Hi, lovelies! It gives me great pleasure today to host Jo
McNally and her new book, “Stealing Kisses in the Snow”! For other stops on her Goddess Fish
Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in
this post.
Be sure to make it to the
end of this post to enter to win a Print Copy of Jo’s other book “Slow Dancing
at Sunrise,” AND a Print Copy of Jo’s featured book, “Stealing Kisses in
the Snow,” – ALL to ONE lucky winner!! Also, come back daily to interact with Jo and
to increase your chances of winning!
Thanks for stopping
by! Wishing you lots of luck in this
fabulous giveaway!
Please note that this
giveaway is ONLY open to USA and CA residents.
Sorry INTL – please check out the other giveaways on this blog!
Stealing Kisses in the Snow
by Jo McNally
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GENRE: Contemporary Romance
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BLURB:
Maybe "perfect" is over-rated...
Between
juggling two kids, two jobs, and a fixer-upper house, single mom Piper
Montgomery is so busy she can hardly see straight. But when rugged biker Logan Taggert strolls
into the B&B where she’s working, she can’t help but stare. He has bad boy written all over him. She’s promised
her kids a “perfect Christmas” this year, and bad boys aren’t part of the plan.
But how can she resist?
Once
his grandmother is back on her feet, Logan can leave her Victorian B&B get
back on the road. It’s where he belongs
after all, even if his grandmother’s matchmaking book club biddies try to
convince him otherwise. But there’s
something about beautiful, spitfire Piper that makes him wonder if kids and
commitment might be just what he needs after all.
As
Christmas draws ever closer, so do Piper and Logan. Could these two opposites find all they want
this Christmas is each other?
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EXCERPT TWO:
Logan
Taggart had been thrown out of plenty of places in his lifetime, but never by a
pretty little ponytailed momma wearing a ruffled yellow apron. He managed to
squelch his smile, knowing it would be a mistake to laugh.
The
golden-haired munchkin clutching his fingers right now was clearly the woman’s
daughter, and he probably looked like an ax murderer. He gently freed himself
from the child and stepped back, raising both hands and modulating his voice
carefully.
“Ma’am,
I’m sorry. The little girl said she wanted me to go to the kitchen, and I was
heading here anyway…”
The
woman seemed flummoxed. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her blue eyes wild as
she stepped closer. She raised the mop higher with one hand, then dropped her
phone on the counter with the other so she could snatch her daughter’s hand,
tugging her to safety behind her. She waved the mop again, as if that would
really protect her if he posed a threat. He was a foot taller and a good
seventy pounds heavier than she was. The biggest danger to him was in her other
hand—the cell phone she’d picked up again.
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GUEST POST:
Making It Believable – Writing Romantic and Intimate Scenes:
I am
one of those authors who loves writing romantic and intimate scenes.
It’s not the scintillating idea that “oh, they’re kissing!” or “oh, they’re
naked!” Scenes of intimacy expose so much more than skin.
It’s
in the scenes of intimacy that I dig deep into my characters and help them
discover something they may not have known about themselves. After all, we’re
never more vulnerable than when we’re willingly making physical contact with
another person for the first time. We hope to be accepted. To be loved.
One
of my favorite scenes to write is the Almost Kiss. That accidental brush
against each other that creates a sudden adrenaline spike. The switch that gets
flipped from boredom to “holy smokes, I want to kiss this guy.” I get
into the character’s heads and follow their thoughts as they get closer and
closer to falling. They’re terrified, and that’s some fun stuff to write.
That’s what makes an intimate scene feel so intimate. And realistic. It’s not
in the physical description—there are only so many ways lips can connect, after
all. What makes a kiss scene believable is the emotion behind it.
