SARA News ~ World Changing All My Love On Location while Winning the Player and not Losing Patients

You may have noticed I'm late with this post by a week but with two long weekends in a row here in Australia, well, guess what was left behind?

But that's okay, because there's more SASS happening...

The World is a Changing...

Maggie Mundy's World Change (the first book in the Earthbound Series) is out now with Rogue Phoenix Press.

Clare gets transported from present day Florence to an alternate world, one that looks like fourteenth century Italy. The only way back is through a portal half a world away, plus the local High priestess wants her dead, and the only one she can trust is a vampire called Trevi. He is the only one who exits in this world, and she knows more about what he is than he does. He is hard to resist, especially when he saves her life. Trevi can take her home but he is keeping one big secret. She will have to be like him to survive the journey through the portal back to her world making a myth a reality.


Buy links:  Amazon  | Rogue Phoenix Press

Debut release now out!

Leesa Bow has her debut release, Winning the Player is now out from Destiny Romance.

An exciting New Adult romance about love catching up to you no matter how far you run… 

When injury destroyed her dream of playing college basketball, Aubree Taylor fled overseas. Now she's finally home again and ready to move on with her life. Until she runs into Hunter Stone on her first night out, the only guy who's ever meant anything to her – and the last person she wants to see.

Since she ran out on him two years ago, Hunter hasn't been able to get Aubree off his mind. The sexy football star has had girls all over him for years, but Aubree is the only one to have ever seen behind the cocky persona he puts on for the crowd.

Despite her attempts to keep her distance, Aubree is unable to resist the strong attraction between them and it isn't long before they fall into a passionate relationship. She has never been afraid of a challenge, but Hunter's arrogance and inablity to trust are testing her to her limits. Aubree must decide whether to follow her heart and lower her guard…or risk losing the best thing that's ever happened to her.

Order from Amazon | Apple | Google Play | Kobo

May reads!

Claire Baxter's  Love On Location will me released on May 1st with Random Romance.

A deliciously fun rom com about a girl who has big dreams and just can't stop herself from falling in love.Shayna is this close to getting her dream job as a location manager for a new TV soap, she just needs to find the right house to film it in, and the job is hers.Luckily, she's found the perfect place. Unluckily, the owner - who is tall, blond and more handsome than is fair - is stubbornly refusing to let her use it unless she goes to dinner with him. No harm in that, right?Lachlan swore he'd never go back into show business - not after his heart was broken - and the last thing he wants is a film crew traipsing through his house, but there's something about Shayna that's making it hard to say no . . .He won't let anyone near his heart, and she's not looking for love - what could possibly go wrong?

Buy links: Amazon | Random Romance 

All My Love is a print collection featuring novellas by both Claire Baxter and Virginia Taylor  from Random Romance.  It will be released on May 1st. Other authros included are Loretta Hill, Rachael Herron, Nicola Moriarty.

Dr No Commitment by Virginia Taylor
Ally was warned about Rohan Sinclair – and she is determined she won't let this gorgeous, model-dating doctor distract her. After all it's a terrible idea to fall for a man who will never commit, but what if in every other way he's her perfect guy?
A mischievous romance about a man who's always run from love and the girl who just might catch him.

Anybody But Him by Claire Baxter
After twelve years away Nicola Doyle returns home to Redgum Valley - and immediately comes face to face with the very reason she left: Blair Morrissey. He's charming, infuriatingly helpful and extremely attractive. If only Nicola could forgive and forget . . .
What happens when you fall in love with the man you hate? 

Buy Link: Random Romance

Meet the Authors & get your copy of All My Love!!

Just in time for Mother's Day- Virginia Taylor and Claire Baxter will be signing copies of All My Love on May 9^th (1pm) at Collins Booksellers Edwardstown, Castle Plaza Shopping Centre, South Road. 

Come along and say hi!

Cover love!!

Virginia Taylor shares us a sneak preview of her lovely cover for Losing Patients. It's scheduled for release in June 2014.

~See you in a couple of weeks with  more sassy news~

UP-CLOSE with Destiny Romance 'new adult' author Leesa Bow!

Tell us about your writing journey. How many manuscripts and years before publication? And what book number are you up to now?

