Judging a book by its cover by Jacqueline George

Please welcome Jacqueline George talking about one of my favorite topics--book covers...well, actually I really like the cover models **Cindy waves to the Ellora's Cavemen** Okay, I'll behave myself. Take it way, Jacqueline!

~Cindy
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Judging a Book by its Cover

Never judge a book by its cover. Well, yes, but... When you are flicking through Amazon’s many pages, what else is going to catch your eye? If you don’t know the author or the title, there is nothing else to go on. Would you ever investigate an unknown book that does not have a cover image displayed? In a high street bookstore, the cover is what tempts you to take the book off the shelf and look inside. The same applies online.

A book’s cover is important, and publishers do their very best to come up with something that will stop you just passing by and ignoring their book. They are not always good at this, but I sympathise. Finding a cover image that looks stunning all over the world is very difficult. It might surprise North Americans to hear that Europe thinks most of their covers suck. And I’m sure North Americans think European covers are too tame and boring.

Spare a thought for the poor publisher and his graphic designer. Real life is not easy.

One of my titles, How to make Wild, Passionate Love to your Man, is on sale in Australia and the US, but I cannot use the same cover for both places. Seems that Americans want fire but Aussies find that a little embarrassing. We prefer funny, and here are the two covers - guess which is which.

One thing we have to remember when designing the perfect cover is that it will be displayed online very small, as a thumbnail, until the potential reader makes her first click. Any extravagant artistic effect will be invisible and will probably just look a mess. The title itself will be unreadable unless it takes up half the page.

We just have to try our best. Here are a couple of covers from Gemma Parkes. Version one was sort of OK, but version two, with a splash of colour and the girl turned around, made all the difference.

 

On top of everything else, the censor has to have his input too. Of course, Americans have constitutional guarantees of freedom from censorship. Unfortunately, American corporations exist largely outside the constitution and companies like Amazon and PayPal decide what you can read, and what a book can carry on its cover. They are too busy making money by selling books to bother much about the contents, but they do care about covers. So - no pink bits, no matter how pretty they might be. And no muscular butt cracks either, I’m afraid. Look at this poor model :

Notice the difference? I bet she did, because after my distributor warned that Amazon has a strict no-nipple policy, I had to get my razor out and slice off her button. It brought tears to my eyes, and hers as well, I’m sure.

OK - I admit it. I am absolutely hopeless at guessing what people want to see on their book covers. That would not be so bad if I could rely on the professionals to tell me what works and what doesn’t, but sometimes I just have to shake my head. How about these covers, for the American ebook versions of two books and the Australian print versions? They couldn’t be more different, but which one would make you click and buy?

First, The Prince and the Nun, a historical romance.

And then Her Master’s Voice, an adventurous romance set in South-east Asia,

So next time you make a snap judgement and pick up a book because it has an interesting cover, spare a thought for the work that went into it. At least you picked the book up, so that worked as it should. Now let’s see what is inside the cover...

Jacqueline lives in Far North Queensland, on the shore of the Coral Sea. She keeps herself busy with her cats and garden, and by writing books - some of which are far too naughty for her own good. You can find out more about Jacqueline and her books at www.jacquelinegeorgewriter.com

Two Good Films by Jacqueline George

Please welcome my guest today, the incomparable Jacqueline George!

~Cindy
p.s. I'm a huge fan of these films too!
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Two Good Films

After a hard day of achieving not much at all, I sat back with a favourite drink (butterscotch schnapps on ice) and flicked through the movie channels. Not much on offer except yet another re-run of Connie and Carla. I have seen it a dozen times before, but still - it was worth another showing.

Have you seen it? It stars a couple of ditsy female singers who accidentally witness a gangland murder. They are immediately on the run from the Boss and wash up in Los Angeles. Their only chance of a break in that notorious town is to audition as a club act - in a drag queen show.

