Book Feature: LOVE AT LAST by Dorothy Ewels

Releasing February 22, 2019   │   Pre-Order on Amazon

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SYNOPSIS

When Willow’s lifelong best friend is murdered, she’s left devastated. She knows she needs to pull herself together for the two little girls who are now put under her guardianship. The last thing that should be on her mind is the attraction to investigating officer Adam Dawson.

From the moment Adam glances Willow’s way, he finds himself drawn to her, but she’s off limits. He needs to be professional while investigating her best friend’s murder.
The murderer has no intention of stopping, throwing Willow and Adam into a maelstrom of danger and deceit. Events unfold testing not only Willow, but also Adam’s strength of character, as well as their blossoming love.

Will Willow be another victim? Or can Adam save not only the girl, but their relationship as well?

Pre-Order Links:

US: https://amzn.to/2GoYq7C
UK: https://amzn.to/2TsaqJj
CA: https://amzn.to/2BmEoaK
AU: https://amzn.to/2DRZLSI

EXCERPT

  Adam shifted, so he was angled towards Willow, mirroring the way she sat facing him. Showing no signs of shying away from the look or the question, he slid his hand up to cradle the back of her head, never breaking eye contact.
  “I see a woman with a beautiful heart and a face to match. I see a woman with a body built to please a man. And full disclosure, honey, I want to be that man.”
  He certainly didn’t beat around the bush. Willow’s heart stuttered in her chest. The look in Adam’s eyes had turned heated. He sat forward, leaning into her space. His eyes holding hers, he lowered his head until his lips barely touched hers.
  “Adam, I–” Lost for words, Willow stumbled to a halt, worrying at her bottom lip with her teeth.
  Closing the tiny gap, Adam used his teeth to pull the abused lip between his own and sucked on it softly. Sensation arrowed straight through Willow, her whole body tightening in response. Unconsciously, she leaned into the motion. Adam groaned low in his throat before pulling her in for a kiss. Sliding his other hand into her hair, he cradled the sides of her head between his large palms. Her lips parted for him, and his tongue swept in, stroking hers.

  Willow’s senses swam. She felt surrounded by Adam. She inhaled him – the smell of his cologne, his shampoo, the scent she recognised as uniquely Adam. She felt him – the strong, steady thump of his heartbeat under her hand as it lay on his chest. And God, she tasted him – he tasted of coffee and desire.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A proud member of the Romance Writer’s Organization of South Africa (ROSA), Dorothy Ewels developed a love of reading from early on. Her passion for the written word has spanned across decades until she finally put pen to paper and began her path as an indie author where reading and writing remain her first love.

Married, with one son and three fur babies, she lives in Cape Town, and while she loves travelling, she cannot see herself living anywhere else. When she’s not weaving stories in her writing cave, she spends her time with family, friends, as well as enjoying crafting.

Find Dorothy online:

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/dorothyewelsauthor
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/dorothyewelwrites
Goodreads : https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18573939.Dorothy_Ewels
Amazon : https://amazon.com/author/dorothyewels

Cover Reveal: THE HEART OF YOU by Aarti V Raman

~ Cover Reveal ~

The Heart of You 

(A Geeks of Caltech Novel)

by Aarti V Raman

Mixed martial arts studio owner Kit Barranos has always been a fighter. He will fight for his family. For his friends. For anyone in need.

What he doesn't know how to do is fight for himself...
... Or the inconvenient and consuming desire he has for single mom Lily Fallahil.

