Sad News, Fun News and What Heidi Did Next...

So, I have some sad news and some fun news and some hints about what I'm doing next…

Sad News

Harlequin KISS/M&B Modern Tempted is going to be ending, I think the last book in KISS is out in November and the last MT in January (but don’t quote me on that). My last book in the line Beach Bar Baby, came out in June, and I had no more plans to write for KISS but I am still pretty gutted to see this line go. There were a host of really talented authors in it and we wrote some AWESOME books, sadly in this super-competitive marketplace we could not manage to get them into the hands of enough readers. Publishing is a business and you have to roll with the punches, so have no fear I’m sure we’ll all find new homes but if you want more news about ‘what the KISS authors did next’ just check out the KISS & Tempt Facebook page where we will be chatting about book launches, new ventures, etc.

Fun News

With the RWA conference looming I am currently in the process of packing to go to San Antonio Texas next week. Yeehaw! I’ll be Tweeting and Facebooking and blogging and generally flitting about on social media being a romance diva and romance reader (ie: stalking some of my favourite authors!) but if you want to meet me I’ll be at the Literacy Autographing signing copies of Beach Bar Baby and The Wedding Party (my 2-in-1 with Charlotte Phillips) on Wednesday 23rd 5.30pm-7.30pm at the Marriott Rivercenter Hotel… So come on down if you’re in the area.

What Heidi's Doing Next (she hopes!)

Ok, so you may be wondering what the heck I’ve been doing since I finished writing Beach Bar Baby. Well, first off, I wrote another Cosmo Red Hot Read which is out in October. It's called 10 Rules to Sex Up a Blind Date and I'll be sticking up a sneak peek on my website as soon as I have cover art, but until then…I have a Pinterest board and...

Take one London journalist with a secret Twitter habit desperate to get laid, one US wolf in geek’s clothing, put them together and what have you got..? A super-steamy tale of hot sex, not entirely white lies and a few important lessons in Twitter etiquette.

Next up I’ve got three other projects on the go:

Firstly a quartet of linked novellas with three other fabulous former KISS authors – Amy Andrews, Kelly Hunter and Lucy King – with the working title Fairytales of New York… And that’s all I’m saying on the subject. But we expect it to be fabulous and we’re hoping to get it out next year.

Next up is the book I’m currently working on, I have a sneak peek on the subject matter up on Pinterest, but basically it’s a longer book, I’m hoping to sign the contract very soon. And you’ll be the first to know all the intimate details when I do…

And last but not least, I am still hoping to write more series books for Harlequin. I don’t know where, or how or with which line, but rest assured I’m working on it… Honest.

Happy Launch Day, Brenda Novak & Sekrit Projects!

Beach Bar Baby est Arrivé!

Whoopee! Beach Bar Baby launches today in North America and the UK and Ireland in Harlequin KISS and Mills & Boon Modern Tempted...

In case you don't know what I'm banging on about this is the final installment in my Brothers and Sisters series... With strong links to Cupcakes and Killer Heels (Ruby and Cal from that book have supporting roles in this one). Beach Bar Baby tells the story of cupcake baker Ella Radley who goes to Bermuda on a holiday of a lifetime - which is turning out to be anything but - until she has a wild fling with studly local boat captain Cooper Delaney on her last night on the island...

Here's a little snippet to whet your appetite, which takes place just as Coop and Ella are getting really well acquainted...

He turned up the lamp, giving the modest hut a golden glow.

Walking to the open deck, he closed two large shutters and then slid the screen door across, cocooning them in together against the Caribbean night. Only the sparkle of moonlight and the sound of surf and chirping insects seeped through the slats.

'Don't want to risk getting our butts bitten off my mosquitos,' he said, crossing the short distance back to her.

She laughed, the rough stubble on his jaw ticklish against her neck as he gripped her hips and nuzzled the sensitive skin beneath her ear.

'Especially such a cute butt,' he added, giving the butt in question an appreciative squeeze.