I won’t spoil it for you. The film is a comedy, but a comedy with manners. The other performers in the drag act are men (of course!), but mostly a bunch of lost souls who club together for support. In spite of this being a main stream film, they are portrayed sympathetically. We never learn if they are gay. The film is about their singing, not their love lives. Introducing real women in disguise into the act gives all sorts of comic opportunities, but also plenty of thoughtful moments. They are probably why I like the film and am prepared to watch it again.

In fact, the film is a bit of a Hollywood cop-out. Why would you make a film about drag queens when you could go the whole hog and make it about transsexuals? Probably because that would be a step too far for a large part of the US audience. They can take men dressed as women for a laugh, but get serious and sensitive and you are asking gender questions that really, really upset some people. The film had to have a happy and guaranteed straight ending.

There was an Australian film, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, featuring drag queens. That was never going to get a full US release, so its producers did not have to hold back. It is tough and dramatic, a touring drag act in the Australian outback. Wonderful costumes and scenery, great music and dancing, and some serious questioning of stereotypes.

The setting and the plot are absolutely real, and I like real. I like to see the dust of the desert, and the long, empty roads. The lonely pub (that is the actual pub in the pic) run by a sad old Australian with his crazy Asian wife who has never stopped being a bar-girl. I loved the cheerful, uncritical aboriginals who turn up one night when the bus has broken down far from help. All of these people and places are out there in the dry centre, and it does not take much effort for travellers to find them.

I respect the balls of the film-makers who were prepared to show real people behind the fantasy costumes, and not make fun of them. I especially value the ending which might be happy or not, but is certainly very risky. If you have not seen this film already, put it on your must-do list. It is one you will remember.

Still, for all that, Priscilla is a little bit of a cop out. Even Australian films cannot question intersexuality too closely. I guess we can accept that there are gays around (preferably somewhere out of sight), but we don’t want to think about living in the space between the extremes. After all, too much of that and we might start asking exactly where we stand ourselves.

I don’t think I know any transsexual people here, but I did work with a fully transgender welder on the other side of the country. A really good welder, artistic and imaginative, and far stronger than me. I soon got to know her as a person, not a sexual statement, and we got on together just fine. I wonder what she thought of these two films.

In the end, I like both films and would be happy to see them again. Sad that the indelible Hollywood stamp is on Connie and Carla, but we should be used to that by now. If only Hollywood could divert a fraction of the energy they devote to extreme violence in the direction of serious sex...

Dream on. They play ignorant, and encourage ignorance. In a climactic scene, they even have the two singers proving they are ‘real’ women by flashing their boobs - this in Los Angeles where possessing a nice pair of breasts says absolutely nothing about what your panties might or might not contain.

Oh, stop whinging, Jacqueline. At least some-one is thinking out there, and we have two good films to enjoy.

Jacqueline lives in Far North Queensland, on the shore of the Coral Sea. She keeps herself busy with her cats and garden, and by writing books - some of which are far too naughty for her own good. You can find out more about Jacqueline and her books at www.jacquelinegeorgewriter.com

Author Spotlight: Jessica Chambers--Voices on the Waves

Please welcome my guest today, Jessica Chambers!

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Jessica was born in the UK in 1982, and currently lives with her family and crazy Staffordshire bull terrier in the English town of Windsor, most famous for its castle and nearby Eton College. At the age of five, she was diagnosed with Retinitis Pitmentosa, a degenerative eye condition that has left her almost totally blind.

Jessica has wanted to be a writer for as long as she can remember. As a shy person, she loves

being able to escape into another world, and the sense of power that comes with controlling everything that goes on in that world. She especially loves writing women’s fiction centred around memorable characters that leap off the page, and her debut novel, a sweet holiday read called Voices On The Waves, is now available from Red Rose Publishing.

Blurb for Voices on the Waves:

When Faye Wakefield runs a competition offering nine lucky winners a two-week holiday at her beautiful farmhouse retreat in Cornwall, she promises an experience they will never forget. However, even Faye could not have imagined how bringing these people together would change their lives forever.

