THE COACHES WIFE by Author Barbara Casey *Goddess Fish Tour*

Today, Notes From a Romantic’s Heart is pleased to welcome author Barbara Casey to the blog to share her latest book, The Coach’s Wife. Don’t forget the giveaway which can be found at the end of the post. And, you can follow the other stops on the tour at Goddess Fish Promotions.

GENRE: Fiction/Mystery/Suspense

About the Book

The Cinderella Coyotes of State University are in the Final Four, poised to win the NCAA National Championship in basketball—the culmination of March Madness. For Marla Conners, she's proud of her husband Neal, and his achievement of coaching a collegiate team to the pinnacle of his career and the ultimate victory for his team. Yet, Marla's idyllic life is about to be viciously attacked and torn apart by a different madness—her husband's reputation ruined, a university disgraced, and she finds herself on trial accused of first-degree murder.

The Coach’s Wife is rife with spine-tingling suspense, conspiracy, deceit, and murder, sizzling and seductive passion, right down to the last second buzzer-beating heroics. This is also a candid and vivid behind-the-scenes portrait of Division One college basketball, university politics, money and corruption, and all the lives that are blessed and ruined by it all.

Get it on Amazon

Read an Excerpt

Another deafening roar exploded from the coliseum, and when it did Marla threw down her partially smoked cigarette and ground it into the polished tile floor with the toe of her shoe. Quickly she reached for another cigarette from the opened pack in her small red handbag. She lit it, sucked the smoke into her mouth, held her breath, coughed, and then slowly released it. Marla didn’t smoke, but when she paced up and down the hallways of basketball coliseums, puffing on cigarettes seemed appropriate. It gave her something to do with her hands, and it helped keep her sane.

“God, how I hate this.” Gale Simmons, the gray-haired woman pacing in the same direction as Marla, was married to one of the assistant coaches at Piedmont State. She, along with several other women—also wives of coaches, some of them wives of players—were known as the hall walkers. They were the women who met on a regular but unscheduled basis the last two minutes of every game, pacing the halls, smoking, or pretending to in Marla’s case, and trying to give each other encouragement. Unable to watch the most crucial time of the game—that last two minutes—they paced in heart-pounding agony, listening to the fans erupt in cheers or boos, and to the announcer scream out the play-by-play over the public address system.

It didn’t matter which team they supported. The bond they shared went beyond the game and winning or losing. It was after the game that most mattered. If their team won, it meant going through the torture one more time, but at least their husbands would be happy. If their team lost, it meant their husbands would go through weeks of depression and as their wives they would have to put up with an impenetrable wall of silence broken only by an occasional negative outburst—usually directed toward them. Each of the hall walkers had experienced it. And it was that experience more than any other that cemented the friendship between them.

With thirty seconds to go, the score is 76 all. This is a hot one, folks. Let’s see what the Seawolf pack is going to do. Sydney Rob makes an inbound pass into the back court to Jerry March—the clock is moving, folks. Jerry lobs the ball back over to Rob. Rob passes it over to Miller in the right court.

Interception by Darrell Washington! Holy cow, sports fans! The Seawolf’s Sydney Rob loses the ball to the Demon Deacons. Wake Forest has the ball. Washington bringing it down court. Fifteen seconds on the clock.

Meet the Author

Barbara Casey is the author of several award-winning novels for both adults and young adults, as well as book-length works of nonfiction true crime, and numerous articles, poems, and short stories. Her nonfiction true crime book, Kathryn Kelly: The Moll behind Machine Gun Kelly, has been optioned for a major film and television series

Her nonfiction book, Assata Shakur: A 20th Century Escaped Slave, is under contract for a major film. In addition to her own writing, she is an editorial consultant and president of the Barbara Casey Agency. Established in 1995, she represents authors throughout the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and Japan.

Barbara is also a partner in Strategic Media Books Publishing, an independent publishing house that specializes in cutting-edge adult nonfiction. Barbara lives on a mountain in Georgia with her three cats who adopted her: Homer, a southern bobtail; Reese, a black cat; and Earl Gray, a gray cat and Reese’s best friend.

Barbara's Website ~ Amazon Author Page

The Giveaway

Barbara Casey will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~ ~ ~

Thank you for joining me today. Please come back again all this week for more authors, books, and fun!

