SARA News - The "It's a real gem" edition.

Hullo, intrepid readery friends!

We do hope you've all been well and are enjoying a stellar beginning to 2016.  :)

Please, grab a coffee and a Tim Tam, and immerse yourself in the luminous, glowing sparkly wonderful that is the REAL GEM edition of the SARA News.


We begin with the news that both Emily Hussey and Emmeline Lock's short Sunstone stories have won places in the 2016 Romance Writer's of Australia's Little Gems Contest, and will be published in both print and ebook format later in the year.  Check that fab cover from Sheridan Kent, who has won the cover contest a whopping FIVE times.  Ah...  Makes me want to crack out the banana lounge.  What a gem!

Khloe Wren recently achieved a FIVE STAR review from The Romance Reviews for her Erotic Vampire Romance, Scarred Perfection from Evernight Publishing.  It's a Top Pick, too!  Read more here.  It's a gem!

Bronwyn Stuart has a shiny new release!  Mixing Business With Pleasure is out from Escape Publishing, and by Bronwyn's own admission, it's "hot, hot, hot!"

Alison Marcum loves her baby brother and would have done anything for him--until the day his loan sharks arrive on her doorstep and demand she pay them ten thousand dollars or else. 
With no way to repay the money, and not wanting to find out what they’re capable of, Alison transforms herself from boring social worker to smoking hot model--but getting work isn’t going to be the hard part for a woman who’d promised herself never to step in front of a camera again.
Sam Mason is overseeing a jewellery advertising campaign, and after spending ten minutes in the boardroom with a nearly naked Alison, he decides he might actually enjoy the job. Strictly business, though. Sam’s been burned by a model before and no matter how attracted he is, there’s no way he’s getting involved.
As the lies begin to unravel and the loan sharks get impatient, will they both risk it all to be together or lose it all in a bid not to repeat the past?


Bella Bucannon has a twinkling new website, ahead of her mid-year Harlequin release, Bound by the Unborn Baby.   Check out the pre-order link here.  Website designed by SARA's own HelzKat Designs.

"As far as everyone's concerned, Alina, this child is ours." 

Surrogacy is the closest Alina Fletcher dares get to motherhood. But when she must tell tycoon Ethan James she's carrying his late sister's child, his solution takes her breath away—a temporary marriage of convenience for the baby's sake!  
Alina knows it's the right decision for her baby, but is marrying a stranger—especially one who makes her heart sing!—the right choice for her? Having loved and lost her own family, this proposal could be another chance at happiness…if only Alina's brave enough to say "I do"!

Good grief, these gems are so bright, I gotta wear shades.  :)

Until next time, happy reading!

Emmeline.  

SARA News - Ringing in the new year with new news!

Hello, and welcome to the year 2016 with SARA!

With our Christmas pudding all eaten, and our New Year’s Resolutions made (and broken.  Don’t judge. *smiley face* ), it’s time to get on and celebrate the new year with some new news! 

Maggie Mundy has two new releases out.  One is Scarred Protector, which is the second book in the Midworlder Trilogy. 

You’ll also find her book World Change in a Rogue Phoenix box set called Perceptions of Love, featuring six full-length novels that challenge convention.  Other authors featured include Angela Castle, Tamsin Baker, JL Addicoat, CL Kramer and Christine Young. 

Congratulations, Maggie!

Amazon buy link for Scarred Protector

Amazon buy link for Unknown Protector



Angels and demons are not what you think. They are aliens, and the Midworlders are their 

representatives on Earth. An Angelic Midworlder called Heath goes to the aid of Evie who is 

about to be attacked by Demonics. He soon discovers she can see the angels and demons 

around her and is in grave danger. He is captivated by Evie who has physical and mental 

scars like him. They are tortured souls who are deeply connected by his past. There is an evil lurking inside Evie that could kill them both.


Available November 18th 2015 from Soul Mate Publishing.

