t even know how long I stayed. When we finally returned, my niece Amanda
stayed with us and Emma clung to both me and her cousin equally.”
“I’m just so sorry.”
“I know Scott, I do. Just remember you saved me
from my grief which I let last way too long.” I poured a cup of coffee even
though I knew it would do little to combat my exhaustion from the restless
night.
“I feel like it’s wrong to say, ‘I love you’ when
we’re talking about your late husband.”
“It’s not wrong. I’ve gotten past the inner-conflict.
It was difficult, but you made moving on easier for me.”
He paused, I could imagine his smile as he said
with sincerity in his voice, “I love you too."
I sunk down into a kitchen
chair, my previous nervous pacing now seemed unnecessary. “I love you too and I
hope you’re ready for whatever reactions come of this when I share it on my
blog. Some of my posts in the past have gone viral rather quickly, and those
were just about the show, I can’t imagine how fast this will make its way
around. I know not everyone will be kind, but I still think it’s better to have
it out there rather than react if and when any questions or speculations do
come up. I know your ex-wife’s article could contain just about anything,
including my history.”
“You can’t scare me away.”
I smiled into the phone and
was ready to hang up contented we’d passed this hurdle, when I heard him take a
deep breath, a sure sign he had more to say on the matter.
Thursday, October 29, 2015
The Ordeal – Part Two
So, we learned to
heat food on the stove, in the oven, crockpot and toaster oven.
We made popcorn the ‘old
fashioned way.’
We ate fresh food.
We ate out – more
than I care to admit.
The bill for the
microwave, including the installation I was told would be reimbursed after the
microwave is successfully installed, arrived.
I paid the bill.
The 21st
came and so did the installers!
The microwave fit the
space, and it worked. I didn’t let them leave until I’d heated a cup of tea.
Every now and then it
turns on by itself when closing the door, but I figure that’s a minor nuisance
I may or may not address. I have 15 days to decide to keep it – or so they say.
Lastly, I called the
nice customer service lady to tell her all was good. She assured me she’d issue
the rebate immediately. That was over a week ago, but as she said – “The check’s
in the mail.”
Sunday, October 18, 2015
The
Ordeal – Part One
The
microwave made a noise. Then a smell.
“I’m
not touching it,” said my daughter. Her partially popped bag of popcorn sat
deflated in the defunct appliance.
“Me
neither, wait for Dad.”
After
complaints of her now having nothing for a snack and later me trying to
remember how to make rice on the stovetop (the microwaveable pouches rock) my
husband came home.
“Oh,
come on.” He replied when we told him we were afraid to touch the microwave.
He
removed the stale popcorn bag and ran the fan feature.
“See,
it’s fine.” He said.
“Try
actually heating something,” I suggested.
He
grabbed a dish containing a lone broccoli spear (I steamed those) left over
from the middle kid’s dinner and placed it on the rotating glass plate. He hit
the 30 second button and gave me a smug look.
Poof!
The
control panel went dark.
“It’s
dead,” I declared.
“No,
I can fix it.” Famous last words.
After
an hour or so of searching on-line, my husband pronounced it unfixable.
“Dead.”
I said.
“Yes,
go buy a new one. Remember to measure before you go to the store.”
Happy
my husband agreed that our family of five could not do without a microwave, I
shopped on-line that night. I found the model to replace our over-the-range
eight year old family friend and set out the next morning.
“You’re
in luck, we have this in stock and you have ton of reward points. You’re a
preferred member so we’ll ship it to you and haul away the old one for free. Unfortunately,
installation costs $120.00.”
“Ouch,
for a $250.00 microwave? Is it something my husband can do?”
“Afraid
not, gotta connect the vent, blah blah…”
I
called my husband, and he agreed – just schedule the installation.
I
left with a delivery date of Monday October 12th and installation
date of Thursday the 15th. I assured them I could be home on the 15th
after 12 noon, all day.
I
was happy.
The
kids couldn’t understand how to heat anything. “It’s like we’re Amish!” whined
the youngest. Her pancakes were heating in the toaster oven, making them too
crispy and her apple cider was cold, not hot as she preferred.
“Amish
don’t watch Spongebob before school, they churn butter,” the middle kid told
her. She likes cold cereal in the morning, she was unaffected.
“Relax,
it’s just a few days away”
Monday
the 12th arrived. The kids had the day off and so did the husband.
He had work to do from home though and opened his laptop.
“Uh
oh, you’re not going to like this,” he said. He read from his screen. “We’re
sorry to inform you that order number xxxx has been delayed. Your estimated
delivery date is November 3rd.”
“November
3rd!” The kids and I yelled.