She wrapped her arms around his lean waist and slipped her fingers beneath the waistband of his jeans, to caress the tight muscles of the backside she had admired that morning in wet denim. ‘I can totally get behind that sentiment.’

He chuckled, warm, callused palms sneaking under her camisole to glide up to her ribcage and send a series of tremors through her body.

‘Flattery will get you everywhere,’ he said. Before placing his mouth on hers at last.

Releasing his bum, she lifted arms lethargic with lust and draped them over his broad shoulders, driving her fingers into the soft curls at his nape, she let him devour her. He angled his hips and the thick ridge in his pants rubbed against her belly.

Oh yes, I want this so much.

To be taken, to take. She wanted to let her body do the asking and have his answer, in the primordial mating ritual of two animals in need of an endorphin fix. The fact that she liked him, that he seemed a genuinely nice guy, didn’t hurt. But right here, right now, as the building firestorm made the pulsing ache in her sex unbearable, and her nipples tighten into hard, swollen nubs, all she really cared about was satisfying the driving hunger.

If you want more details on where to buy it check out the book's page on my website. Also watch this space as I will be giving away some copies on various blogs in the next few weeks. Then again....

Beach Bar Baby on the Block 

at Brenda Novak Online Auction

If you want to buy a copy and do something amazing for Diabetes Research... I've also got some signed Larger Print copies of BBB up for grabs at Brenda Novak's Online Auction. So get your bids on NOW! Here and Here. OR if you want Beach Bar Baby in a 2-in-1 with Charlotte Phillips fabulous The Plus-One Agreement you can bid Here or Here.

Cosmo #2 Hits Ed's Desk & New Projects!

In other news my 2nd Cosmo (working title: 10 Rules to Sex-Up a Blind Date) a tale of sex, lies and Twitter etiquette has winged its way to my editor... So I'm getting cracking on a super sekrit project which I hope will be quite a surprise for readers when I can announce it!

Beach Bar Baby Giveaway for NA readers!

Windswept in Connemara

So after a fabulous week in Ireland at a wonderfully inspirational writers retreat in Connemara (where I am so setting a book!), I got back to find a great big box of my new Harlequin KISS release Beach Bar Baby... So what's a girl to do but set up a Goodreads Giveaway? For North American readers no less?

The book's out now on the Harlequin site, and released country-wide on May 1st. For more deets and a sneak peek check out my website here.

Now as KISS is only available on digital at the moment, these paperbacks are the rarer Larger Print version (ie don't read the sexy bits on the bus cos that guy next to you will so be able to read it over your shoulder... Just sayin' - unless of course he's a total hunk and you want him to read it over your shoulder!) I've got two copies to giveaway, so enter before 21st April to be in with a chance of nabbing one.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Beach Bar Baby

by Heidi Rice

Giveaway ends April 21, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Introducing Beach Bar Baby... My next Harlequin KISS/Modern Tempted!

In the spirit of the season - Spring (in case you were wondering) - I've just added two new pages to my website. One for the fabulous short story collection from the authors of the RNA, Truly Madly Deeply - which includes a sneak peek of my offering The Fundamental Things - and one for my next Harlequin KISS/Modern Tempted book Beach Bar Baby.

I'm super excited about this story because it brings to a close my 'unofficial' Brothers and Sisters series of books which started with Rye and Maddy's story - Surf Sea and a Sexy Stranger - way back in 2010 and finished last year with Zane and Iona's story - Too Close for Comfort... Or at least I thought it had concluded with Zane and Iona. But I kept having this niggling feeling that my Cupcakes and Killer Heels heroine Ruby Delisantro's best mate and business partner Ella needed her story told too. But I just couldn't figure out what it would be, until gorgeous boat captain and Bermuda beach bum Cooper Delaney popped into my head. And suddenly everything became clear - or rather smoking hot!

Anyway, the book's out in May/June and you can check out a sneak peek here. For details on all six of the books in the Brothers and Sisters series and how they're connected you can check out my backlist page here.