You might recall that late last year Liana Skrzypczak won a spot in the Hachette Mentoring Program with her dystopian YA, Gold.  Well, just in case that wasn't stupendously clever enough, she’s gone and done it again, this time receiving a Carclew Professional Development Grant to work with NY Times Bestselling author Sean Williams. 

Check out here for the full list of recipients.  Liana is going to be a busy little writer this year.  Go you, girlfriend!

Check out @LianaSkrzypczak on Twitter for more updates. 

Finally, Virginia Taylor’s new book Charlotte, with be published on February 2^nd by Kensington Books.  This is the third in the South Landers Series, following Starling and Ella.   Virginia's on a roll!

CHARLOTTE, South Landers #3

​After losing his first love in childbirth, Nicholas Alden knows that he must never be a father. But to be a husband is a very different matter—necessary for his family name. So when he meets beautiful social climber Charlotte, he believes he has found a wife he can keep at arm’s length.
If he knew the truth of her scandalous parentage, all would be lost.

​Set in 1860's Australia.

Pre-order it here. 

Until next time, happy reading!

Emmeline.  

SARA News - The "we're still here!" edition.

Hello dear SARA readers,

We'd like to thank you.

Here at SARA, we are actual people.  I know, right?  Epically amazing.  We have soccer-mum cars, mortgages, dust bunnies under the bed and 'it's a bit small' pay packets.  We're people you see on the street, likely wearing trackies and sporting something lunchy on the fronts of our t-shirts, as we ate at the computer.

We're extremely normal.

Well, except for the fact that we're constructing steamy sex scenes in our heads about sixteen hours of the day, and a further four hours are spent wondering where to leave the body that became dead in chapter two so that the hero can find it, thus perform consequent heroic deeds and ergo, get the girl.

That leaves four hours for sleeping, toting kids to sports (and reading whilst waiting in the car!) and writing blog posts.

You may have noticed we haven't posted good news for a while, a phenomenon we can link back directly to the fact that there are sadly only twenty-four hours in a day.  It's not because AWESOME THINGS haven't happened...

But thanks for sticking with us.  We love you for it.   No-one said it better than Sahvage: truly, madly, deeply.

So, we are very pleased to bring you NEWS!!


Liana Skrzypczak is one of our newer members, and hel-lo!, girl be making WAVES!  Liana is very excited to have been awarded the shared-winner gong for the Hachette Mentoring Program for her dystopian YA manuscript, Gold, along with another Adelaide writer, Rose Hartley.

Congratulations, Liana!  Check out her super-cute blog at the link above.


Harlequin author Elizabeth Rolls has a new book coming out in February In Debt To The Earl.

But wait, there's more...

A follow-up book is in the pipeline, too.  Rejoice, historical fans!  

Beach romance more your swag?  Victoria Purman is pleased to let you know that her fourth Boys of Summer book, Hold On To Me, is due out mid-December.  Get your banana lounge and your cooler bag ready, 'cos you'll be unable to put this one down this summer!  Key words here... YOUNGER MAN!

HOLD ON TO ME A Boys of Summer novel  – Out December 14th in shops and ebook

Can she learn to trust him and love again? Stella wasn’t looking for love and especially not from a younger man… When Stella Ryan’s successful life in Sydney crumbled, she returned flat broke and broken hearted to the beachside town she’d once called home. Five years on, she’s opened a boutique and rebuilt her life in the tourist haven of Port Elliot. Luca Morelli has been working flat out to establish his own building company in the city and doesn’t have time to be driving back and forth to the beach to do a small job in a shop that was almost destroyed in a fire. But he soon changes his mind when he meets the glamorous owner. Before long, Stella and Luca find that a working relationship isn’t the only thing developing between them. But the closer they get, the ghosts of Stella’s past come back to haunt her once more. Can she ever believe a man again? And if she can, is the much younger Luca Morelli the man she can trust with her heart? 