Just as she hoped, the competition yields a diverse mixture of characters. Among them are Leah Shaw, a shy young woman with troubled eyes, the womanising business tycoon Marcus Armitage, Karenza Jackson, ruled by her deep-rooted need for independence, retired nurse Bronwyn Davis, and Patrick O’Leary, an Irishman with an affiliation for the whisky bottle.

So begins a gently unfolding story of love and illicit affairs, heartbreak and self-discovery. Yet, as sparks fly and the guests share their long-suppressed secrets, only Faye knows of her ulterior motive for inviting them all under her roof.

Excerpt:

Marcus’s mood did not improve the next day when he awoke to another leaden sky. Yet, it seemed destiny was on his side. Returning downstairs, having showered and put on his best trousers, he found Leah alone in the kitchen brewing coffee.

“Hmmm, that smells good.”

Leah glanced up, blushing. “Marcus, I didn’t hear you coming. Would you like a cup?”

“Thanks, angel.” With his most dashing smile, he settled at the table where he could best admire her slender figure at work. He noticed a glow about her that hadn’t been there before. Perhaps she wasn’t quite as unaware of his interest as he’d believed.

“Where are the others?” he asked casually.

“Anjum dragged Will off for a walk and Faye’s cleaning her flat. I assume everyone else is in the sitting room.”

Perfect, Marcus mused. He smiled at Leah as she placed a mug in front of him. “Won’t you join me?”

“Oh, I’m sure you’d rather be left in peace. I’d only bore you.”

“Please, have a seat. I promise you won’t bore me in the slightest. Far from it, in fact.”

“I’m not sure about that.” Leah laughed, but nevertheless sat down opposite him.

A few more well chosen compliments and he’d have her falling at his feet. Feeling the time had come to carry out his plan, Marcus heaved a deep sigh and sunk his head in his hands.

At once, Leah looked concerned. “Is everything all right?”

“Well, no, actually.” He pretended to struggle with himself before continuing. “You see, it’s my wife. Things haven’t been going too well between us for some time now.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Thanks, angel. It’s always sad when a relationship breaks down. I suppose we’ve both changed as we’ve grown older. We just don’t share the same interests anymore.” He shook his head with a grimace. “Then, a month ago, I discovered she’d been having an affair for the past year.”

“How … how awful.”

“I was pretty cut up, I can tell you. That was the main reason I came on this holiday. I had to get away for a bit.”

Marcus experienced only a twinge of guilt at falsifying his wife’s character. It was worth it to gain the sympathy of this innocent young thing. Leah seemed too choked up to speak.

“It’s okay,” he said bravely. “I was devastated at first, but once I’d got over the initial shock, I saw how void our marriage really was. I haven’t truly loved Alison for years, and the hurt I suffered was actually nothing more than injured pride. Of course, once I accepted this, I was able to recognize the feelings I was beginning to have for someone else.”

Leah appeared startled. “Tiffany, you mean?”

“Tiffany?” He suppressed a smirk. “Lord no! She’s a sweet girl, don’t get me wrong, and I’ve grown very fond of her, but she was the one who came on to me, not the other way around. I admit I may have encouraged her more than I should have, but I suppose I was still upset over Alison. I’m certainly not proud of it.” He smiled across at her. “So have another guess.”

“You don’t have to tell me,” Leah said. “It’s none of my business.”

Marcus laughed, really enjoying himself. “But don’t you see? What would be the point my telling anyone else when it’s you I’m interested in?”

Leah set down her mug with a clunk. Barely seeming to notice the spilled coffee pooling on the table, she stared at him, speechless.

“I know this must seem a bit sudden,” Marcus said, earnest now as he leaned towards her, “but ever since our conversation in the arbor, I haven’t stopped thinking about you. I’m not suggesting we rush into anything. All I ask is the opportunity to get to know you better.”