Cosmo-Coolio and a Live Twitter Q&A

Just in case you don't already know, my first (and hopefully not last) Cosmo Red Hot Read, 10 Ways to Handle the Best Man, is OUT NOW on ebook. So go grab yourself a copy if you're in the mood for a short, funny, super-sexy read with added naughty bits.

Here are a few of the things readers are saying about it on Goodreads/Amazon:

"Really cheeky and Connor was such an alpha."
4-star Goodreads, Cassandra

"If the other Cosmo Red Hot Reads are as good as this one,
I'm definitely going to have to check them out."
4-star Goodreads, Danielle

"I just adored this one. A total must read."
5-star Goodreads, Erica  

"This novella is sexy, fun, and worth reading if you enjoy romance stories. Consider yourselves forewarned: These Cosmo Red-Hot Reads are addictive!"
4-star Amazon, Nicole 

In other news  I'm taking part in the #TemptedtoWrite Twitter comp being run from 20-24 January by Mills and Boon for aspiring authors wanting to write for Modern Tempted (aka Harlequin KISS in the US). I'm one of the judges - along with the fabulous Charlotte Phillips and Joss Wood — and I'll also be doing a live Q&A on Twitter on Friday 24th January at 3pm. So be there, or be a donut! For more details check out M&B's Facebook page.

UK Readers: Wanna free copy of Maid of Dishonour?

Cool, then here's your chance.

To celebrate the release of Maid of Dishonour in Modern Tempted in October, M&B are doing a great Goodreads Giveaway for UK readers. Just click to enter below because they're giving away 30 copies peeps!!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Maid of Dishonour

by Heidi Rice

Giveaway ends September 12, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

But if by chance you should actually want to pay money for this book *author does mega-cute puppy dog pout* it is actually available in the UK and the US at the moment to buy...

And don't forget this is the third book in the fabulous Wedding Season Quartet, if you wanna read them in order you can check out our FB page for details!

The Wedding Season Giveaways Begin!!

To celebrate our fabulous KISS continuity, The Wedding Season, a four-book series that starts this month, we of the Wedding Season Quartet will be running a series of giveaways of the books in the series.

First up is Aimee Carson with her brilliant first book The Unexpected Wedding Guest. Unfortunately this giveaway is only open to US readers, so if you're one of those do enter the Rafflecopter below - or you can enter via the tab on our Facebook page.

If not have no fear, we will be doing stuff for Worldwide readers too, and there will also be the launch of the Quartet in Modern Tempted (in September in the UK) to celebrate later.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you want to know more about the other books in the series - including mine, Maid of Dishonor - you can like our Facebook page and/or follow our Pinterest boards.

And don't forget you can also download Aimee's prequel novella The Wedding Dress Diaries for free from Harlequin, to get you in the Wedding mood.

 

You Are Cordially Invited to The Wedding Season: The Fab New KISS Quartet

Hey lovely readers....

Wanted to invite you to the biggest event of the summer - the new KISS quartet The Wedding Season, which features linked books by Aimee Carson, Amy Andrews, Yours Truly and Kimberly Lang, plus a wonderful prequel novella by Aimee which is available for free to whet your appetite.

We have lots of exciting things going on around the web to inform people about the wonderful-ness of this new series (and hopefully flog a few books - mercenary? moi?). so if you want to get involved you can....

Come follow our Wedding Season page on Pinterest

Download Aimee Carson's fabulous free novella - The Wedding Dress Diaries

Come like our Wedding Season page on Facebook

Or check out our Harlequin Blog with all The Wedding Season heroines giving their own special wedding tips!

So you have absolutely no excuse now not to get on your posh frock and join us for a fabulous Wedding Season!! Just sayin'

Chamar todos oradores portugueses! My First Brazilian Goodreads Giveaway!

Got a lovely little package in the post this morning from my samba-ing postman...