Nancy

EAT YOUR HEART OUT by Author Shirley Goldberg

 

Today we welcome author Shirley Goldberg to Notes From a Romantic’s Heart to talk about her newest release, Eat Your Heart Out, from The Wild Rose Press. Rather than answer my nosey questions, today we’re going to talk with Shirley’s heroine and her good friend.

A Talk with Sunny and Dana

When fellow author Nancy Fraser invited me to guest post, I invited two of my main characters to join me. They didn’t seem all that eager.

“What’s the problem?” I’d been wrestling with words all day. Who needs moodiness from my imaginary beings?

“Isn’t this a tad weird?” Sunny’s voice was taut with attitude.

“Weird? How?” Dana asked.

“We’re characters in books and we’re chatting as if we’re real people.”

“Not so odd.” Dana scratched a mosquito bite. “We’re friends in the books. By the way, my trip to Florida was great. Except for a few mosquito bites.”

“Don’t say anything about who you went with on vacation,” Sunny said. “We don’t want any spoilers. Not everyone has read your book.” She gave Dana a stern look.

“It’s not my book,” Dana said. “It’s Shirley’s book.”

“Don’t quibble,” I said. As if they’d listen to me.

“I guess we should introduce ourselves. I’m Sunny Chanel, the main character in Middle Ageish, Shirley’s first novel.

“I’m Dana, Sunny’s BFF in her book.”

“You have your own book now, though. How do you feel about that?”

“You sound like my therapist.”

“The two of you bicker inside my head all day long,” I interrupted. “It’s unnerving.”

“I’m the one with a therapist, not you.” Sunny stepped around me to confront Dana.

“Remember, no spoilers,” Dana chided.

“Sorry.” Sunny looked embarrassed. “Aren’t we supposed to be introducing Shirley?”

“You start.” Dana gestured with her chin. “Give the readers a heads-up about her background. Why she wrote the book.”

“I’ve always wondered myself.” Sunny looked at me. “You did a lot of online dating and took notes in the ladies room, didn’t you? When you were on a meet.”

“I’ll admit it.” I put my hands up in surrender. My dirty little secret was out. At least they weren’t bickering.

“Let me get this straight. You’re on a date. You excuse yourself to go to the restroom. And take notes in the toilet stall? Seriously?”

“Pretty much,” I said.

“It’s true,” Sunny said. “You wouldn’t believe how many guys I had to do the ole meet-and-greet with to keep the story moving forward. Shirley planned it all in the restroom.” She gave a little sneer. “How romantic.”

“I don’t write books in the toilet,” I protested. “Notes. I took a few notes.”

“We’ve all heard the advice writers get.” Sunny fixed me with a look that said I wasn’t getting away with anything. “Write about what you know.”

“So I’ve heard,” Dana said. “We’re getting off track here. The book is about starting over. Not so easy when you’re a little older. Shirley knows because she started over. She was living in Crete, teaching English. She and her husband ended their marriage.

“Right, sorry about my tirade,” Sunny said. “Shirley moved back to Connecticut and started over.

“We met when you moved from Paris to New Haven and enrolled in the grad program.” Dana crossed her legs and scratched her mosquito bites again. “Just like Shirley.”

“Are you saying the book is autobiographical?” Dana asked Sunny.

“Ask Shirley,” Sunny said. “I think all writing is somewhat autobiographical.”

“My marriage was circling the drain.” No point in denying the similarities in the book to my own life. “Look, relationships aren’t easy. It’s a wonder two people come together, much less stay together.”

“In Middle Ageish, I issue the dating challenge that starts the ball rolling,” Sunny said.

“I made up that dating contest,” I said.

 “Yeah, probably after three glasses of wine.” Sunny looked around the living room. “I could use a glass of wine.”

“Hey.” Dana poked Sunny in the arm. “We’re guests here.”

Sunny gave Dana a look. “Shirley forced me to date. A lot. And broke my heart.”

“No spoilers!” I’d had it up to my eyelashes with my characters. Especially Sunny.

“Dana, you’re the heroine in Eat Your Heart Out. Can you say a little something about––”

“Friendship,” said Dana. “Women. Men. Two foodies. We sauté together, banter, and dance around each other. There’s some serious stuff too. A few issues.”

“Shirley said she writes to make readers laugh,” said Sunny.

They exchanged a knowing look.

