Just back from my relaxing holiday on the lovely Italian isle of Sicily. It really is a gorgeous place, rustic unspoilt and the locals were super friendly. The tiny town where we were staying was having a fiesta the night we arrived, which turned out to be very fortuitous as we couldn't find our villa. Ended up with a car load of local guys leading us to the place after a faltering exchange with us talking in English, them talking in Italian, and lots of gesitculating over the rather crap map from the holiday company. Am thinking this may be the start for a book!!
The weather was blazing sunshine everyday which unfortunately meant I couldn't do a thing except laze about the pool or at the local beach - where I did a lot of very valueable research watching the buff young local guys show off their tanned abs... Gotta love Italian men, they don't half know how to flaunt it! Sadly I could not get any pictorial evidence of this inspiring pastime for my blog as I had my slightly older but no less sexy husband sitting next to me! So have added in a few others pics to make you salivate.
The other rather liberating thing was that there was no internet connection to speak of... Amazing how productive you can be when you have no access to Twitter, Facebook, email or my latest internet time-suck obsession
Goodreads (am now a Goodreads author if anyone wants to go Friend me as I'm feeling a little lonely). So have now written the first three chapters of my next book...
Which involves an events planner called Tess Tremaine who ends up ever so slightly pregnant after she gets dumped by her boyfriend and ends up having super hot rebound sex in a closet with a New York billionaire called Nate Graystone. Tess is a former wild child turned demure career woman who's cover has just been blown in spectacular fashion... Can she pick up the pieces of her shattered image? Go back to being a good girl again? And how is arrogant, super sexy and totally aloof Nate, who she only knows in a biblical sense, going to deal with the prospect of fatherhood? Not well as it turns out!
Very excited about this one, scenes literally pinging into my head while lounging by the pool in the sun. That said, I know I am in the first flush of love and will probably want a divorce by chapter ten.
In other news, also returned to discover a super classic cover for On the First Night of Christmas in it's US/Harlequin Presents Extra incarnation. What d'you think? So different from my Riva cover... More Christmassy, very classy but a little less sexy maybe?
Which one do you prefer?
I'll be doing a giveaway on Goodreads and a comp here on my blog as soon as I have my author copies...
Come on Mr Postman, get a move on!
14 comments:
Well, I sound like typical Gemini here - but I really like them both! The US version is just the right side of cheesy (and VERY Christmassy!).
The UK version is sexier - but not seasonal - it needs a sprig of mistletoe!
I'm with you on that Sharon, I love the Riva cover cos it's uber sassy and sexy (just like moi!!!) but am not getting that Christmassy a vibe from it, a sprig of mistletoe would have worked a treat.
And do love the London snow scene on the PE one, especially as the South Bank really did look like that last Christmas when I was writing it!
Well I am going to be really boring and say I prefer the U.S version.Christmas to me is snowy scenes,mistletoe,gorgeous hero's and beautiful heroine's..Sorry I am a Capricorn and very much a traditionalist...I would be (at Christmas) more inclined to buy the U.S version on the cover alone !!
For the first time EVER, I think I prefer a Presents cover to a Riva. It's the Christmas thing that's swinging it!
Thanks for your comments Dilys and Scarlet... Well, what d'ya know, it looks like we're all suckers for a bit of Yuletide bling.. With our hunky guys!!
Oooh, soooo jealous of your fab trip to Sicily (on my list when I win lottery!!). Loving the sound of the new book Heidi - cannot wait to read except now I can't get the image of Boris Becker (ugh) out of my head since I read about Tess's sex in closet with Nate! He got someone preggers in a restaurant closet too!!
As for the covers of On the First Night of Christmas - def prefer Riva cover!
Did u think any more about a book about Ruby's friend Ella?
Oh good lord, forgot about Boris and the hotel closet, may have to rethink that now.. Or make absolutely sure my hero doesn't have red hair and a German accent... No, we're ok there, Nate's a Yank with jet black hair.
Nothing for Ella is jumping out at me at the moment, but definitely have her in the back of my mind.. Although it's all getting a bit complicated timeline wise because in my last book Ruby showed up with three kids after six years of marriage to Cal, which would make her 33, so unless I can whisk everyone back in time, Ella's going to be a bit old for a Riva heroine. Arghh.. My head is starting to explode with the logistics of it all.
I love the Riva covers. They are more visually striking, but the twist of ribbon is delightful Christmas Cheese.
I go Riva, too, but do wish that they'd thrown that curling ribbon down the middle diagonal, for bow in the corner (or something).
Loving the Riva, though there is a little bit of old skool charm about the US cover. And also the 'USA Today Bestselling Author'.... Hehe.
Yes Amalie the twist of ribbon's a tad too subtle (not something I often say about one of my covers, LOL!). I've had a closer look and I think there's a Christmas bauble in there as well, which you don't notice in a picture, will have to check it out when I have the real thing.
Jackie, thanks for your thoughts, as insightful as ever.. And yes, I shall be touting my one and only appearance on the USA Today bestseller list for the rest of my days... Also love the cheeky tagline 'Tis the Season to be Tempted'... I suggested 'Tis the Season to be Naughty' as a title so I'm taking a bit of undue credit for that!
Hmmm, I like both of the covers, but prefer the Riva, if I had to pick just one. Sicily sounds wonderful and am loving the sound of that new story :-)
I have to go with the Riva one. It's just so fun and so now. :-) But I totally agree that it needs a little seasonal something/something like mistletoe.
Ok, I make that a Riva win with two votes for the Presents cover and five for the Riva (with me and Sharon happily sitting on the fence)..
So the sexy dude with the lipstick stubble won out over classy old skool sparkle... But a little bit of mistletoe would have been welcome!!
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