So to celebrate I'm doing my first Brazilian Goodreads Giveaway (seems appropriate as the Football World Cup is gonna be in Rio next year!). The giveaway book is a gorgeous 2-in-1 of The Mile High Club and The Tycoon's Very Personal Assistant (in Portuguese of course!), which I think is coming out in November/December in time for Christmas!

Should be approved in a couple of days and then anyone can enter (so watch this blog!)...

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Sabor da Chantagem & Refúgio Sonhado

by Heidi Rice

Giveaway ends June 21, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

In other news the lovely Abby Green told me that Too Close for Comfort hit the top spot on the Harlequin website today... So I'm posting a screen grab... Because I'm a bit of a show off like that (and it'll probably only be up there for a nano-second!)

Win a Copy of Too Close for Comfort, my 1st Harlequin KISS novel

The lovely UPS man delivered a big ole box of books today of my first ever Harlequin KISS novel!! So how excited am I??

Too Close for Comfort is due out on May 21st in North America and features drop-dead delicious Mexican-American PI Zane Montoya - who appeared briefly in my last Harlequin Presents Extra One Night So Pregnant  and got everyone hyperventilating - well, me anyway!

So I just had to write Zane's story. But I wanted to find him a heroine who would really challenge him and get behind that sexy, devil may care charm to the tortured and tender soul beneath. Step up Iona MacCabe, a feisty Scottish wildlife artist who's in California to track down the deadbeat who conned her father out of his life savings... Unfortunately said deadbeat is also on Zane's hit-list, and the last thing Zane needs after staking out the guy's motel room in Morro Bay for most of the night is some reckless kid breaking into the room and screwing up a six-month operation...

Uh-oh, I see trouble ahead... And moonlight and dancing and lust and... well you get the picture!


You can read a sneak peek from the first chapter of Too Close on my website here: 

Psst.. This copy of the book also features a seriously smexy free novella by Aimee Carson called The Wedding Dress Diaries: the stunning intro to our wonderful Harlequin KISS continuity The Wedding Season by Aimee C, Amy Andrews, Yours Truly and Kimberly Lang...Which I guarantee you will not want to miss... I'm still fanning myself after reading it a couple of months ago!

So if you'd like to win a free copy of Too Close for Comfort (with Aimee's bonus novella), you can either enter the Goodreads Giveaway listed on the sidebar of this blog (which will be approved shortly and runs until 15th May!).

Or Enter the Rafflecopter below (PS, if you need help with the answer to the question, check out my website page for the book above!).


a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Sneak Peek of Too Close for Comfort...

Yay! Thanks to the hard work of my wonderful web lady Heather I now have a sneak peek of my next book – Too Close for Comfort – up on my website.

This is the story of dropdead gorgeous Mexican-American PI Zane Montoya who appeared as the hero's half-brother in One Night, So Pregnant!  And reckless Scottish wildlife artist Iona McCabe...  if you want to find out how they meet in the opening chapter check it out here.

The book is out in June as a Harlequin KISS in the US and as a Mills and Boon Modern in the UK...  And hopefully all those people who asked for Zane's story won't be disappointed.

A Glittering Night at the RoNas, Cover Joy & Some Spanish Giveaways!

Wow,  what an action packed couple of weeks I've just had.

First  off their was a glittering night last week at the RNA's RoNa awards. Unfortunately I didn't win the Rose award - that honour went to the lovely (and disgustingly talented!) Sarah Mallory. But I still had a fantastic time with fellow authors Sarah, Carol Townend, Fiona Harper, Scarlet Wilson and Abby Green and India Grey. It was a great night and now I've just got to make sure I get nominated next year so I can have that much fun again. (No pressure, then!!!)

Scarlet, Carol, Sarah, Fiona and Moi looking fabulous on the night!

Then this week I took a two-day trip to Dublin's Fair City to do a wonderful workshop with my good mate Abby Green on how to write a Mills and Boon. I think we made a pretty good double act myself and it was great chatting with the Eblana writer's group who hosted the event.

