A Slice of Orange

Home

A Naughty Christmas Carol by Jina Bacarr

December 11, 2011 by in category Archives tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,

What if Scrooge was a sexy hunk? 

I couldn’t resist writing about this modern day Scrooge in my holiday novella, A Naughty Christmas Carol.

Three sexy female ghosts try to save the soul of a Wall Street trader on this naughty Christmas Eve.

Nick Radnor is a Wall Street trader with no heart.

Money is his mistress.

That doesn’t stop him from having sex in his office on Christmas Eve with his secretary, Jinger Hunt.

Or keeping his beautiful fiancée, Monique Ashford, dangling on a string. He’s relentless in his pursuit of wealth and power. Wall Street is in his blood, along with the thrill of risking it all, but he can’t forget the painful memories of Christmas when he was a kid.

Nick works hard, but plays harder in a gentlemen’s club called Mamie’s. After a wild Christmas Eve at Mamie’s, Nick is in a drunken stupor when he hears the eerie sound of rattling chains proclaiming the arrival of the tormented ghost of Charlie Harris, his dead partner.

The last thing Nick needs is Charlie’s ghost telling him he is doomed to walk the earth for eternity, chained by his sins.

What’s even more disturbing to Nick is the arrival of three sexy female ghosts, who warn him that if he doesn’t change his ways he will lose it all, including Monique, the woman he loves.

On this naughty Christmas Eve, Nick will learn the terrifying full scope of where his life is headed because of his corporate greed. In a peek into the future that will shatter his every expectation, Nick realizes the choices he makes now will have deadly consequences for everyone he loves.

Check out A Naughty Christmas Carol on Amazon Kindle.

Happy Holidays, everyone! 

Jina 

0 0 Read more

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Getting Published

December 9, 2011 by in category Archives tagged as

I posted this last week on Dark Side Down Under, a blog I belong to in Australia with lots of paranormal writers. I wanted to share it with my OCC friends, too. 🙂


Just one week ago today, I got on a plane in Sydney with my husband John and moved back to California. We’d found out less than three weeks earlier that there was no more work for him in Sydney, for now anyway. (He just finished working on Happy Feet 2, and his other opportunities fell through at the last minute.) In spite of the stressful situation, we were determined to make the most of it. Above all, I didn’t want us to let the stress cause fights or arguments between us. Thanks to formally making that decision – and thanks to the grace of God – we made it through a crazy month with only one blowup and lots of laughter.

When it comes to romantic comedies, I don’t know if I loved them and so saw my life as one, or if my crazy adventures with John have spurred on a love of the same in fiction. In any case, my first novel, Little Miss Lovesick, certainly has aspects of art imitating life. The heroine Sydney (named long before I dreamed of visiting Australia) wants nothing more than a lifetime of true love. When things don’t work out, she’s determined to do whatever it takes to fix the situation, but every attempt seems to only create more problems.

Oh my gosh, that was so me! After a short but disastrous stint trying to find meaning for my life as a U.S. Marine, I went back to college and decided to forget a higher purpose. All I wanted now was a husband and a boring career. Safety. But the man I was determined to have (at age 19) was not interested in pursuing me. My roommate had his attention. My friend across the hall definitely caught his eye. But not me. No worries. I’d simply keep pursuing him until he realized what a great catch I was! And what lengths I went to!

If you’re laughing, you understand why I write romantic comedies. Even when I’m making things up about pretend people, I can’t help but pull from experiences in my real life. I love to laugh, and John and I both tend to do whatever it takes to make each other laugh. That flows into my writing as well. If you’ve ever seen John and me together, you know I’ve got a lot of material to work with! Some of that has been written into a series of romantic comedies scheduled for 2012 and 2013 set in a little lakeside town like the area where I grew up. The first one, Love at the Fluff N Fold, will be out in the spring. They’re sweet and funny like Little Miss Lovesick.

Later in 2013, I’ll begin releasing a series of superhero romantic comedies. The first book in the Adventures of Lewis and Clarke series is called From Zero to Hero. The idea began when I got tired of John ignoring me to play video games and read comic books. (Guess who has a growing collection of graphic novels now? I had no idea they were so good!)

I love writing these kinds of stories! My books always have a young woman who is searching for something and finds she has more power in her life, yet less control, than she realized. By the end of each story, she’s not only made her own life better, but others’ as well. It took me a few years to realize I write about these women because that’s what I want in my own life.