Office manager, Lily has spent the last decade raising her son and proving her independence to her protective and overbearing brother, Drake.
She has no time for romance. Especially with Kit Barranos, who has a body to die for and eyes that rip at her soul.
When Kit reveals his heartbreaking secret to Lily - he has a brother he never knew about, one he considered his closest friend - it brings them closer, creates a bond neither can deny.
And paves the way for a steamy attraction that explodes between them.
But it isn't just Lily that Kit is slowly but surely falling for. It's her adorable son, Bret.
Navigating the holidays, their families and their feelings is no easy task.
Flawed and fiercely loyal, Kit and Lily have fought the odds and survived.
But, survival no longer seems enough.
Can they take a chance on each other, on their hearts... On a love that braves The Heart of You?
The Heart of You is Book Three of The Geeks of Caltech, a unique band of friends bonded by loyalty, brotherhood, and pain. The Geeks of Caltech are to die for and their women all they wish to live for!

COMING SOON!

About the Author:

Aarti V Raman lives in Mumbai, India and has been a commercial editor and business journalist for the better part of a decade.

She is an incurable romantic who has taken up the task of bringing Happily Ever After to life for the characters in her head. She has three traditionally published novels out, all contemporary romances from 2014-2016, with the next one slated for release in 2019.

She currently writes and self-publishes steamy contemporary romance for urban millennials with a global twist. Sometimes, there are guns and car chases too.

Her new contemporary romance series include GEEKS OF CALTECH and ROYALS OF STELLANGARD as well as standalone romances - all of which have become Amazon India and US bestsellers.

She has also appeared as speaker at lit festivals and events around India and also dabbles in poetry, while conducting creative writing workshops.

Contact the Author:

Website * Facebook Page * Twitter * Instagram

This Cover Reveal is powered by b00k r3vi3w Tours

My theory of wasted time, proven true

How much time do you think you spend doing things? I have a theory that we overestimate how much time we spend doing something, and then when it comes down to actual measuring it, it is not as much as we think. My theory is purely based on personal perception, and I think I have proven it - at least to myself.

For the past month or so I have been using an App to track my time with minimum interference from me. This means that it asks me what I am doing now, and unless I am lying (to myself, because the App doesn't care) it is accurate. The surprising thing (and the reason for my theory) is that I wasted a lot more of my time than what I thought I was. While I think I am doing something (even if it is reading a book) I am wasting more time doing nothing, than doing something useful or enjoyable, like reading.

While you might think that I am obsessed with time (and perhaps you are correct) my biggest issue is that life is too short to waste the time we have on useless activities. Meaning that if I am taking a break when I need to, the break should not become two hours of watching TV, or surfing on social media.

Time away from a computer is a good thing, so I realised that whatever time I am spending not working, or writing (or whatever other activity I want or should do) is not spent as effectively as I thought it was. Yes, the word is procrastination.

Since I am self-employed again, the saying that time is money is more accurate than what it was when I worked for a salary. I am not going to get paid for two hours wasted on the Internet, that's for sure, but working for a salary meant that I wasn't getting paid by the hour either.

The App allows me to draw a report of the time per activity/task that I am tracking, and the results confirmed what I suspected, I am a time waster. Not what I wanted to see, that's for sure. But all is not lost.

What it helps me to do is to find out which tasks take longer than planned. This is a good thing since planning is essential, I can now see where I need to allow for more time for a specific type of task. When some things take less time to complete, I can then plan for a shorter period to finish the job in future, or I can add a task in that same time slot. A task that I probably would have scheduled later because I wouldn't have the time to do it on that day.

It all sounds complicated, but in actual fact, it is more simple than it looks. What I also like about this, is that I can now plan for time to do things that I want, like reading or drawing. Whereas in the past, I had to hope for some free time that will allow me a few hours to enjoy myself.

My 30 days of free usage of the App expires tomorrow, but I have already decided to pay the license fee as the benefits I have already received, definitely outweigh the cost of its continuous use.

A last word

There are a number of these applications for both Windows and iOS operating systems, phones and computers, available in your favourite online store. If you need to track your time for either invoicing or purely to find out where you are wasting it, I can recommend exploring the various options available to see which of these apps will work for you.

I am using dailytimetracking.com on a Macbook if you want to check it out.

Until next time!