And then I got back this afternoon to discover not one but two great covers for my June release Too Close for Comfort in my inbox. This is Zane and Iona's story and is going out in the US as my first Harlequin KISS novel and in the UK in the Mills and Boon Modern series -  while Riva remains on hiatus.  Both covers are completely gorgeous but I'd say the KISS cover might just have the edge thanks to all those bright vibrant colours and my fabulous heroine - who looks exactly as I pictured her with all that gorgeous red hair. That said, Zane my drop-dead delicious Mexican-American PI is pretty cute too.  For more details about the book watch this space as I will be doing a sneak peek on my website very soon.

I may also have more exciting news for UK readers shortly about some reprints and also the release of our fabulous KISS continuity The Wedding Season in the UK.

Lastly, for any Spanish-speaking readers out there I am doing a couple of Goodreads Giveways of my Spanish translations:

Mas Que Una Noche (aka The Good the Bad and the Wild)

Los Asuntos Del Duque (Unfinished Business with the Duke)

Just click on the widgets in the sidebar to enter!

The KISS Continuity Is Ready for Takeoff!

So excited to announce that my 14th book has now been accepted!

Maid Of Dishonour is currently slated for a September release in North America and will be the third book in the KISS continuity which I've been doing with fabulous fellow authors Amy Andrews, Aimee Carlson and Kimberly Lang. Called The Wedding Season, the continuity follows the story of four former college roomies who each end up on the rocky road to love during one eventful summer.

My story involves flirty British social media strategist living in New York Gina Carrington and hot Southern CEO Carter Price (who's the big brother of Kimberly Lang's heroine). They have a wild one-night stand in their past that had a devastating impact on both their lives and gives them lots of juicy baggage to work through when they meet again ten years later.

Having now read all the other books in the continuity I can safely say that it's  going to be an absolute stunner. It should be kicking off in July with Aimee Carson's book The Uninvited Wedding Guest which is a suitably steamy tale of love regained when Park Avenue Princess Reese Michaels has a surprise visit from surly ex-husband and former US Marine, Mason Hicks, on the eve of her big society wedding to Mr Perfect, Dylan Brookes......


Hope that whets everyone's appetite!

I'll be sticking up a sneak peek on my website of Maid Of Dishonour as soon as I have cover art, but until that time you might want to check out my Pinterest page featuring my pictorial inspiration for the story accompanied by some cheeky little snippets of the text!

 Also today, I'm talking about the fabulousness that is the Silver Linings Playbook over at The Pink   Heart Society  so come on over and check it out.

RWA Update + Tess and Nate's Story Gets a Cover!

So am just back from a fabulous week in Anaheim for the 2012 RWA Conference... Exhausted, excited and inspired!

Lots of thrilling news to report, but easily the highlight of the week was Sarah Morgan's triumphant win at the RITAs for Best Contemporary Series Romance for Doukakis's Apprentice. She gave a wonderfully witty speech and looked fabulous in her gold-fringed RITA-matching frock (and she let me fondle it for a minute - the RITA that is, not the frock - see below!). Can't think of a better ambassador for Presents than Sarah, she done us all proud. Incredibly this was the first RITA for a Presents book, may there be many more now.

Also on my agenda was a Riva lunch with lovely fellow authors Kimberly Lang, Aimee Carson, Sue Stephens and Fiona Harper. Needless to say there was much talk about the upcoming launch of Kiss which according to my ed the NA office are 'very excited' about. They're not the only ones!!

Had a fabulous brainstorming session with Aimee and Kimberly for our Kiss continuity which is starting to look completely AWESOME (if I do say so myself). My hero is going to be a nice Southern boy turned cynical and super-sexy CEO who had a steamy one-night stand in college with my sultry sassy British heroine. They meet again ten years later and the fireworks are going to be seriously hot! It's set in NYC and Savannah and that's really all I can say for now... But I'm so excited about this story and the others in the quartet.