“BS,
they said they had it in stock. I’ll just cancel this order and we’ll go today
and just come home with another one so they can install it Thursday. Maybe
we’ll even get a Columbus Day deal today.
Although
heading back to the store was not part of my plan I couldn’t think of another
way to deal with the situation.
“Wow,
that’s crazy. We’re sorry for the inconvenience,” said the women at the
customer service desk. “Let’s just cancel this and get you a new one.”
A
big box was wheeled our way.
“It’s
not letting me cancel the order. It’s ‘in transit’ so it’s been assigned out to
UPS, we can’t touch it now.”
“How
can it be in transit if we’re not receiving it for 3 more weeks?”
“Good
question. Let’s see, it’s coming from Ohio.”
“Are
they walking it here?” My husband asked. We live in Chicago.
“I
don’t understand it either, let me make some calls.”
They
were very nice, she and the other guy who became involved. The other end of
their phone call obviously held not-so-understanding people. In the end (of
this part) they said the only thing we could do was purchase this new one,
still sitting on a dolly next to us for the past hour, and return the one that
arrives November 3rd.
“I
won’t be home November 3rd,” I said.
“Oh,
that’s tough, they won’t just leave it on your doorstep. You have to sign for
it.”
I
rolled my eyes. “Of course. I agreed to the 12th because I knew we’d
be home, otherwise I’d have taken it home.”
“Well,
you’ll have to have it redelivered.”
“No
we won’t,” said my husband. “We’ll not accept it and you’ll be able to cancel
it on your end.”
“We
can do that.”
“I
want that in writing and all your contact info, please.”
They
obliged and we purchased the microwave at our feet, assured we would get
reimbursed and not lose our reward points.
A
big burly guy carried it above his head to or car.
Driving
away my husband said, “I have zero faith this is going to go smoothly.”
I
nodded. We’d double checked we were still scheduled for installation on the 15th,
after noon. Still I was doubtful.
Halfway
home, my cell phone rang through the Bluetooth in my car. My husband answered
hands free. We could see the call was coming from our house. We’d been gone for
2 hours at a store 5 minutes away, I was sure the kids were looking for us.
“Hey,”
our oldest daughter said. “Did you guy just go buy a microwave?”
“Yeah,”
I said shocked she paid attention to what we said as were leaving.
“Well,
there’s a big box on our front step from Samsung.”
My
husband laughed, I swore.
“Ok,
take a photo and text it to me from the step.”
My
husband pulled a u-turn.
“We’re
back,” we said to the store greeter. He spoke into his collar microphone. I
imagined he was warning the customer service desk.
“Guess
what was waiting for us on our front step?”
“No!”
I
held my phone to show her the photo. Her jaw dropped.
“It’s
a Columbus Day Miracle!” I exclaimed. They were not amused.
Paperwork,
refunds, apologies and promises were exchanged. Burly guy came back out to our
car to retrieve the now unnecessary purchase.
“Oh
well, they better come on Thursday,” I said when we got home.
Wednesday
I
gave my cell number so I could get the call about the installation time window.
By 2pm no call had arrived and my oldest was home early from the PSAT exam. I
told her the store might call the home phone and to please make sure they are
coming after 12 the next day. I returned at 6 from a basketball and volleyball
game. No call had come. Uh-oh I thought, but got busy with dinner.
At
7pm I got the robo –call indicating the installers would arrive on Thursday
between 9 and 1.
I
called. They couldn’t change it. Installation is done by a third party. I asked
to speak to someone else and insisted she bring up my account.
“Oh,
I see you’ve been through a lot.”
“Do
you also see my request for after noon?”
“No.”
Of
course.
I
understand and will email a request to the installer now and request a time
change, he’ll call on his way over.”
“I
won’t be home until noon. I can’t answer my home phone.”
“I
have your cell as the contact number.”
Perfect.
Thursday
No
call came before I left the house at 9 to take middle daughter to get her
braces on. At 11 am, fully wired up I got her a drive-thru smoothie and dropped
her back at school. She tried to get me to let her skip and go shopping.
“Can’t,
microwave getting installed.”
She
understood and said she’d walk home so I could be home for the guy.
Still
no call on my cell.
11:20
I arrived home. There was a message on my home phone.
“Hi,
this is Bob, I’m on my way over to install your microwave.”
Yay.
Then
I checked the time stamp. 9:15 am.
I
called.
I
got the same woman, thankfully.
“Oh
dear. Ok, we’re going to wave the fee.”
I
thanked her.
“When
do you want to reschedule?”
“Uh,
later today. I said I’d be home now.”
“Yeah,
he’s overbooked.”
“Me
too. How about tomorrow, my husband can work from home.” I lied. I could get
out of some stuff.
“No,
how about next Wednesday the 21st?”
And
now I wait…
To be continued.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)