Flowers in Winter Hart of Rock and Roll Book 5 by Mary J. Williams

Flowers
in Winter

Hart
of Rock and Roll Book 5

by
Mary J. Williams

Genre:
Contemporary Romance

A
HART OF ROCK AND ROLL HOLIDAY ROMANCE

Tula
Carson knows what her future holds. A good life. A secure life. Safe.
Steady. Boring.

She
has no one to blame but herself. She chose the path she's on. But,
she wants something more. Something different. Now. Before it's too
late.

Fleet
Sherman is a Rock God. And he isn't afraid to enjoy the perks. Money.
Fame. Beautiful women. As far as he's concerned, his life is perfect.
Until he meets smart, funny, talented, frustrating Tula Carson. The
one woman he can't resist. The only woman he can't have.

On
the surface, Tula and Fleet seem worlds apart. She grew up loved. He
just wants to forget his childhood. She's led a sheltered life. He's
experienced everything life had to offer. Yet, from their first
meeting, they clicked.

Tula
has a chance to fulfill her dreams. But the first step is always the
hardest. Will she jump, or play it safe?

Fleet
doesn't believe he deserves a woman as good and sweet as Tula. For
her sake, he has to let her go.

A
love of music brought them together. Will their pasts tear them
apart? Do they need a Christmas miracle? Or will they realize love is
the greatest gift of all.

Grab
this standalone
book today.

Goodreads
* Amazon

I
love books, I always have and always will. Writing is an extension of
that and though it has taken me a while to get here, I now can
officially call myself a published author.

I
grew up on a ranch in Eastern Washington, so I wanted to set my books
on the Columbia River in Washington state. Harper Falls is completely
fictitious, but I think anyone from the area will know right where it
would be if it did exist.

My
hobbies are gardening, reading, baking(fattening desserts are my
favorite), exercise(I don't love it, but it is necessary due to the
desserts), and animals. I had a dog but when he died I couldn't bring
myself to replace him. That is why I wrote Edgar, the dog into "If
I Loved You", I consider him my surrogate puppy until I can get
a real one.

I
love to get feedback on my books so I hope everyone will feel free to
leave a question or visit my website(it is a work in progress, but
I'm getting there).

Website
* Facebook
* Twitter *
Pinterest *
Instagram *
Bookbub
* Amazon
* Goodreads

Follow
the tour HERE
for exclusive guest
posts and a giveaway!

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Handler by Tish Thawer blitz

Handler
Tish Thawer
Published by: Amber Leaf Publishing
Publication date: December 19th 2017
Genres: Adult, Dystopian, Science Fiction

Our world was perfect––until we broke the law: Don’t go out at night.

Utopian by day, dystopian by night; this is the world I recently discovered. I now struggle with the fact that our whole society has been based on a lie. There’s only one way to change it––conquer the darkness we’ve all been raised to fear.

Live the lie; fight to the death; become a Handler. It’s the only way.

A sci-fi/dystopian novel.

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Author Bio:

2017 - #1 Bestseller in Historical Fiction (Witches of BlackBrook)

2017 - Top 100 Bestselling in Paid Kindle Store (Witches of Blackbrook)

2015 - Best Cover - Penned Con (The Witches of BlackBrook)

2015 - Readers Choice Award - My New Favorite Book Awards (The Witches of BlackBrook)

Bestselling and Award Winning Author, Tish Thawer, writes paranormal romances for all ages. From her first paranormal cartoon, Isis, to the Twilight phenomenon, myth, magic, and superpowers have always held a special place in her heart.

Tish is known for her detailed world-building and magic-laced stories. Her work has been compared to Nora Roberts, Sam Cheever, and Charlaine Harris. She has received a RONE Award nomination (Reward of Novel Excellence), as well as nominations for Best Cover, Reader’s Choice, and Author of the Year (Fantasy, Dystopian, Mystery).

Tish has worked as a computer consultant, photographer, and graphic designer, and is a columnist for Gliterary Girl media and has bylines in RT Magazine and Literary Lunes Magazine. She resides in Arizona with her husband and three wonderful children and is represented by Gandolfo, Helin, and Fountain Literary Management.