I guess I thought most women felt the same, so it was a surprise to find editors telling me (and my agent when I had one) that romantic comedies are hard to sell. That didn’t make sense to me since rom-com movies are a staple in the film industry. After hearing more agents and editors at the Romance Writers of America conference in New York this year tell me more of the same (“We don’t know how to sell/have good luck with romantic comedies.”), I decided to go it on my own.

I knew self-publishing would be a long, hard road, but I was sure there was an audience out there who would enjoy my book. I was right on both counts. It’s been a slow and sometimes difficult process, but I’ve gotten great reviews. I’m writing from my heart and enjoying my work. And I’ve found the contentment I was looking for, knowing that I’m entertaining people. Right now, I’m working on getting Little Miss Lovesick into print. (Look for it on Amazon in a week or two!) The process is taxing my jet-lagged brain cells – LOL! – but I’m grateful to be on this path. Who knows? I might create a heroine who starts her own business despite the odds, surviving mayhem and facing disaster… Sounds fun to me!

Kitty Bucholtz decided to combine her undergraduate degree in business, her years of experience in accounting and finance, and her graduate degree in creative writing to become a writer-turned-independent-publisher. Her first novel, Little Miss Lovesick, was released in September 2011 as an ebook and will be available in December in print format. Kitty has also written magazine articles, devotionals, and worked as a magazine editor. She is the co-founder of Routines for Writers where she blogs every Wednesday. Her next novel, Love at the Fluff N Fold, will be released in Spring 2012.

2 0 Read more

The gift that gives twice

December 8, 2011 by in category Archives tagged as


One of my dearest friends, author Sandra Hyatt, died suddenly in August–a huge shock for her family and friends.

Sandra meant so much to me, it’s not the kind of thing I can express on a blog…but I can and will express the opportunity for readers to support Sandra’s family by buying her new book!

LESSONS IN SEDUCTION is a December release–the perfect gift for yourself or a friend. Hey, why not for all your romance-reading friends? The great thing is, this is a wonderful book from a wonderful writer. In her brief career, Sandra was a USA Today bestseller, Rita finalist and is also a nominee for Romantic Times best Desire of 2011.

Romantic Times gives Lessons In Seduction its top grade of 4.5 stars.
Reviewer Pat Cooper says: “A charming and sexy takeoff on the movie Sabrina, Hyatt’s chauffeur’s daughter is not only not looking to hook up with a prince, she’s actively helping him find the right woman – and her prince is just priceless in his cluelessness …Readers are the ones scoring the hit when they pick this one up, and it’s a shame that Hyatt’s passing is going to deny them more tales like this one.”

Lessons In Seduction
A prince on a quest to find the perfect wife doesn’t have time to trifle with a commoner. But Adam Marconi’s longtime friend and sometime driver, Danielle St. Claire, has him contemplating a change in plans. Why can’t the royal have a little fun before finally settling down? Then their supposedly quick affair suddenly turns
serious.

And Prince Adam finds himself in a quandary. Say goodbye to the one woman who sets his heart and body on fire, or defy all the rules and cause the scandal of the century.

Buying links:

Through Harlequin
Ebook
Print

Through Amazon
Print
Kindle

Through bookdepository.com

Thanks so much for supporting Lessons In Seduction. Sandra once wrote in a Christmas blog: “Whatever your religious persuasion it never hurts to stop and count your blessings and the gifts in your life.” She was one in ours.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Sandra Hyatt Memorial Trust which aims to develop emerging romance writers, please visit www.sandrahyatt.com

Postscript: Lessons in Seduction is number three of a royals trilogy.
Book 1: His Bride For The Taking.
Book 2: Falling For The Princess.

And if you’re in the mood for a fabulous Christmas novella try Sandra’s RITA finaling Mistletoe Magic (published in Under The Millionaire’s Mistletoe with Maureen Child). E-book

2 0 Read more

PAW Anticipation

December 6, 2011 by in category Pets, Romance & Lots of Suspense by Linda O. Johnston tagged as , ,
I admit it–I didn’t blog last month. That was because I was traveling and had limited Internet connection. Sorry if you missed me.

This month, I’m here! I’m also looking forward to the months to come at OCC meetings with even more anticipation than usual. That’s because I’m going to be the co-PAW meeting leader in 2012. My partner in no crime, I hope, will be Charlotte Lobb, and she has clearly demonstrated more skill at this already than I have–but I intend to take lessons from her.

We’ll be succeeding Jackie Hyman, whom Charlotte has also assisted at times. Thanks so much to both of you! You’ve done such a great job of preparing topics for PAW meeting discussions and, when possible, having the afternoon OCC speaker be PAW’s guest and the focus of our discussion as well. I hope we can continue that.