“I’d second that emotion, don’t you agree?” Dana looked proud of her song-quoting skills.

The three of us burst out giggling.

About the Book

When a tyrant in stilettos replaces her beloved boss, and her ex snags her coveted job, teacher Dana Narvana discovers there are worse things than getting dumped on Facebook. Even at her age. Time for the BFF advice squad, starting with Dana's staunchest ally, Alex. Hunky colleague, quipster, and cooking pal extraordinaire. But when the after-hours smooching goes nowhere, she wonders why this grown man won't make up his mind.

Actor turned teacher Alex Bethany craves a family of his own and his new lifestyle gives him the confidence to try online dating. Meanwhile he’s sending Dana mixed messages in the kissing department. After a surprising event rocks his world, Alex panics, certain he’s blown his chances with his special person. From appetizers to the main course will these two cooking buddies make it to dessert?

Funny and bittersweet, Dana and Alex’s story will have you rooting for them all the way to dessert.

Amazon ~ Apple Books ~ B&N (Nook) ~ Nook

Read an Excerpt

I yanked open the heavy door and entered the huge lobby, the sounds of merrymaking—clinking cutlery, people talking, a boom of laughter—drifted down from the upstairs restaurant.

How to locate Monty? We should have made a better plan to meet.

And then a pair of blue jeans appeared on the winding staircase, my gaze following the smooth descent. Legs, negative stomach, chest and shoulders, all the way up to the wide grin. Any residual stress from the week floated away and became I’m glad to meet you, glad, so glad.

Better looking than his photo, with a body clearly used to moving. Chores like log-carrying, shoveling snow, maybe some serious foreplay. What was it Noelle said about a good body on a middle-aged man? A guy in shape is like an A+ on an exam. Unexpected and welcome.

“I know you’re Dana,” said Monty, real name Doug, who reached out to me at the bottom of the staircase with a cuddly hug. Despite remembering one of his early negative emails, my body relaxed against his mighty hug.

“Shall we? I’ve staked out a table upstairs. I really wanted a nice environment for our first meet.” His sweeping gesture included the whole of the restaurant, white tablecloths, glittering silverware, homey smells.

“Really nice.” Too early in the evening for giddy, and yet…what was going on? Earlier in our emailing, he’d had misgivings, something about casting his net too wide, afraid we had little in common. He’d had doubts. Is he still doubtful?

At the table we discussed wine, ordered Cabernet, and sat back. “A comfortable silence,” he said, nodding in the direction of my ace-bandaged hand. “What happened to you?”

“Accident. I’ll tell you later.” Not the time to discuss the tough stuff.

“Hope it doesn’t hurt.” He touched my arm. “I really wanted to meet you. And I didn’t want to do it over coffee.” He paused, looked around the place, his gaze taking in the other diners, the piano, the huge floor-to-ceiling fireplace. “Would love to be here when there’s a fire going. Classy. Like you.” He laughed. “I know I’m piling it on a bit thick, but I mean it.”

This man is a charmer, watch out, watch out.

The wine arrived, and he lifted his glass. “To a great evening,” he said. We sipped and he leaned in close. “Stop me if I talk too much. I’m serious. I tend to go on.”

He had a slight accent. Montana. This was what Montana sounded like, broad in some places, slow, but good slow. Montana Monty. “So how long have you been in Connecticut?” I asked.

He told me it had been a long time, but he got to see his parents every six months or so. “They are both in their eighties. I worry about them.” And he asked about my work, so I told him about the two students invited for lunch discussions. “That’s how I came up with my Luncheon Improvement Plan. It’s a warning so my students know they’re a step away from a detention.”

“What did they do?” He was a great listener, leaning close as if we were already intimates, my classroom tidbits amusing and gleaming as lightning bugs.

“They were a source of irritation. For the whole period. Fifty-five minutes. I caught one of the boys throwing spitballs at the girls. Juvenile.”

“I did worse in high school. I would have loved a detention from you.” He made a growl deep in his throat. “Maybe you’ll invite me to your classroom one day?” Then shook his head, mocking himself. “I’m being silly, but I’d like to see you in action.” He stopped, checked my glass. “Hey, let’s have another glass. You’re almost empty.”

I nodded, that giddy feeling again.

“What do you need?” Eyes on my face. “What can I get you?”