My writing journey started late in 2009 when my daughter was diagnosed with cancer. Writing proved therapeutic in coping with stress and my first book, an NA fantasy, helped me to escape reality.

In early 2013, and with my daughter in remission, I started writing my second novel, and first-to-be published eBook, Winning the Player. I have since completed a NA rural romance and I am currently writing my fourth NA book, another football romance.

Can you tell us a little about your past – growing up in Broken Hill and the different occupations you’ve had!

Growing up in a country town was free, fun and safe and like being part of a huge extended family. You leave but your heart remains because the people are warm and friendly.

After leaving school I worked as a nurse at the local hospital and nursing homes until my early twenties when I moved to Adelaide.

Your debut novel with Destiny Romance, Winning the Player, is based around football, you married a football player, and footy season has just started! So… which team do you barrack for? And how much truth is there in your fiction work surrounding the footy world?

My husband was 17 when we started dating and he was a diehard Hawthorn supporter. Back then I didn’t follow football so I also supported Hawthorn. When the Crows joined the AFL, I supported SA’s only team.

Like many fiction novels, there is an element of truth for inspiration, however, it is twisted and exaggerated to create a story. The characters and storyline of my book are complete fiction.

What’s it like being a mum to four daughters? What can a typical day be like for you?
My girls are athletic, confident, strong-minded young ladies and I’m extremely proud of them. Dinner can be challenging and one might be mistaken for being at a verbal tennis match!

My weeknights and weekends were busy transporting them to sport trainings/games [when they were younger]. Thankfully my parents helped as it was impossible to get all four to their different trainings in one night. Dinner could be a Subway in the car travelling from one venue to another.

Describe how you came to meet Hollywood star Natalie Portman, and what she was like?

Natalie is the most beautiful and kindest lady I’ve ever met. My daughter was granted a ‘Make A Wish’ and we met her in 2012 in LA. From the very first minute we were taken in with her charm. She is just as beautiful off the screen without makeup on.

Finally, why did you choose New Adult as a genre, what is it, and what authors would you suggest people read if they want to learn more about the genre?

I think New Adult encompasses stories about people who are leaving high school through their mid-twenties and the unique set of problems, issues, and relationships that they encounter during that time period. It is becoming a category on its own with subgenres of contemporary romance, fantasy, and paranormal just to name a few.

My favourite NA authors are J. Lynn, Cora Carmack, Tammara Webber, Allison Parr, and Chanel Cleeton.

For more on the lovely Leesa, click here. And for Winning the Player, head on over here.

Sassy Snippets - SNOOP by Eleni Konstantine

Today we have the wonderful and talented Eleni Konstantine with and excerpt of her book 

SNOOP: SNOOP CASES #1

Bob's rule of investigating: Never take the paranormal at face value.

Daisy Luck is a SNOOP - Sanctioned Nationalized Officer Of the Paranormal. Her latest case involving a vampire and a gremlin has her private eye senses in a spin. Throw in yummy Detective Maroney and her life couldn't get more complicated - or could it?




Excerpt

My office door squeaked open. A dame in a tight-fitting red dress sashayed in, the slight lift of an eyebrow the only indication of
her surprise. No doubt she’d been expecting Uncle Bob. Cranky Uncle Bob, with his grizzly face and his cigarette-stained teeth. He was
tracking down a client who’d skipped town without paying.

The dame’s expression quickly changed to a smile.

I wasn’t fooled. I knew her type—a woman who could manipulate a man with one look. This sort of woman was both deadly and dangerous. Unfortunately for her, she wasn’t my type.

“Good evening.” Her rich upper-class English accent reverberated around the room. It definitely sounded out of place in this office, which more often than not had swear words bouncing off the walls. And not just from the men.

I smiled and stood. “Daisy Luck,” I said, extending my hand. “P.I.”

The lady placed her black-gloved hand in mine and shook it lightly.

“Nancy Umbridge. Vampire.”

I knew this, of course. My talent for sensing paranormal creatures is small-scale compared to some, but I had known Umbridge’s nature when she walked through the door.

I indicated for her to take a seat. “Can I get you something to drink?”

Vampires prefer most people to think they only drink blood. The truth is, while they don’t need food or drink to survive, they still relish both.