The Harlequin Party was a dance-your-feet-off affair as usual and we had Nora Roberts sitting on the table next to us! Not to mention free cosmopolitans all night. Having already stalked Nora at the Literacy Autographing earlier in the week (and got a signed copy of her new In Death book! Yay!) I had to refrain from doing it again. So me and Ms Abby Green stalked the fabulous Victoria Dahl instead. Managed to get an early read of her new book Close Enough to Touch and fell in love with it. Check out my Goodreads review if you want to know more.

I finished off the week spending a day schmoozing with Abby Green and Fiona Harper on Santa Monica Boulevard and hanging out at  Abby's suite in a fabulously funky hotel in West Hollywood - before fi and I caught the flight home to London...

All in all, had such a brilliant time I didn't even shout at my sons when I saw the Mount Everest of Laundry waiting for me on my return!

In other news I've just got ahold of the cover for my next (and last) Presents Extra release One Night, So Pregnant. Absolutely love the cover and the back blurb which should whet your appetite. The book's out in December in the US and will hopefully be out in the UK when Riva relaunches next year, but I will be putting up a sneak peek shortly on my website.

 

What to expect when you’re unexpectedly expecting

• Shock: Telling a gorgeous (almost) total stranger that he’s going to be a dad is never easy!

• Cravings: The instant chemistry that catapulted Tess Tremaine into the wildest night she’s ever had isn’t going to just go away— and no one says no to Nate Graystone when he’s determined to be involved….

• Hormones Gone Wild: Surely that’s the only reason she’s failing to keep Nate out of her bed, out of her mind…and why she keeps wanting more from the most unattainable man she’s ever met?

Kiss news and Chris Hemsworth in Leather Trousers...

So, I'm sure you've all heard by now the very exciting news that the Riva imprint will be launching in the US as Kiss in early 2013... That said, you'll need to look out for One Night So Pregnant, my next (and last) Presents Extra book in December in the US. Unfortunately in the UK it's got caught in the Riva relaunch so it'll be going out Direct to Consumer only in November, and hopefully get a full print and digital release when Riva relaunches in 2013... Will keep you posted on that.

One Night, So Pregnant is Tess and Nate's story - you remember Tess, best mate of The Good, the Bad and the Wild's heroine Eva Redmond, yeah, that's right, that Tess the tall, slim party planner with the big mouth... Quite a few peeps asked for her story and I couldn't resist. Anyway, I'll be posting more news about the book with excerpts, etc as soon as I have a cover. (That's Nate on the left! Phwoar!)

Now the book I'm currently working on is Zane and Iona's story. Zane is a drop-dead gorgeous Mexican-American private detective who runs his own agency in Carmel California and is the secret half-brother of Nate... You'll meet him in One Night and believe me, as soon as you do you'll wanna read his story. Well, I certainly had to write it. Anyhow I'm still plugging away at it. Fingers crossed it will be out in the new Kiss line next year and hopefully the brand spanking new Riva line too (if it gets accepted!)...  That's Zane and Iona doing something a little bit naughty on the right!

For more details about both books, check out my Coming Soon page.

But equally exciting is the very cool continuity I've just started brainstorming with fellow Riva Divas Amy Andrews, Aimee Carson and Kimberly Lang. So far we've been having a hoot pinging emails between the US, Oz and London and while the results of our labours are all hush-hush for now I can tell you that what we've worked out so far is TOTALLY AWESOME. This is gonna be a continuity to die for. Can't wait to get to RWA conference next week in Los Angeles and start brainstorming face to face with Miss Carson and Miss Lang... I've never done a continuity before so it's virgin territory for me (and there aren't many things I can say that about these days!) and I'm loving it...



In other news, I'm over at the Pink Heart Society today waxing lyrical about Snow White and the Huntsman or rather the  Chris Hemsworth and the Leather Trousers as it is now affectionately known by moi! So come and join me and have your say.