A man aware of my needs. Keeping tabs on my needs. Indeed, I needed food to avoid getting too lightheaded, carried away by compliments and the sheer appreciation of my wonderfulness. He touched my arm. “Is this too much, too soon? I get infatuated easily,” he said. “I don’t know why.”

A tingly sensation clear down to my stomach. I excused myself, needing a few minutes of alone time, a little less intensity. Catch him off guard. Noelle’s advice.

In the ladies’ room I threw on lipstick, my thoughts stumbling over territory I’d discussed with Noelle, with Jewel. Even Alex. When you first meet, remember he doesn’t know what pleases you. Let him blab. Listen. Between the lines, the real man will show himself.

Back at the table he took my hand, talked about traveling in Asia, visiting manufacturers for quality control issues—he’d worked many years in the toy manufacturing business. “Let’s stay for dinner,” he said hand on mine. The jazz trio began the lead-in to “The Lady is a Tramp,” the evening proceeding in perfect sync with our mutual mood of wonder and discovery. 

About the Author

Shirley Goldberg is a writer, novelist, and former ESL and French teacher who’s lived in Paris, Crete, and Casablanca. She writes about men and women of a certain age starting over.

Her website offers a humorous look at living single and dating in midlife. Shirley is the author of two rom coms. Eat Your Heart Out and Middle Ageish, both in the series Starting Over.

Shirley’s friends nag her to tell them which stories are true in her novels. Her characters believe you should never leave home without your sense of humor and Shirley agrees.

Shirley's Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram

Amazon Author Page ~ BookBub ~ Goodreads

~ ~ ~

Many to thanks to Shirley for bringing her quirky sense of humor to the blog today. Please come back again tomorrow when we'll have a Goddess Fish tour guest, which means--of coures--a giveaway!

Nancy

SEDUCED BY THE HANDYMAN *BOOK BIRTHDAY* by Author Nancy Fraser

I admit it ... I love Book Birthdays! Especially when they're mine! Seduced by the Handyman, the second book in my Cougars & Cubs Series releases today! And, as always, I'm running a release week 99¢ sale!

As I do for all my guests, I decided to ask myself a couple of questions -- just for fun of course!

My Weirdly Inquisitive Mind Wants to Know

Is your book based on real-life experience or a figment of your imagination?

First, let me say, if my steamy books were based on real-life experience, I'd likely still be married. That said, there's always some part of my books that reflect a portion of my life experience, whether it be a career choice for one of my characters, an awkward experience, or even just a repeat phrase. There is one phrase I put in EVERY book I write. Only a few have found it, but it's always there.

If you listen to music while you write, what are the top three songs on your playlist?

For those who know me, this answer will come as no surprise. I'm a PENTATONIX junkie! Whenever I need a boost of writing adrenaline, I turn to my playlist for their upbeat music. If I need to concentrate, I choose their ballads. They cover every genre, so it's easy to find something to suit my writing mood. I recently wrote an entire book to their newest album on repeat and did it in record time. To pick a "Top 3" is difficult, but I'd have to go with PTX's covers of Amazing Grace, their brand-new 90's Dance Medley. And just so you don't think my tastes are a one-trick pony, I also veg out on the Vitamin Quartets's compilation of the tunes from Bridgerton.

About the Book

After a prolonged and messy divorce, 42 year old Cate Matthews uses her financial settlement to purchase a condo in a regentrified warehouse. The only problem with her new home is the plumbing. It doesn’t take her long to realize she needs an expert to fix the rusty pipes—both the building’s and her own.

Mitch Taylor, 27 year old former Army Ranger and now full time student, is working hard toward earning his engineering degree while balancing his education with part time work doing household repairs.

When Mitch shows up in Cate’s lecture hall, she’s immediately impressed with his knowledge of U.S. history, a subject to which she’s devoted her academic career. However, as impressed as she is with his historical acumen, when he lands on her doorstep with an impressively large bag of tools in hand, history is the last thing on her mind.

Perhaps this much younger and infinitely sexy man is just what she needs to get her dormant sex life back on track. Given the huge difference in their ages, Cate assumes the relationship will fizzle out after a few—albeit perfect—trips around the bedroom.

Much to her surprise and delight, Mitch seems to be in it for the long haul. Their 15 year age difference is the least of her worries when she realizes how quickly she’s been seduced by the handyman.