In Stealing
Kisses in the Snow, the Almost Kiss happens on Halloween night. Logan
Taggart carries Piper Montgomery’s sleeping little girl, Lily, into her house and
up to bed. In the upstairs hallway, Logan and Piper are talking quietly and
closely when the switch flips from planning the next day to fighting the
inexplicable urge to kiss. It’s only broken when Piper’s teenage son comes
home, and Piper has to sneak Logan downstairs and out the door before Ethan
sees him. That touch of humor is another way to keep intimate scenes
approachable for the reader.
One
way to make love scenes believable is to offer a surprise to the reader. Maybe
humor, or just a twist that sets it apart. The first love scene in Stealing
Kisses in the Snow takes place in the attic (beds schmeds!), and they both
remain fully clothed. But Piper ends up quite...um...satisfied with the
experience. She and Logan each let down their defenses and realize there’s no
stopping where this relationship is headed (ahem...a bed!). It’s sexy, but also
very tender.
I
mentioned “willingly” earlier, and I want to be clear: consent and protection
are realistic and sexy. Some guy who grabs a woman and kisses her without
knowing if she wants that kiss is a predator, not a hero. So yes, I make sure
my heroes have consent before a kiss. It can be as simple and tender as a
whispered “are you sure, baby?” Or as emotional as a pleading “God, I want to
kiss you right now...please let me kiss you…” Those simple requests (and the
consent) don’t spoil or slow down a scene. They make it real. And even more
importantly, they portray a healthy relationship to the reader.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR BIO:
Jo McNally lives in coastal North
Carolina with 100 pounds of dog and 200 pounds of husband – her slice of the
bed is very small. When she's not writing or reading romance novels (or
clinging to the edge of the bed...), she can often be found on the back porch sipping
wine with friends, listening to great music. If the weather is absolutely
perfect, she'll occasionally join her husband on the golf course, where she
always feels far more competitive than her actual skill-level would suggest.
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CONNECT WITH JO:
Jo’s Super Adorable Furbaby and Ghost Writer, Tully
PC: IG - @jo.mcnally
Website:
Newsletter:
Email:
jomcnallyromance@gmail.com
Facebook:
Twitter:
Pinterest:
Instagram:
BookBub Author Page:
BookBub Book Page:
Goodreads Author Page:
Goodreads Book Page:
Amazon Author Page:
Jo’s Very Sweet Furbaby, Tully, Cuddling with Her Toys
PC: IG - @jo.mcnally
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BOOK BUY LINKS:
Amazon Kindle eBook:
Amazon Mass Market Paperback:
Amazon Audiobook:
Amazon Audio CD:
Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stealing-kisses-in-the-snow-jo-mcnally/1129992769?ean=9781488054228
Barnes and Noble Paperback:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stealing-kisses-in-the-snow-jo-mcnally/1129992769?ean=9781335041487
Barnes and Noble Audio CD:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stealing-kisses-in-the-snow-jo-mcnally/1129992769?ean=9781094003771
Barnes and Noble Audio MP3 on CD:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stealing-kisses-in-the-snow-jo-mcnally/1129992769?ean=9781094003788
Kobo eBook:
Kobo Audiobook:
Apple iBook eBook:
Google Play eBook:
Google Play Audiobook:
The Book Depository Paperback:
The Book Depository Audio CD:
BAM! Books-A-Million Mass Market Paperback:
BAM! Books-A-Million Audio CD:
BAM! Books-A-Million Audio MP3 on CD:
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Jo will be awarding one print copy of Slow
Dancing at Sunrise and one print copy of Stealing Kisses in the Snow (US and CA
Only) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.
**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a
purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this
blog. This does not cost you anything,
it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**
This contest is sponsored
by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish
Promotions. Prizes are given away by the
sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish
Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
Jo ~ Good morning! Welcome to FAB! It is so great to have you here! Congrats on your new book and good luck on the book tour! :)
ReplyDeleteP.S. ~ Your furbaby is sooooo adorable!!! :)
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your guest post. You're a new to me author and I really hope I get this book for Christmas.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good book.
ReplyDelete