Umbridge sat regally in the chair across from my desk, scanning the place with her eyes. She politely shook her head. I assumed that a dame like her thought the battered old office needed a cleaning.

Her stunning black hair, red lips, and curvy figure oozed femininity. She would have had a career on the silver screen next to Ginger Rogers and Greta Garbo if the camera could have captured her image. We were worlds apart. I might have curves, but a pants suit and shirt did little for my sex appeal.

“What can I do for you—” I looked at her hand and noted the ring she wore over her left glove. “Mrs. Umbridge.”

“It is a rather delicate matter and I hoped to discuss it with Bob. Is he here?”

I shook my head. “I’m afraid he’s away on business. I’m his niece.”

“And do you have much experience as a private investigator?”

“Many years,” I responded.

Again, her eyebrow curved up.

“Mrs. Umbridge, when other girls were playing with dolls, my Uncle Bob took me on assignments. No one suspected a man with a child
might be a P.I.”

“How about SNOOP work?”

“It’s always been our specialty.”

SNOOP stands for Sanctioned Nationalized Officer of the Paranormal. Basically, a big blown out title to let people know we could work on paranormal cases. The title was given by the Board of Supernatural, and only those with a paranormal ability can be certified. SNOOP cases were our bread and butter. I pointed to the certificate on the wall showing my credentials. It wasn’t the agency she was wary of. It was me.

It really bugged me when other women were put off by a female investigator. Maybe it was something that harked back to the cavemen.

“Very well,” she said.

The back of my neck tingled in warning. Whatever Mrs. Umbridge wanted to hire us for, my intuition didn’t like it.

Buy links - Musa Publishing | Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | All Romance Ebooks

You can find Eleni at

elenikonstantine.com | Elenis' Taverna blog | Twitter @ElenisKafe | Facebook | G+ | Pinterest | Goodreads

SARA News ~ a whollota sass going on

SARA News will now be fortnightly to keep up with a busy schedule - unless of course I find a time-stopper and be able to keep up.

In the meantime, hold onto your hats, this issue has a lotta Sass going on....

STOP Press - Book Signing!!!

Carla Caruso will be at  Collins Booksellers Edwardstown, Castle Plaza Shopping Centre (992 South Rd), on Thursday (tomorrow!!), April 10, at 1pm for her book, Catch of the Day.

Debut release!!!

Emily Hussey has her debut release, The Red Heart from Steam eReads.

Arriving in Alice Springs was the start of a dream job for Kathy. As a newly qualified pilot, she was anxious to prove her abilities not just to her new boss and colleagues, but also to the characters that she met on her daily flight runs.

She was delighted to find out just how friendly the locals could be – well most of them. Brandon Woodleigh, a local station hand was contemptuous of the young city woman who was clearly out of her depth in the alien and harsh environment. Kathy vowed to keep out of his way and with a bit of luck, after her early encounters, she wouldn’t see him again.

Except she did – and he wasn’t who she thought he was. But that didn’t make him any less unpleasant. He had a knack of turning up wherever she was whether in town or out bush and each encounter left her feeling scorched in more ways than one.

Buy link: Steam eReads

Find Emily on Twitter

Busy busy Khloe

Khloe Wren's latest series is released! Sapphire Angel is Book 1 of the Gemstone Vampires Trilogy by Rogue Phoenix Press.

Vampires are real...as is the fact they will only ever take one women. Their Eternal Bride.

When Angelo sees Darcy, he knows she is his Bride. Her sapphire blue eyes match his exactly. But he must wait to claim her. He fears he has lost her forever when she disappears.

Five years pass before he finds her again. Just when things start heating up between them, Darcy is taken by their enemies. Angelo must fight to free his one true love. Will he be in time? 

Buy Link - Amazon

Check out the spiffy trailer for it.

Found at Youtube

And she's busy with a blog hop, which started on April 7th.  Why not follow her around?

April 7: Reviews by Crystal

April 7: Long and Short Reviews

April 8: fuonlyknew ~ Laura's Ramblins and Reviews

April 9: Booklover Sue

April 10: Musings and Ramblings

April 11: Room With Books

For a limited time only at .99c

Trish Morey has a new release, Second Chance Bride as part of the Montana Born Brides series by new publisher, Tule Publishing Group.