Finishing his declaration, which he felt had contained just the right mixture of flattery and sincerity, he sat back to study Leah’s reaction.

“Marcus, I … I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything just yet. The last thing I want is to pressurize you into committing yourself or to tell me how you feel. Your attitude towards me these last couple of days has told me that plainly enough. All I want is for us to take things slowly and see how it goes.”

“But, Marcus, I…”

“Hush.” Touched by her confusion, he went around the table to drape his arm over the back of her chair. “Don’t get yourself in a state. I know I’m quite a bit older than you—old enough to be your father, some might argue—but that doesn’t mean it can’t be good between us.” He reached for her. “Let me show you.”

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Tomorrow, The Voices On The Waves Blog Tour continues when I join J.J. Devine for an interview over at her blog. Hope to see you there!

http://definingjjdevine.weebly.com/ramblings-of-a-writer.html

More Jessica Links:

http://redrosepublishing.com/books/product_info.php?products_id=853

Website:

http://www.jessicachambers.co.uk

Blog:

http://www.jessicachambers.co.uk/blog

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1442572504

Contest!

For the duration of my October blog tour for Voices On The Waves, everyone who comments on any of my posts along the way is automatically entered into the draw to win a $15 gift voucher for Amazon or Barnes & Noble. The five winners will be announced on my blog on October 31^st.

Virtual Book Tour--Game, Set, Match by Nana Malone

Please welcome my guest today, Nana Malone. She's talking about her latest release--Game, Set, Match at The Wild Rose Press--and what it's like to write about a heroine who's also a mother. Take it away, Nana!

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All the Single Ladies...Or Not So Much by Nana Malone

First, I’d like to thank Cindy for hosting me on the blog today and giving me the opportunity to meet your fabulous readers.

As Beyonce said “All the single ladies, All the single ladies, All the single ladies…” Somehow the summer anthem wouldn’t have been nearly the same if she’d swapped married ladies for single ladies. Writing the carefree single gal is a whole different ballgame than writing about a wife or mother.

I remember my single days. Ahh, the days of not answering to anyone but myself. I remember when the only responsibility I had was worrying about paying rent, grabbing the latest hot duds from H&M, and where happy hour was going to be that night. I lived for Sex and the City and I was fabulous. Or at least I thought I was. How I miss those days. Or do I? Writing the single heroine is a raucous fast passed adventure. Her life is about exploration and finding love. Every scene is an opportunity to show her growing into the woman she’s supposed to become. But those single days were sometimes lonely and hard and often filled with heartbreak. My mother called them growing pains.

Writing a mother is a whole different world. In Game, Set, Match, Izzy is your classic caretaker. As is the way of mothers, she thinks of everyone before she thinks of herself. She’d love to give herself over to a torrid affair with Jason and just have a good time. But she knows the consequences. She has more than just herself to think about. She knows Jason can not only break her heart but her son’s as well.

Do I have a preference for the kind of heroine I like to write? No. I love them all. As a new mother. I now understand what it means to have your whole life revolve around someone else entirely. It’s a whole new perspective. Because I’m at this point in my life, it’s great to be able to explore it with the feelings that are so fresh.

But boy do I love my single heroine. It reminds me a little bit of who I used to be. Though I doubt I was ever quite so fabulous.

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Blurb:

Off the court, tennis star Jason Cartwright’s playboy image is taking a public beating. On the court, he’s down forty-love. A knee injury is shutting down his game, and the paparazzi are splashing his love life on every magazine. A comeback is in order, but the makeover he needs to save his faltering career is in the hands of the woman he loved and left fifteen years ago.

While single-mom, Izzy Connors, sees people for who they really are through the lens of and good looks haven’t dimmed since he broke her heart, all she sees is his wasted talent and playboy lifestyle.

Can Izzy put the past behind her and help Jason get his game, and his image, back on track? Or will the click of her camera shatter his world as well as his heart?