Meantime, all you PAW people–let us know if you have anything you’d like us to address in our meetings. We’ll try to accommodate you. And since this is a learning process especially for me, let us know if there’s anything else you’d like us to do.

–Linda O. Johnston
1 0 Read more

December Calls for Submission: Naughty & Nice

December 1, 2011 by in category Archives tagged as ,

Ready to wrap up the year? Making some publishing goals for 2012? Well, here’s a round-up of a few anthology calls to kick-start the inspiration. Get published after reading one of these calls? Drop me a line … would love to hear about success stories.
“Dangerous Places-Dangerous Men”
Pink Petal Books, a high-quality boutique publisher, is actively searching for erotic short stories between 7k-15k words for an anthology to be released in April 2012. At this time, we are looking for four to six tales for a 50k-word finished electronic and print book. Both published and unpublished authors are welcome.
Do you have a survivor-type story? A shipwrecked hero, a heroine stranded on a desert island with a hot rogue, or a couple who’s lost in the steamy jungles? Did your hero drop into a war zone or does he work in an extremely perilous occupation?
Submission deadline is January 15, 2012. Submit the full short story plus a blurb to anthologysubs@pinkpetalbooks.com with “Dangerous Places-Dangerous Men” in the subject line. For more information, visit http://pinkpetalbooks.com/Submissions.html.
Virgin Vampires
Darkness falls and they rise, leaving behind a trail of blood and lust. Ravenous Romance is seeking 2000-5000 word short stories for their new virgin vampire anthology, FIRST BITE. We want to see stories that delve deep into virgin territories, whether it is a vampire’s first night, first bite, first f—you get the idea. Let your imaginations run wild…amongst other things. Please submit stories to Tabitha@literarypartners.com, including a short story query letter, your bio, and your short story and a word document. Deadline is Dec. 30. Payment is a flat fee of $25.
A Mind is a Sexy Thing
The guy sitting in the library with a mountain of books, disheveled hair, glasses hiding the beautiful baby blues….we want him.  In fact, we want any romance you may have with the nerdy guy, or the computer geek who doesn’t realize just how sexy he actually is…or the guy with the lab coat who spends his days working out long equations for fun.  Silver Publishing wants your romance stories with the Brainy Guys!
•                M/M Only
•                Contemporary
•                15k+ words
•                Must have romance and either a happily ever after (HEA) or a happy for now (HFN) ending
•                Heat rating: Any

These stories will each be released individually on the same day and will share the same cover art design. Submission Deadline: Feb. 25, 2012. For more information, visit https://spsilverpublishing.com/pages-title-page-24
Bound For Love

Editor Sascha Illyvich
and publisher Sizzler Editions is seeking romantic BDSM stories for our upcoming anthology, Bound for Love. Throughout history love and sex as submission and love and sex as pain have been linked. For example, this link is revealed in commonly used phrases like “the bonds of love,” “the chains of love,” “the ties that bind,” “prisoner of love,” “captive heart,” “love hurts,” “love is pain.” 
 â€¨Stories should reflect this connection be between B&D and romance. What after all could be sweeter than a bottom’s submission to a top? In some ways love between leather folks, slaves and master/mistresses, is the most honest straightforward love there is. In short, we want stories that capture the romance in bondage and the bondage in romance made explicit. 
 â€¨
Stories for Bound for Love should be 4-9k in length with a focus on the relationship development. Each needs to have a strong focus on both BDSM with a classic romance type of plot and a HEA ending. If either can be removed, the story is not for this anthology. We seek unpublished submissions though we will consider reprints. Deadline: Dec. 15, 2011; expected release Feb. 1, 2012. The advance payment against a prorated share of the royalties will be $25 for stories under 5000 words and $35 for stories over 5000.
Submit to wolfprinceeditor@gmail.com in MS WORD format, 14 point, single spaced, Times New Roman. Make sure to put Bound for Love Anthology submission in the subject line of your email.
See something that piques your creativity? Louisa Bacio will be teaching Writing a Short Story for Anthology Call-Out on SavvyAuthors.com in January, and for OCC/RWA in November 2012. Make publication a goal. For more information, visit http://louisabacio.com

— Compiled by Louisa Bacio

0 0 Read more

Copyright ©2017 A Slice of Orange. All Rights Reserved. ~PROUDLY POWERED BY WORDPRESS ~ CREATED BY ISHYOBOY.COM

>