Scarlett Buck has always been flaky in comparison to her sensible twin sister Tara, so nobody is really surprised when Scarlett spends all her money on a one way ticket to Australia to be with the man she’s met on the Net. But she hasn’t reckoned on the guy already being married, or her mom getting sick, and now she needs money for a flight home to Marietta, MT—quick. Signing on with Bella's Belles in Kalgoorlie isn't be the proudest moment in her life but it will get her home fast. After all, it's just sex.

Or is it?

Mitch Bannister's ex is about to marry his best friend, and he could really do with a cold beer and a hot woman. But the cowgirl he takes a shine to at Bella's is surprisingly skittish, and in the end he leaves without hooking up.

Later, when Mitch spies the cowgirl in the local pub begging for a job, he shrinks into the shadows--he's not looking for complications, and something tells him that Scarlett Buck is a whole handful of them. But soon it's clear she's not just trouble, she's in trouble, and like it or not, he's not about to turn his back on this stray from the States. Especially if she can do him a favor in return. After all, it's just a helping hand.

Or is it?

Hurry now to buy from Amazon before the price goes up!

Manga'd!!

Trish has more great news with her two Japanese Manga releases AND an English release from Harlequin Comics...

Buy link for The Ruthless Greek's Virgin Princess 

(limited to certain devices) - 

Amazon

Debut release next week!

Leesa Bow has her debut release, Winning the Player out next week on the 14th from Destiny Romance!

An exciting New Adult romance about love catching up to you no matter how far you run… 

When injury destroyed her dream of playing college basketball, Aubree Taylor fled overseas. Now she's finally home again and ready to move on with her life. Until she runs into Hunter Stone on her first night out, the only guy who's ever meant anything to her – and the last person she wants to see.

Since she ran out on him two years ago, Hunter hasn't been able to get Aubree off his mind. The sexy football star has had girls all over him for years, but Aubree is the only one to have ever seen behind the cocky persona he puts on for the crowd.

Despite her attempts to keep her distance, Aubree is unable to resist the strong attraction between them and it isn't long before they fall into a passionate relationship. She has never been afraid of a challenge, but Hunter's arrogance and inablity to trust are testing her to her limits. Aubree must decide whether to follow her heart and lower her guard…or risk losing the best thing that's ever happened to her.

Pre order at Amazon

Check out Leesa's new website at leesabow.com

Want your funny bone tickled? Rom Com on the way....

Claire Baxter's next novella Love On Location will be released on 1st May. Here is the lovely cover....

 You can pre-order from  Amazon | iBooks

For A Good Cause

Claire's upcoming June release, a romantic suspense called Down Among the Dead Men is included in an offering in the Brenda Novak Juvenile Diabetes auction. It’s a Kindle Fire loaded with Entangled Ignite books. 

The auction begins in May but you can have a look at this prize here. 

Short story love...

Suzie Hindmarsh-Knights' short story Run From the Sun will be included in the Alfie Dog Fiction hardback romance collection called By My Side.  

More details when it comes to hand.

Pitch success....

Bronwyn Stuart sold her Regency with a dash of pirates to Harlequin Australia after pitching the story at RWA's 2013 conference!!

The Road to Ruin will be released in trade paperback in Australia and New Zealand as a MIRA in all good book and department stores and online.

Roadshow coming -

Weekend Romance: 

A Fair to Remember!!

A weekend for writers and lovers of romantic fiction.

Stop penning those love letters, put down the Mills & Boon, and forget those roses – it's time for our inaugural genre fair – and it’s romance! RWA and SAWC have come together to bring you two days of whirling workshops, panel sessions, masterclasses, industry advice, meet the authors sessions, book signings, and more. And on the Saturday night it’s the fundraising event of the year: our romance-themed lit quiz night. An irresistible festi-fool to fall in love with!

Full program and speakers announced in later this month...

We'll keep you posted!

Until next issue...stay sassy

Reading Adventures in April

Hello, and welcome to SARA's super-sasstastic April Reading Adventures.