Excerpt:

Dark glasses masked his eyes, but Izzy knew behind them, she’d find intense heat able to strip her to the soul. His tousled blond hair just as she remembered it, a little unkempt, as if he hadn’t bothered with it. He was every bit the Hollywood playboy portrayed in the press. And that devil-may-care sexiness was going to be the death of her.

Before she could say anything else, his strong arms and a warm musky scent enveloped her. Involuntarily, her body stilled like an ice sculpture as her breasts came into contact with the hard planes of his chest. Unable to process the situation, she heard a faint clatter as his sunglasses fell to the floor. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to think of the last time she’d seen him, the last time he’d abandoned her for Sabrina.

“Damn, Izzy, you look amazing.” He set her down, but kept hold of one of her hands. Whiskey eyes poured warm amber over every inch of her body. “How’ve you been?”

The source of her greatest humiliation wanted to know how she’d been, as if they were old buddies. She reminded herself they, for all intents and purposes, were old buddies, until she’d made the mistake of pegging him as her first lover.

Behind Jason, his companion, with his rugged dark good looks and infectious smile, saved her from having to speak. Not that she could have. “Did I miss something, Jase? You two know each other?”

Jason’s smile flashed, making her want to do all manner of inappropriate things. Smash his head in with a frying pan? Strip him bare and see if he still looked as good as he promised? Launch a full TET offensive on him with her lips?

Not necessarily in that order.

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Nana's links:

http://nanamalone.com/

Get your copy of Game, Set, Match today at Amazon!

http://tinyurl.com/GameSetMatchAmazon

or at The Wild Rose Press

http://www.thewildrosepress.com/nana-malone-m-852.html

Isabel Roman--Sex and Subterfuge Virtual Book Tour

Please welcome my special guest today, Isabel Roman who's here chatting about her new release Sex and Subterfuge. The topic today? How does writing a menage scene differ from a scene with a couple. Take it away, Isabel!

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Okay…interesting topic! I’m game. A ménage sex scene as opposed to just a couple scene.

Pronouns. I know, I know, it’s rather mundane but it’s the truth. Too many he’s or her’s and it’s confusing. Who’s doing what to whom?

Keeping all 3 occupied at once. Can’t have anyone getting bored. *wink*

Keeping in the forefront of the reader’s

mind the exotic-ness of the situation. Even if this isn’t a new experience, it isn’t of the norm in today’s society. It’s about the passion, the pleasure, and yes, even the love. But it’s not a threesome you see walking down the street, it’s a couple. Or at

least that’s how most people perceive it.

Placement of hands: Unless they aren’t human, humans aren’t contortionists or plastic man. They can’t wrap a hand around a bunch of times or touch you just there from across the bed.

I guess if you’re comfortable enough writing a couple sex scene (m/f, m/m, f/f) you’re comfortable enough writing more. As long as you remember everyone involved, that is. And if you’re comfortable—or adventurous—enough to try a ménage, then don’t balk. Don’t stop half way, don’t chicken out, go for it! (In any way you so desire *G*)

The topic really got me thinking!

Thanks for having me today. I have a free Dark Desires of the Druids: Choose Your Own Adventure (link: http://isabelroman.com/choose-your-own-adventure/druids)

Readers find a copy of Dark Desires of the Druids: Sex & Subterfuge here (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Dark-Desires-of-the-Druids/Isabel-Roman/e/9781590032008/?itm=1&USRI=Dark+Desires+of+the+Druids%3a+Sex+%26+Subterfuge)! Or here (http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Desires-Druids-Subterfuge-Ravenous/dp/1590032004/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1279842669&sr=1-1)

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And thanks for being here! Now let's get to that sexy book of yours :)

Blurb:

A master magicker, Morgana Blackthorne has a tenuous hold on her following. When a strange Englishman arrives on her doorstep with news of other druidic magickers, and magicker problems, she’s intrigued but suspicious. There hasn’t been contact between the American and European druids in over a hundred years. Plus she has her own worries and doesn’t need the handsome earl adding to them.