You can find Tish on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AuthorTishThawer

A common FAQ: "How do you pronounce her last name?"

Answer: Think "Bower" or "Thow-er". It's Persian!

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Bennett by Sybil Bartel blitz

Bennett
Sybil Bartel
(Uncompromising #4)
Publication date: December 19th 2017
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Being the drummer for the hottest new rock band should’ve been a dream come true. Sold out shows, women, more money than I deserved…

But I didn’t want any of it.

The fame sucked, the money was a burden and I’d given away my only chance at ever having her—my best friend’s sister.

I wasn’t supposed to touch her. My best friend made me swear I wouldn’t. Then he was deployed, and he told me to look out for her. Except being around her while still keeping my distance was slowly killing me. Touring with the band should’ve been the perfect escape… Until I fucked up.

I fucked up so bad, she was half-conscious in my arms, fighting for her life.

* BENNETT is the fourth standalone book in the Uncompromising Series.

The Uncompromising Series:

TALON

NEIL

ANDRE

BENNETT

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

—

EXCERPT:

I backed her against the wall and took her face in my hands. “I’m not leaving you alone.”

Her breath hitched, and her hands wrapped around my wrists, but she didn’t say anything.

I gripped her harder. “You’re not alone, you hear me? You will never be alone. I’m always going to be here for you. Always.”

Her grief, her tears, the tension in her muscles—it all stilled.

Then she stood on tiptoe and her lips landed on mine.

First shock, then eight years of blind fucking need surged, and I let loose. Growling with repressed desire and want, so much fucking want, I roared as I slammed my body against hers and shoved my tongue into her mouth.

Sweet fucking Jesus.

My hands tangling in her hair, my tongue dominating, I didn’t kiss her. I fucking took.

I took her kiss.

I took her grief.

And I took her fucking trust.

For one unbelievable moment, I had everything I’d ever wanted.

Everything.

My cock surged, my hips ground into hers, and I kissed her how I’d always wanted to. Then reality hit and I destroyed everything.

I ripped my undeserving mouth from hers and stepped back. Shattering her illusion of who I was, I rubbed the back of my hand over my mouth and prayed like fuck I didn’t break her worse. “I’m sorry.”

Author Bio:

Sybil Bartel grew up in Northern California with her head in a book and her feet in the sand. She dreamt of becoming a painter but the heady scent of libraries with their shelves full of books drew her into the world of storytelling. She loves the New Adult genre, but any story about a love so desperately wrong and impossibly beautiful makes her swoon.

Sybil now resides in Southern Florida and while she doesn’t get to read as much as she likes, she still buries her toes in the sand. If she isn’t writing or fighting to contain the banana plantation in her backyard, you can find her spending time with her handsomely tattooed husband, her brilliantly practical son and a mischievous miniature boxer…

But Seriously?

Here are ten things you probably really want to know about Sybil.

She grew up a faculty brat. She can swear like a sailor. She loves men in uniform. She hates being told what to do. She can do your taxes (but don’t ask). The Bird Market in Hong Kong freaks her out. Her favorite word is desperate…or dirty, or both—she can’t decide. She has a thing for muscle cars. But never reply on her for driving directions, ever. And she has a new book boyfriend every week—don’t tell her husband.

To find out more about Sybil Bartel, be sure to follow her on Twitter (she loves to hear about your favorite book boyfriend!), visit her website, like her on Facebook or join her Facebook group Book Boyfriend Heroes for exclusive excerpts and giveaways.

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Tainted Lies: A Dream Walker Division Novel by Leona Nation blitz

Tainted Lies
Leona Nation
(Dream Walker Division Novel)
Publication date: December 22nd 2017
Genres: Adult, Science Fiction, Thriller

When you’re a spy with special abilities, you do what you must to save the ones you love—even if that means killing. Jade didn’t choose this life, it chose her.

Twelve years ago, Assassins forever changed Jade Saito’s world with flames and bullets. She was saved by the Dream Walker Division, a covert branch of the CIA consisting of people like her—agents with the ability to dream themselves into another’s reality as unseen observers. They also happen to be stronger, faster, and have photographic memories, making them optimal spies.