We lead off with two reviews from Khloe Wren:


"Ein" by Sorcha Black

In love with a girl from school and the man hired to torture her, Einan is sent reeling when she thinks them dead. Destitute, she finds herself responsible for protecting children left uncared for in the wake of the Cedesian War.

Poor children are disappearing all over the city. While struggling to keep them safe, Ein accidentally sparks a rebellion. Will love find her again in the chaos or will she die a martyr?

Warning: Polyamory m/f/f/m, dominance and submission, bondage, graphic sex, reluctant sex trade work, kidnapping, torture.

Generally speaking I don't read fantasy or stories with female/female elements (also contains m/f and m/f/f/m). Through a recommendation I picked up Ein and couldn't put it down. What an epic tale! The heroine is Ein, a women who possess no super powers or royal blood. Yet she wars against all that life throws at her, no matter how tragic. Sorcha has crafted a uniquely brilliant story of overcoming the odds to find a HEA when at times it seemed impossible. 
(I also should add, you'll need a box of Kleenex for the first couple chapters - but it's worth it.)



"The King" by JR Ward (BDB #12)



Long live the King… 

After turning his back on the throne for centuries, Wrath, son of Wrath, finally assumed his father’s mantle--with the help of his beloved mate. But the crown sets heavily on his head. As the war with the Lessening Society rages on, and the threat from the Band of Bastards truly hits home, he is forced to make choices that put everything--and everyone--at risk.

Beth Randall thought she knew what she was getting into when she mated the last pure blooded vampire on the planet: An easy ride was not it. But when she decides she wants a child, she’s unprepared for Wrath’s response--or the distance it creates between them.The question is, will true love win out... or tortured legacy take over?

I am a massive Ward fan. I have every Black Dagger Brotherhood book in Kindle, paperback and Audible formats. I also proudly own eight personalized signed hard covers. So I guess I'm a little biased! However I read all  592 pages of The King in under thirty-six hours and that was with a sick child and other real life things I had to do. The King takes twists and turns you never saw coming and the ending was perfect. I hate reviews that give spoilers so I won't go into details but The King is definitely worth reading. Can't believe I have to wait another year for the next one! Oh, and I suspect JR Ward really doesn't like Miley Cyrus!


And from Emmeline...

"At Star's End" by Anna Hackett

I'm on a bit of a sci-fi rampage at the moment (um, 'the moment' lasting about six years), so when I was asked to take a look at this book in its infancy, I said, "Hell, yes."  

That said, I've never said no to any of Anna's books, so its was really a moot point.  


Dr. Eos Rai has spent a lifetime dedicated to her mother's dream of finding the long-lost Mona Lisa. When Eos uncovers tantalizing evidence of Star's End--the last known location of the masterpiece--she's shocked when her employer, the Galactic Institute of Historic Preservation, refuses to back her expedition. Left with no choice, Eos must trust the most notorious treasure hunter in the galaxy, a man she finds infuriating, annoying and far too tempting.

Dathan Phoenix can sniff out relics at a stellar mile. With his brothers by his side, he takes the adventures that suit him and refuses to become a lazy, bitter failure like their father. When the gorgeous Eos Rai comes looking to hire him, he knows she's trouble, but he's lured into a hunt that turns into a wild and dangerous adventure. As Eos and Dathan are pushed to their limits, they discover treasure isn't the only thing they're drawn to...but how will their desire survive when Dathan demands the Mona Lisa as his payment?


Ladies and gentlemen, this is a top-notch short sci-fi romance.  At just over forty thousand words, its the perfect after-dinner mint to your stodgy work day.  

Eos and Dathan, polar opposites, are cleverly juxtaposed. Their romance is fluid and gorgeous, the writing seamless, the action frenetic and the world building awesome, with tantalizing hints of contemporary earth.  Which is fortunate, because there are more Phoenix Brothers to come.  Hallelujah!  

Hackett has a deft hand with these fast-moving shorts, apparent ever since her first release Savage Dragon, her pitch-winner with Harlequin Nocturne Bites back in '09.  The Phoenix Adventures are set in the same world as Hackett's Carina Press release, Winter Fusion.  



We hope we have whetted your reading appetite!

Until next time, happy reading.

Emmeline.