Lilliana Rose has been a busy writer/poet!  Not only has she recently released Soul Dancer, but she's also had a cover nominated for Best Cover at the AusRom Reader's Choice Awards for Chasing Dust Storms.  Vote for it here...

In a world where Soul Dancers are enslaved, Zarifah must over come corruption and lead the other dancers to freedom. Forced to harvest emotions from patrons each night she becomes addicted to happiness, which threatens to get in the way of a forbidden relationship with fellow dancer Torin and stop her from challenging the Regulators, the emotionless humans who feed on the emotions harvested. 
Check out what the other SARA's have been up to at the SARA website member page, or stalk us a bit on Facebook and Twitter.  We'd love that!  

Finally, I leave you with a familiar set of... eyeballs.  Our very own Erotic Fiction author Kyoko Church talks to the very swanky Adelaide Hills Magazine about sex and shame. 

The future of the Soul Dancers depends on Zarifah being a leader, but she may not be the saviour the followers had hoped for.




Until next time, we wish you very happy reading!

Emmeline.  x

The Suspense Sisters On Sassy in the South

28/06/15, SARA blog – Sassy in the South, http://romancesa.blogspot.com.au/  

The Suspense Sisters

The Suspense Sisters are two Adelaide authors who have teamed up to provide entertaining and informative workshops for writers of all levels, and author talks in conjunction with some of Adelaide’s best book shops.

Who are these Suspense Sisters?

We specialise in courageous heroines and pacey suspense.

Sandy Vaile is a motorbike-riding daredevil, who isn’t content with a story unless there’s a courageous heroine and a dead body. With an eclectic background as a chef, lead auditor, and graduate of Fiona McIntosh’s Master Class, she is now published by Crimson Romance, judges competitions for Romance Writers of Australia and America, and coordinates the Novelist’s Circle writing group.

Recently Sandy participated on a panel of inspirational women at the Festival Fleurieu at Normanville, and presented a back story workshop to the Seaside Writers group in Brighton.

 

Rowena Holloway is a book reviewer, interviewer and writer of short stories and novels, which have won and placed in numerous competitions. As a former tenured academic, she holds a PhD in Business and has extensive experience in face-to-face and online teaching at a tertiary level. Fiction is her first love.

Rowena has been writing for twelve years and been mentored by award-winning author Carol LeFevre and is a graduate of Fiona MacIntosh’s Masterclass. She has published two novels through by Fractured Press.

Upcoming Events

Catch the Suspense Sisters:

·         Tribe FM radio interview on Thursday 2^nd July, 3.30 pm (91.1FM streaming live online).

·         Book signing on Friday 17^th July, 1 pm, at Collins Bookshop, Castle Plaza, Edwardstown.

·         Author talk and book signing on August 27^th, 2-4 pm, at the Hamra Centre Library, 1 Brooker Terrace, West Torrens

Workshops

We are offering three workshops to suit all levels of writing skills.

1.      Hook ‘em and hang ‘em

Avoid your story being abandoned partway through. Hook your readers and them keep them hanging so they are compelled to turn the page. This workshop proves suspense is for everyone, no matter the genre.

2.      Stir the pot: treat back story like a pungent spice

Back story is like a flavour you can’t quite pick, lurking in the layers of your curry. You know it’s there and it enhances the experience, but it’s intangible and fleeting. Learn how to infuse back story without sacrificing pace or suspense.

3.      Courageous heroines

Have you ever wondered why some female characters intrigue, while others make you toss the book at the wall? This workshop will show you how to create inspirational and courageous heroines your readers will admire and want to read about.

SARA News - The Audio Edition

Ever wondered if Carla Caruso is a schmexy in real life as she is is print?  *

Well, beloved readers, wonder no more!

Here's an interview Carla did recently with the South Australian Writers Centre...

Find out Carla's favourite authors and Rom Coms, what she's working on now, and bonus points if you can pick the well-timed drop of other SARA stars' names!

And don't forget to check out The Un-Italian Wife.