Now Jade is a field agent for the DWD where she and her unit use their abilities to take down criminal organizations. When DWD leaders start turning up dead, the compound is shaken to its core. If the leaders of the DWD aren’t safe from Assassins, no one is. But the deeper Jade digs the more she realizes not everything is as it seems. Will Jade stop the Assassins before it’s too late? Or will they they murder everyone she loves—again?

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—

EXCERPT:

When fighting, I think about nothing but the moment. There’s no room for obsessing over the Assassins, being depressed over Brooks, or mad at Shea for wanting to leave. There’s only my opponent and me. Defeat or be defeated. I want to drag out the fight, use it as an escape. Some people revert to alcohol and drugs for escape, I use ass-kicking.

“I’ll take you down even with my gimp arm and without using pressure points,” I say.

Shawn’s smile spreads. “Ooohh, them’s fightin’ words. That’s a lot of talk for a buck-ten shorty.”

As I re-wrap my gloves, I gaze at Shawn with a wicked grin. “You forget who you’re talking to.” Shawn might have more muscle in his one bicep than I do in both of mine combined, but I can still beat him. It’s all about physics, about knowing how to use one’s weight to one’s own advantage. This is going to be fun.

I finish strapping on my gear and join Shawn in the ring. Paramore blares through the speakers and the recruits shout encouragement at us. We meet in the center and tap knuckles. Shawn gives me a wink. I laugh.

We dance around each other––backs rounded, chins down, guards up––waiting for the other to strike. Shawn is skilled and with his strength, he could knock me out with one good strike. He’s also much slower than I and tends to tire out faster. Even with working myself harder in warm-up, I have better stamina than him.

He throws a right jab. I easily dodge out of the way, light on my toes. Next he throws a combo: right jab, left hook and round house. I sidestep the jab, knock the hook away and duck under the roundhouse. I take advantage of him being on one leg and sweep his stationary leg out from under him. Shawn falls to his back with a thud, his eyes wide. I let him jump back to his feet. Although I could have, I’m not ready to end it.

Ten minutes later, Shawn’s breathing is labored. We’ve both gotten some hits in, but nothing either of us can’t recover from quickly. I see my next opening when he throws a hook followed with a spinning back kick. Not the smartest move when you’re already winded, so really, he deserves what’s coming.

As soon as Shawn’s back is to me I throw a hard kick to the back of his knee sending him to the floor in mid-kick. I jump on his back and initiate a rear naked choke hold. My arm is wrapped around his neck, under his chin, and secured into place with the other one so I don’t slip off from the sweat. My wound burns like hell, but I refuse to give up. I have him. I push his head into the crook of my arm and squeeze tighter. My arms look like a milky cobra against his dark skin.

“You better tap,” I say, out of breath. “I have no problem putting you to sleep, big guy.”

Shawn grunts, struggling to get free. I add more pressure until he finally taps. I release him and collapse on my back next to him.

“Good workout,” I say, and slap him on the shoulder. “I told you that you had no chance today.”

“Damn, girl,” Shawn says between breaths. “I feel sorry for whoever pissed you off. By the way, you’re bleeding through.”

I look at the bandage on my arm. A red blotch is staining the white cloth.

“Great, probably busted a stitch.”

“I’m trying not to gain any satisfaction from it.” He rubs his head. “If I have to lose, at least I know it’s hard on you.”

My music suddenly stops in the middle of a song. I lift my head to see Shea standing at the radio. Shea and I glare at each other for a moment. Ugh, why can’t she just follow the rules? Yeah it sucks sometimes. Brooks’s hurt eyes flash in my mind and pain explodes in my heart again. Really sucks. But that’s how it is in our world. Breaking the gaze, I get up and peel off my sparring gear.

Shawn whistles a long note, looking from Shea to me and back again. “Now that’s a fight I wouldn’t mind seein’. You all are pissed.” He chuckles. “Chick fights are hot. Can we throw in some mud? Or oil?” He nods his head. “Definitely oil.”

“Shut up, Shawn!” Shea says, rolling her eyes.