Lucien, Earl of Granville, left England to seek out the Blackthorne Druid line and discover what they’ve been up to since contact was lost. Once he and Morgana meet, their mutual attraction distracts him from his purpose. Embroiled in her problems, he finds himself more concerned with her welfare than is practical for a passing affair.

When I invited you into my bed, it never occurred to me I wouldn’t want you to leave.

There are darker forces at work and the hunger of a weak magicker desperate for power. Will Lucien convince Morgana of his true feelings before things spiral out of control? Or will the surrounding subterfuge tear them apart?

Excerpt:

[After Lucien and Morgana return from intimidating a French smuggler into handing over a case of dangerous and illegal venom used in making potions.]

“I need to speak with him,” Morgana said. “I’ll send him along later.”

James’s eyes narrowed at her, but he nodded. Even in company he barely tolerated, he’d never question her. Especially in company he barely tolerated.

Lucien watched her with a quizzical expression and she smiled. The parlor door closed silently behind her. They wouldn’t be interrupted by servants. Now was the time.

“Since we met,” she said confidently and closed the distance between them. “I’ve been attracted to you.”

He nodded, caressing her cheek with the knuckles of one hand. “I’ve felt the same way.”

“Good,” she whispered, voice husky, lips a breath from his. “Come upstairs with me.”

Lucien tried to recall a time when a woman was bold enough to seduce him, and could not. Morgana was different from his previous lovers and far, far more daring. His entire being was focused on her, on her body. Thoughts of their night, the venom, and André’s mysterious buyer swept from his head the instant she kissed him.

Now, both half naked, his lips trailed down her thigh, over her knee, to her delicate ankle. Up the other leg, over the delicate swell of her hip. He looked at her in the dimness of the room. And in the shifting shadows, her eyes were a deep recess that drew Lucien in and captured him. In those interminable minutes before their lips touched again, he felt himself drowning in her; her taste, her scent, her very essence.

Their lips touched softly, gently at first. Flesh on flesh. Then she opened her mouth under his and drew him in. He watched her eyes flutter shut as she gave herself over and he pulled her closer, determined to have all of her this night.

Tiny, invisible tendrils wound around them, drawing them to each other, into each other and together they crossed that final barrier. He felt her hands move up his sides, over his shoulders to caress his neck, only to wind themselves around and pull him even closer, molding her body to his – perfectly.

Lucien thought he knew what it was to give into lust. To know that rush, and revel in it for as long as it lasted. Thought he’d experienced everything there was to experience when it came to matters of the flesh. As her hands tugged off his shirt, slowly roaming the bare flesh underneath, he discovered he was wrong.

Morgana sighed his name. “Lucien.”

Guest Author Kaily Hart

Please welcome my guest, fellow Ellora's Cave author Kaily Hart! She's blogging today about what it's like to be published for the first time. Take it away, Kaily---

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If I could think of one word to describe what it’s been like as a new author, it would be ‘emotionally draining’. OK, that’s really two words, but I couldn’t think of a great one-worder! I really mean it in the best way possible. As we go through life, we experience many firsts, some more memorable than others. As a newly published author, I’ve been lucky to experience many, many firsts to date. For Picture This, I seem to have struck a bonanza and they all seemed to come within a very short space of time!! They’ll always be mine, and they’ll always be special and I’d like to share them with you:

 I wrote my first novella. [Picture This, duh…]
 I submitted to my first epublisher. [Ellora’s Cave]
 I received my first revision request.
 I got my first offer for publication.
 I executed my first publishing contract.
 I got my first editor. Yay, Grace! [notice comma before name!!]
 I received my first edits! [goodbye en-dash]
 I got my first cover.
 I received my first release date!
 I had my first heart attack [no, just kidding, but sometimes it felt like it!!]
 OMG, June 29, 2010 and I’m a published author for the first time! [I got me a buy link!]
 My first review! Woohoo! [Tiger Lily, I love you]
 My first feedback from a reader [Rita, you’ll always have a special place in my heart]
 My first interview as a published author [Cari, you petitioned and you got it, baby!]