Until next time,

Emmeline.

* Answer:  HELLS, YEAH.  :)

Reading Adventures during the month of lurrrrv....

Welcome to the latest Reading Adventures where the SARA members let us know what they are or have been reading...Get ready to write add some titles to your TBR pile.


Liana Skrzpczak

My February reading has consisted of White Fang by Jack London and The Road to Ruin by SARA's very own Bronwyn Stuart, both of which I'm absolutely loving! Although White Fang isn't a typical 'romance', I guess it could be considered a romance about the relationship between master and companion. :)

Sandy Vaile

Fear for Hire by Natalie S Ellis.

Wow! I highly recommend this fast-paced, unique romantic suspense. Jack is a born protector who is struggling to keep his head above the water of failure. Molly is feisty and tenacious and doesn’t take kindly to being accidentally kidnapped, even if her assailant is gorgeous. She’s convinced he’s the perfect big break story, until she’s embroiled in a mess of falsehoods and terrifyingly twisted minds. But who is pulling the strings in this perverted puppet show? Jack vows to protect Molly until he finds out the truth, but the forces conspiring against them may prove too powerful.

Emmeline Lock 

Rated 5 stars to The Perfect Match by Kristin Higgins, and 4 stars to Club Shadowlands by Cherise Sinclair

Carla Caruso

Gave 4 stars to Be My Baby by Laura Greaves

Khloe Wren

Gave 5 stars to Viper Game (Ghost Walkers #11) by Christine Feehan

Virginia Taylor 

5 stars to Fake by Beck Nicholas

"Although I read books in every genre, Fake is the first Teen Romance I’ve read. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I got a beautifully written, gorgeous story about a girl who isn’t tattooed, doesn’t smoke or drink, and isn’t trying to have sex with the school’s best male athlete. She’s smart, thoughtful, and a loyal friend. 

I loved Kath. That’s right. She doesn’t have a clever name, or a nickname like Bones or Skull. Just Kath. She has a nice mother whom she doesn’t resent and she has a horrible background, like most of us. Well, some of us. She rises above her background and she chooses her friends for the right reasons. 

This is in a closing scene with her mother. ‘Her hands cup my cheek. “If you have to, you will. And with class.”’ That’s Kath – a heroine with class. I loved Kath’s sincerity, her social conscience, and her problems and solutions touched my heart in a very special way.

Fake’s author, Beck Nicholas, is one of those authors who has latched onto the ‘craft’ of writing. Her voice is light and smooth. She doesn’t use clichés or done to death prose. However, my advice is not to begin the book when you should be doing something else, because you’ll forget and end up with no bread for lunch". (review on Goodreads)

and now for moi, Eleni Konstantine

For sweet romance, I read our very own Claire Baxter's  More Than Just One Night. It's a lovely read about second chances at love and allowing them into your life.  

I also love the cover - Disclaimer: My alter ego designed the cover. ;)

4 stars!

For paranormal romance, I read (and chuckled) Dressed to Slay by Harper Allen. This is the first book in a series about the stunning & sarcastic Crosse triplets. The Russian heritage comes to the forefront as Grandpa 'Darkheart' visits and confides that the family business is vampire slaying. Normally they would have confined him to the looney bin, but they'd just been attacked by their Vampire fiances. Throw in a prophecy or two, a club called the Hot Boss, and a very sexy werewolf - oh and the sister who is the Daughter of Lilith (THE vampire slayer of this generation) and there you have it. Fun, adventure, sex, love, family - the works.

I had read book two of this a while back so some of this was familiar but it had been long enough ago, and from another triplets perspective to still make it an enjoyable read. I'll be rereading book 2 before moving to book 3. Helps the little neural pathways connect the dots.

4 stars!