“I’m just sayin’. It would make you feel better if you hashed it out.” He spreads his hands and shrugs his large shoulders. “Well, at least it would make me feel better.”

“Shawn,” I warn.

“Can’t blame a brother for tryin’.”

As I grab a bottled water from the gym fridge, Shea and I continue to ignore one another. I head for the door, glancing down at my bleeding arm. After my shower, I’ll need to make a stop at the infirmary. I step out the door and almost run smack into Carol Breakenridge, head of the Europe DWD. She brushes off her jacket like I ruined it. Her blond hair is pulled away from her face, accentuating her angular features and large blue eyes.

I back away from her. “Sorry, ma’am.”

She crosses her arms across her chest. “Yes, you should be,” she says in a clipped tone heavy with a French accent.

“It was an accident,” I reply in a less friendly way. “I didn’t see you.” Head or not, between being ignored earlier and my all-around crappy day, I’m about out of patience.

“I was referring to that display in there,” she says raising her chin at the gym. “Why did you not finish him when you had the chance?” She apparently watched the fight and must have seen when I let Shawn get up. “You should never hold back your strengths. If you do, you may die.”

We were just training, working out. It’s not like we were in a real fight. Even though I’m annoyed with her overreaction, I nod and give her the respect I should. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I would have done better had I known you were watching.”

She drops her voice to a whisper, and raises a perfectly waxed brow, “Dear Jade, you are always being watched,” she smiles slyly. “Analyzed. Your actions may affect more than just you.” She turns and walks away, leaving me with an uneasy feeling. I’ll be more than glad when the Heads leave.

Author Bio:

Leona Nation lives in Chandler, Arizona, with her husband, four kids, cat and dog. Her imagination often got her into trouble in her school years, but she finally realized she could put her imagination to good use by creating worlds of her own. She loves to write, read, travel, bake, binge-watch shows, and anything else she can do to avoid her true nemesis: house cleaning. When she’s not writing, she’s taking kids to football, volleyball, dance, horseback riding, helping with homework assignments (unless it’s math, then she’s useless), and saying the word no way too often—as is the job of a parent. She loves that her husband of seventeen years can still make her heart skip with just a kiss.

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Strictly Business by Siena Noble blitz

Strictly Business
Siena Noble
(The Loft #2)
Publication date: December 22nd 2017
Genres: Erotica, Romance

It’s been almost nine months since the grand opening of The Loft, and it’s quickly become one of the city’s best-kept dirty little secrets. On the outside, the club’s owner Teresa Bodnar is living the dream: young, successful, and miles away from the nightmarish relationship she escaped from nearly two years ago. But on the inside? That’s another story.

After agonizing months of suppressing her true feelings, it took one passion-filled night for Tera to realize that she was in love with her friend, the deliciously dominant Eric Yun, a revelation that had her running scared. Months later, the two are closer than ever… and yet they couldn’t be further apart. Feeling that keeping both Eric and herself in the dreaded “friend-zone” is the only way to save the man she loves from worse pain, Tera throws herself into her work, determined to turn The Loft into the BDSM paradise she envisioned it as, even if she’s the only one in the club not getting any.

Enter Neal Drake. Rich, arrogant, and the kind of man who doesn’t take no for an answer, Mr. Drake is everything that Tera is desperate to avoid. He turns up at her club with offers of both a business and a personal nature that Tera would be hard-pressed to refuse, but along with his tempting offers he brings something much darker: eerie, painful reminders of a past she’d rather forget…

Ever since they met, Eric has only had eyes for Tera Bodnar. Too stubborn to move on despite his better judgment, he’ll take what he can get from the woman he’s fallen in love with. But he’s determined to be part of the happy ending he knows she deserves, even if she doesn’t believe it herself. Nothing will deter him from his goal, not even some billionaire bastard invading the safe haven that The Loft is supposed to be.

When Mr. Drake begins exerting his dominance outside of acceptable boundaries, Tera must confront her deepest fears, and it’s not just her heart that’s at stake. Friendships will be tested, limits will be pushed, and Tera will have to decide between taking a chance on love, and letting go of Eric forever…

**This book is the second in The Loft series and should be read after Whip Smart.**

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—

Are you a book reviewer?