So, how does it feel? It’s exhilarating, scary, empowering, anxiety-ridden, incredible, nerve-wracking, moving… LOL. Seeing a pattern here? Yeah, like I said, emotionally draining, but in the absolutely, positively, best way possible!!! The coolest part of all of it so far has been reader feedback by far. Many have reached out to me directly to say how much they’ve enjoyed the book, the characters, the story. To be able to touch someone in some way? Well, it’s why I write!

If any of you have read my book and happened to look at the dedication, Picture This is dedicated to all aspiring authors. It wasn’t that long ago that I was in those ranks and I won’t forget that anytime soon. I may have achieved the milestone that all writers strive for, but it’s not an end. I see it as a beginning. It’s the first rung on the publishing ladder for me and I really hope there will be many more milestones or rungs along the way. Actually, I hope it turns out to be more like an elevator, rather than a ladder!

As well as being an incredible journey to date, it’s also been a foundational learning experience. As a writer you learn constantly, about the craft of writing as well as the business aspects of it. Going through revisions and edits with an editor was an invaluable experience. Being involved in promotion has been a very steep learning curve but amazing and getting to see your work out there in reviews? Almost surreal. As a writer I don’t think I’ll ever stop learning, nor would I want to.

Writing is still as hard as it was before, possibly even more so because there’s the pressure of creating another story that’s not just as good, but better than the first. Suddenly, you’ve built expectation out there and you have to try and live up to that. Ah, the never ending cycle of hope and anxiety for the writer!! So, what am I focused on now? Well, I’m still basking in the success some, but I’m hard at work on my next book, of course!

So, I showed you mine, you show me yours! Anyone care to share any of their memorable firsts?

****

Blurb:

Desperate and young, Jillian Moore did something she knew would one day come back to bite her in the ass. She’d posed nude. For money. Years later, and on the fast track to a successful career, she’s still haunted by her mistake. She can’t help but wonder when her past will catch up with her.

Samuel Steele is not short on female attention, but the women who warm his bed pale in comparison to the fantasy he’s created of the seductive temptress in the painting hanging prominently in his bedroom. A fantasy that has ruined his once satisfying sex life. When he discovers that her exact likeness works in his building—for him—things get…interesting.

Excerpt:

Oh my God, Samuel Steele was a walking, talking wet dream.

She’d drooled from afar plenty, but up close he was downright gorgeous. Every woman in the place, and even some of the guys, had checked out his tight butt, flat abs and broad shoulders, and although he’d never worn anything but a suit to the office, that didn’t stop imaginations from running riot. His hair was dark and thick, his skin tanned, and regardless of the time of day, his jaw always seemed darkened with at least a day’s beard growth. And his eyes. She’d never been close enough to make out their color before, but they were a dark, piercing gray. They should have looked cold, but the way he was looking at her made her wonder if someone had turned off the air-conditioning.

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Follow Kaily's Virtual Book Tour at Goddess Fish Promotions or click one of her links to find out more about this fascinating author!

Book buy link - http://www.jasminejade.com/p-8437-picture-this.aspx

Web – www.kailyhart.com

Blog - http://kailyhart.blogspot.com/

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/kaily.hart

Twitter - http://twitter.com/kailyhart

Spring into Spring Blog-a-bration!

Happy spring, y'all! And welcome to my month long celebration of the season. I have lots of guests and fun planned. Today's event? A contest to win one of my e-books :) Leave a comment about your favorite thing about spring and I'll pick a random winner from commenters. The winner gets to select a title from my releases. Contest closes midnight EDT, tonight! Don't forget to stop by all this month to read entries by my special guest bloggers! Now, let's get to commenting....