Shifting to my audio - I listened to Shakespeare's Champion (Lily Bard #2) by Charlaine Harris

Lily Bard seems to attract trouble which finds infuriating as she tries to have a quiet normal life. Her past precludes her from that, and so does the town she now lives in. It's a small southern town with ingrained ideas about the social structure - though most people are nice enough, there are those few who want to stir trouble by picking on others. This book looks at racism, sexism, and violence used against others. It's a thinker though having it seen through the eyes of Lily who has been touched by violence and who protects herself by putting up walls. Though the walls have started breaking down. A good story. 

4 stars!

That's it for this time around. I hope we've given you some ideas of books to read - and don't forget our SARA books!

~Happy Reading~

 

Character Questionnair With Mya Jensen from Inheriting Fear by Sandy Vaile

Today we have the wonderful Sandy Vaile with us. Mya from her new release has agreed to have a little chat with us.She sounds like a great character with a lot of sass so she is perfect for Sassy in the South

.

Mya Jensen from Inheriting Fear by Sandy Vaile

Character Questionnaire

1.      What do you do best? Take care of myself, because there has never been anyone else.

2.      How would you describe yourself in one sentence? Don’t mess with me or I’ll knock you on your arse!

3.      What do you like least and best about the person you are? There’s nothing wrong with me. Who said there was? Okay, if I’m honest with you, I may be a bit of a control freak, but if you’re a woman who needs protecting from an abusive man, then you’ve come to the right place.

4.      Where do you call home? I thought moving from one side of Adelaide to the other would be far enough to out run my past. I was mistaken.

5.      What makes you laugh out loud? Luca when he’s all bashful and gentlemanly. What a spunk!

6.      What makes you really angry? Men who beat women.

7.      How do you feel about authority figures, like the police? They’re necessary in the community, but the law didn’t keep my mum safe. They always let Jack Roach back out of the lockup.

8.      Who do you wish you were closest to? Doing the horizontal tango with that hot detective from down the road would have to be at the top of my list.

9.      Do you have a secret? The list is long, but they’re not really secrets if they’re no-one else’s business, right? I figure that if I keep to myself, the world will let me be. Pity it doesn’t seem to work that way.

10.  What is your greatest regret? Not getting Mum out of Jack Roach’s house.

11.  What is your most prized possession? My Triumph Speed Triple motorcycle. It’s black and red, loud and full of grunt. Riding it and feeling the wind on my face gives me a sense of freedom.

12.  On what occasion would you lie? Maybe you should ask when I wouldn’t. Nah, just kidding. I don’t much reason to fib, but I’m not one to volunteer information unnecessarily, either. A girl has to look after number one you know. You can take me at face value.

13.  What is your greatest achievement? Dragging myself out of the gutter I grew up in.

14.  What is your greatest fear? Letting my guard down long enough for a man to get under my skin.

15.  Tell us a memory of childhood? When I was in primary school, I bought Mum a glossy, black jewellery box from a second hand shop. She said it was the best birthday present ever and we used to imagine visiting the menagerie of African animals painted on the lid. We imagined daring to get so close to a lion that the hairs on the backs of our necks stood on end, and looking up at a strange giraffe with its long lips, doe eyes, and not-quite horns.

16.  Have you been in love and had a broken heart? There’s no past tense, my heart is still broken from losing Mum.

17.  Do you believe in luck? There are no silver spoons in Croydon. I make my own way in the world through blood, sweat and tears.

18.  What would you do to save someone you love? Throw myself under a bus, if I knew it was coming… And therein lies the problem with saving someone.

19.  What is your idea of happiness? A gourmet meal made with fresh produce from my garden, eaten in the peace of my own home. Sometimes it would be nice to have a little company though.

20.  What is the strangest thing to happen to you? Discovering that I have something other women need. I’m happy to share it, but my services are not for sale. Can you guess what it is? Pick up a copy of ‘Inheriting Fear’ and find out. 

 

·         Website: http://www.sandyvaile.com

·         Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sandy_Vaile

·         Facebook: https://facebook.com/sandyvaile

http://www.crimsonromance.com/romantic-suspense-novels/inheriting-fear/