Request a review copy of Strictly Business here!

EXCERPT:

Tera

I’d been on edge all night wondering if Neal Drake was going to turn up at The Loft, and cursed myself mentally for acting like I expected Kellan himself to make an appearance. But there was no helping that constant low simmer of dread in my stomach, and I wasn’t doing myself any favors by torturing myself with frequent furtive glances over at Eric.

Something had happened at the bar after I’d left, I could tell; he’d been as carefree as ever earlier, completely in his element with his skilled hands on the keys and a sexy half-smirk on his lips that I could pretend was meant for me. But since he’d arrived at the club tension had been on him like a heavy winter coat, and his tight smiles and stiff posture only added to my own unease. I’d fully expected him to take the opportunity to work out that tension by immersing himself in his other natural element, finding some willing sub to tie up and have his way with. But Eric was in total dungeon monitor-mode tonight, his rope bag sitting neglected in the corner as he observed the room with quiet seriousness and made surprisingly little small talk. Relief coursed through me briefly when I saw him turn down one of the girls who I figured was one of his regular play partners, only for a healthy dose of guilt to get sprinkled in with the roiling stew of dread.

I let out a short sigh and dug my teeth into my lower lip. There you go again, making it all about you when he clearly has something on his mind and all your problems are the same old news as always, I scolded myself. Eric looked over at me before I could hide my grimace, and I felt my cheeks heat as something subtle about his already-perturbed face changed that I couldn’t quite read.

Should I go talk to him? I gnawed at my lip as I debated whether or not to breach my self-imposed “no deep, personal conversations at play parties” policy, realizing belatedly that I’d been staring blankly in Eric’s direction and smearing lipstick all over my teeth for at least a good thirty seconds. I snapped myself out of it and quickly scrubbed my tongue over my teeth behind pursed lips. No, better to save any questions about his sudden brooding for a quick text tomorrow after we’d both gotten plenty of sleep and were safely removed from the sexually-charged atmosphere of the club.

The rest of the night went by almost agonizingly slowly, my gut churning with anxiety more and more as the hours ticked by, until I almost felt physically queasy. By the time we closed the doors to new patrons at 1:00 Mr. Drake still hadn’t shown up, but the reassurance that I wouldn’t be seeing him that night did little to calm my nerves.

The last stragglers cleared out fairly quickly after 2:00, and clean-up took hardly any time at all. The group of us—minus Megan, who was working the night shift at the hospital—all walked to the nearby parking garage together. I hesitated as I said goodbye to Eric as I got off the elevator on the floor where I’d parked, wanting to hold him back just a minute longer to ask what was on his mind. But I held back, telling myself that a real friend would just let him go home and go to bed.

I let out the same mixed sigh of relief and heartache that I always did at the end of another night at the club deprived of what only Eric could give me, and rummaged around in my coat pockets for my keys and parking ticket. Shit, where was my ticket?

“Motherfucker,” I cursed under my breath as annoyance flashed through me and threatened to dredge up my earlier anxiety once again. I allowed myself an exaggerated growl of frustration knowing that no one was around to hear me and hurried back to the elevator. I scanned the ground as I hurried back in the direction of The Loft, searching futilely for my lost ticket. There was still a chance it had fallen out of my pocket somewhere in the club, though.

By the time I made it back to The Loft, my anxiety had morphed into general grouchiness, aggravated by the fact that the wind had picked up, rendering my skirt and thigh-high socks all but useless at protecting my legs against the biting cold. Thank God my parking ticket was on the floor of the office; at least the trip had been worth the trouble. I looked around the main dungeon one last time before leaving again, feeling like I was forgetting something else. Eric’s gear bag in the corner by the snack bar caught my eye. I frowned as I took out my phone to text him that I’d found it. Eric of all people would never neglect his rope like that; he must’ve had more on his mind than I’d thought. As I hoisted the heavy bag onto my shoulder, I noticed that a full trash bag had somehow been forgotten as well. Good lord, how distracted had I been that I’d overlooked so much myself?