💜Linzé

  

The Pixie and the Dragon King by Linzé Brandon

😎 Pre-order your copy, and choose your own price! 😎

How To Avoid Rejection Blues - a guest post by Ruchi Singh

So someone has said no to your idea or story. A story, which you thought was very unique, a story which has been written painstakingly and lovingly, but the other person thinks it’s not worth anything. It shakes your confidence. It makes you second-guess everything you decide to take on. 

Being rejected does rankle!

But before delving deeper into the Blues let’s understand what is ‘Rejection’. 

Rejection, the word is pretty negative. It actually is. It means that someone doesn’t attach any importance to something which is very dear to your heart. It can be your choice, your emotions, your idea, or your story…

According to the Oxford dictionary, Rejection has two simple definitions;

1) The dismissing or refusing of a proposal, idea, etc.

2) The action of spurning a person's affections.

The two definitions are addressing two different spheres of life, but in the case of a writer, the pain is almost the same for both :) 

There are various ways or levels of rejections. There would be a no response rejection. Agents, editors will not respond to your ideas. There will be no answering correspondence whatsoever on your query. The second one is simple; ‘your story does not fit into our production schedule’ or ‘we have a similar idea at our desk’. This one is the best. It tells you something about how the wind is blowing and you can fine-tune your own story or approach someone else. The third would be a negative or critical rejection which either says ‘rejected’ or is a feedback on the submission. No matter how polite it is worded this type of rejection will always cause pain. Let it. Accept that it will pull you down for a few hours, a few days… but no more. Go on the writing desk again and improve.

Being rejected does hurt! Yes, it does. 

And it’ll hurt every time. But, yes there is a but, its up to you to what degree you allow it to impact yourself. And there are ways to deal with it. We’ll be able to deal with it better if we understand the factors or reason behind it. Let’s dissect them one by one;

• Understand that the idea is rejected not you as a person. The idea can be refined and rewritten, or another idea will click. Take rejection feedback as an opportunity to improve your manuscript.
• Sometimes when an agent or publisher says ‘no’. It may not be a rejection of the idea, it might mean ‘no… not right now’. The market plays a very important role in getting the idea accepted.
• Remember you might have pitched to a wrong person or the organization. Or maybe the agent or the editor is upset about something and has read your story at the wrong time. Believe me, moods or office politics do factor in while taking a decision.
• Put yourself in the shoes of the agent or the editor. Till the time they say ‘no’, they are safe, there is no risk involved. The moment they say ‘yes’ they are an equal owner of your unique idea and now the commercial aspect comes into the picture. So essentially if they are saying ‘no, it is not necessarily to your idea but it’s as per their risk-taking ability.
• Every person gets rejected at least once in their lifetime. So it’s nothing new. I know it may sound harsh, but that’s a fact. JK Rowling got rejected by 12 publishing houses. Ashwin Sanghi, I heard him say, got rejected more than 40 times. I got rejected every time I had pitched my story to anyone. And from the reviews that my books get I have realized I am a good storyteller but a lousy idea seller. Yes your ability to sell the idea all plays an important role.

Being rejected does suck! Yes, it does, but don’t take it to your heart. We shouldn’t give up on our ideas just because someone else doesn’t see our vision. Stay on course and you might surprise everyone and yourself.

All the very best!

Ruchi Singh

About the Book

The Man

Security expert Nikhil Mahajan is in mortal danger. Gravely injured and unable to see, he is in the midst of hostile strangers in an unknown place. Any hope of survival is fast fading away. 

The Angel

Should an innocent man be allowed to die just because he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time? Someone has to intervene.

About the Author

Winner of TOI WriteIndia Season 1, Ruchi Singh is a novelist, and writes in two genres; romance and romantic thriller. A voracious reader, she loves everything—from classics to memoirs to editorials to chick-lit, but her favourite genre is ‘romantic thriller’. Besides writing and reading, her other interests include dabbling with Indian classical dance forms.

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