With a groan, I picked up the trash and headed back down to the first floor and out the back door to the narrow alley where the dumpster was. I had to set the massive duffle bag on the ground to lift the lid of the dumpster enough to dump the trash in. I let the lid fall again with a loud, rattling crash and crouched to pick up the bag, determined to get out of the creepy alley and back to my car as quickly as possible, only to stumble and fall flat on my ass at the sight of a pair of feet on the other side of Eric’s bag that hadn’t been there before.

I was on my own feet again in a second, my heart fluttering erratically as I heaved the bag onto my shoulder and got a look at the guy who’d managed to sneak up on me. He was a young, scrawny guy, probably younger than me, with lank blondish hair and wearing a stained gray hoodie.

He snickered. “What’s in the bag, sweetheart?” he taunted softly.

Oh, shit…

Author Bio:

A proud Pittsburgh, PA area native, Siena Noble has explored and inhabited all kinds of fictional worlds through her writing since age ten. Although she’s always been a sucker for a good love story and possesses an incredibly dirty mind, she never imagined that her publishing debut would be erotic romance. What started as a silly short story idea quickly became something much bigger, a demanding Master of a manuscript whose every whim Siena submitted to.

When she’s not busy reading, writing, binge-watching Game of Thrones, or doing a million other important things, Siena enjoys traveling, archery, and getting lost in the woods (also known as “hiking”). She and her better half/writing buddy/sometimes Sir/sex muse live together in Pittsburgh. Their dream is to relocate to the middle of nowhere and build a castle capable of withstanding the impending zombie apocalypse.

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HOW NOT TO SUCCEED IN HOLLYWOOD by Marissa Thompson

Title:
HOW NOT TO SUCCEED IN HOLLYWOOD

Author: Marissa Thompson

Publisher: Harlequin

Pages: 436

Genre: Humor/Fiction

BOOK
BLURB: 

In HOW NOT TO SUCCEED IN HOLLYWOOD, Marissa
Thomas offers readers an inside view of one young woman’s journey to fulfill
her dream of becoming an actor. The personal and humorous story of Lisa reveals
the often difficult and inspiring process of navigating the entertainment
industry.

The acting bug bit Lisa during her first
elementary school talent show. After receiving positive reviews for her
performance from her fellow students and impressed parents alike, Lisa basked
in the high she felt from being on stage. She ventured further into the acting
world as a teenager when she enrolled in a twelve-week acting program. Although
plagued with some doubt about her potential to become an actor, the experience
reignited the spark that had originally lead her down the road of performance.

HOW NOT TO SUCCEED IN HOLLYWOOD follows the staggered path that Lisa took
on her journey to achieve her acting dream. Her love for acting expanded when
Lisa entered college and began auditioning for plays produced by the theater
department. Reassured by the exhilaration she felt while acting, Lisa made the
decision to leave her home and move to Hollywood to pursue her passion, but
first she had to tie up a few loose ends. After a whirlwind romance with a
fellow student, Lisa found herself moving into her own apartment while juggling
school and work, as well as taking the steps to fill out her acting resume. A
car accident that resulted in serious physical injuries led to a slowdown in
her momentum. However, Lisa’s best friend, Mike, who already had a solid plan
to move to Hollywood, gave her the encouragement she needed to overcome
multiple obstacles so that she could move forward with her goal.

Marissa wrote HOW NOT TO SUCCEED IN HOLLYWOOD
to give “anyone curious about Hollywood culture another point of view from
someone coming from a completely different world, aka the Midwest, taking the
plunge, and immersing herself in a new life.” Marissa says the book is “the
story of my life. I can’t tell anyone any surefire methods of getting cast for
your dream project. I’m just sharing my life experience. Anyone with a
relentless dream has to find sanity in the limbo between a self-motivated
fantasy career and the harshness of having to survive real life in the process.
We’re all human, and sometimes all you can do is laugh. Set a goal, and break a
leg.”

ORDER YOUR COPY:

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| Barnes
& Noble

Book Excerpt:

“I’m glad you get to come to
opening night of the play,” I said to my boyfriend, casually, while we started
digging into our boxed dinner.

“I know. I’m glad, too.
You’ve been working hard, and it seems pretty important to you,” he replied.

“It is. We’ve all been working on
it for months,” I reminded him.

“Well, is it because you’ve been
spending all this time on it, or is it because it’s something you really want
to do?” he asked.

It seemed like a very obvious
question. I hadn’t thought about it that way. Why do we put all the time and
effort into projects like this? Projects that don’t provide a paycheck, cause
us to rearrange our schedules, and even add stress due to the unwritten
requirement to provide a quality performance. He really made me think. It
wasn’t even a conscious decision on my part. I welcomed the chaos of the
production into my life. The answer to his question was as obvious as the soy
sauce on the egg rolls.

My mind started to wander. I almost
felt like I was becoming a part of an actors’ anonymous group and professing my
addiction. My name is Lisa, and I’m an actress. I could picture the
scene:  Beautiful people sitting in a circle, each of them with a
monologue in hand. And everyone waiting his or her turn to speak about the
repercussions, good and bad, that the industry has had their lives. It was like
a support group, to help each other through the bad auditions, drop hints about
where to find the legit ones, and tips on how to nail them. Who knew how true
that statement was? After a brief moment of fantasy, I was back to reality.

“I do. I really want to do it.” I
turned back to my food and continued eating. “It’s something I want to pursue.”
It felt good to say it out loud, and to admit it to myself.

About the Author

Marissa Thomas left her home in
Minneapolis, Minnesota, to pursue her dream of acting in Hollywood. Without
industry contacts, she had to educate herself about the business. In How Not
to Succeed in Hollywood, Marissa shares her experiences, both good and bad.

In addition to writing, Marissa is a
licensed hair stylist. She also enjoys painting and produced the artwork for
the cover of How
Not to Succeed in Hollywood.

Interview with Marissa Thompson

How did you come up with name of this book?

While doing hair, small talk would lead first time clients to ask questions about my experience, where I was originally from, etc.  Talking about taking a break from hair and living in LA, the next question was always about whether I had stories to tell about sets and actors.  The response to my stories, was that I should write a book.  I’d tell them that the idea sounded good, but the only title I could think of was How Not to Succeed in Hollywood.  From there, I used the title, and simply had to write the story.

Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?

While writing, I was picturing the story playing out like a film.  And there’s almost always a soundtrack or background noise going in a film.  That might be the reason I do like to have the television or music on when I’m writing.

What do you feel you can accomplish with this book?

By telling my story, other people aspiring to pursue the same goals in the entertainment industry can see how I’ve been trying to do it.  If they can learn from it, or be inspired by it, that’s great.  But I can make anyone reading my book laugh a few times, then I’ve accomplished one goal of being an entertainer.

What is your next project?

There are so many different directions I can take the story.  You never know what can happen!

                                                                               

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The Unexpected Santa The Sin Bin Book 5 by Dahlia Donovan

The
Unexpected Santa

The
Sin Bin Book 5

by
Dahlia Donovan

Genre:
M/M Contemporary Romance

When
a rugby bad boy butts heads with a retired Marine, which alpha male
becomes top dog?

Scottie
Monk came out of the womb angry at the world. He's selfish and
bitter. "Bah humbug!" rolls off his tongue far easier than
"Happy Christmas."

Gray
Baird has dedicated his life to public service as a Marine Corps
officer and later as a police chief. The decorated hero finds it
impossible to ignore autistic twins in desperate need of holiday
spirit. He'll be the grumpiest Santa in the world if it puts a smile
their faces. And he'll drag a reluctant Scottie along for the
ride.

This
December, Gray and Scottie collide while unexpectedly playing
Santa.

The
short story The
Unexpected Santa is
book five in Dahlia Donovan's international bestselling gay romance
series, The Sin Bin. Each one features hot rugby players and the men
who steal their hearts. This is not a stand-alone story. It is
recommended that readers have read at least The
Royal Marine prior
to reading The
Unexpected Santa.

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Dahlia
Donovan wrote her first romance series after a crazy dream about
shifters and damsels in distress. She prefers irreverent humour and
unconventional characters. An autistic and occasional hermit, her
life wouldn’t be complete without her husband and her massive
collection of books and video games.

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