Warning: Contains language and lovescenes some readers may find HOT!

Get it on Your Favorite Platform

Read an Excerpt

Mitch turned the bright pink sticky note over in his hand, wishing—not for the first time—Chloe’s handwriting was a bit easier to decipher. “Crap pies? One-ten Green-something, number six-one-one, CatMat, whatever that means.”

He checked the digital map on his GPS. The only street with ‘green’ in the name and an address that fit the one-ten was Greenfield. Hopefully, when he arrived, it would be a building with at least six floors.

Parking his pickup in the ‘visitors only’ spot, he grabbed his bag of tools from the backseat and jogged up the stone stairs leading into an old, converted warehouse. The six-story brick and stone structure had been beautifully regentrified into apartments. No doubt way out of his price range, the architecture was still wicked impressive.

Once inside the marble lobby, he pressed the buzzer for apartment six-eleven.

“Hello,” a woman’s voice greeted.

“Two Guys and a Wrench.”

“Hopefully more than one wrench,” she said, before hitting the door release.

Mitch stepped off the elevator and turned right, stopping in front of a solid oak door. Lifting his hand, he raised the brass knocker and let it fall. Within a heartbeat, the door sprung open.

“You,” she said, her gaze meeting his.

He grinned and hefted his tool bag up in the air. “Yes, me, and a whole bag of wrenches and other tools.”

She stepped back, making room for him to enter. “I didn’t realize you were a handyman, Mr. Taylor.”

“Well, Professor, we undergrads do like making money. You know...for rent, food, and beer.”

She gave him a faint smile, and the first thing he noticed was how nice she looked with her hair loose, the honey-blonde waves hanging down past her shoulders. Without her tightly pinned hair and makeup, she looked years younger than she had in the lecture hall.

Giving his head a shake, he made a point of looking past where she stood and toward the island separating the open-concept living room from the kitchen. “So? Where are these rusty pipes of yours?”

“What?” She swallowed, her eyes widening. “I mean...over there...in the kitchen,” she responded, waving her arm in the general direction of the old-fashioned porcelain sink.

Mitch lowered himself to the floor and opened the cupboards. “Somebody’s been busy with the duct tape,” he commented, chuckling.

“Guilty,” she said, bending over to watch him work. “I couldn’t get the leak to stop. My dad used to say there was nothing you couldn’t fix with duct tape.”

“Almost nothing,” he corrected. “Plumbing being the exception.”

“Yes, well, there are usually exceptions to every rule.”

Watch the Trailer

And don't forget the Seduced by the Handyman Puzzle

Meet the Author

NANCY FRASER—Jumping Across Romance Genres with Gleeful Abandon—is an Amazon Top 100 and Award-Winning author who can’t seem to decide which romance genre suits her best. So, she writes them all.

Like most authors, Nancy began writing at an early age, usually on the walls and with crayons or, heaven forbid, permanent markers. Her love of writing often made her the English teacher’s pet which, of course, resulted in a whole lot of teasing. Still, it was worth it.

Nancy has published over thirty-five books in full-length, novella, and short format. When not writing (which is almost never), Nancy dotes on her five wonderful grandchildren and looks forward to traveling and reading when time permits. Nancy lives in Atlantic Canada where she enjoys the relaxed pace and colorful people.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Bookbub

Amazon Author Page ~ Goodreads ~ YouTube ~ Newsletter

~ ~ ~

Don't forget to click on the Goddess Fish link above and come with me on tour! Okay, enough about me. I hope to see you all week long for more great authors, their books, and some fun.

Nancy

BRODIE: DAWSONS OF MONTANA (SERIES) by Author Jan Scarbrough

Happy Friday everyone! Another week, another six wonderful authors! For the last day of the week, Notes From a Romantic’s Heart is pleased to welcome friend and author, Jan Scarbrough, to the blog. Today, we’re featuring a look at BRODY from Jan’s Dawsons of Montana series. Let’s get started with a few questions.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Is the setting for your book real? If so, have you been there? If it’s fictitious, is there somewhere real that you’ve used as a model?

The setting I used as a model for the The Dawsons of Montana Series is real. I found the guest ranch online BUT changed the name. Long after the books were written, my husband and I traveled to Montana to visit Paradise Valley near Yellowstone. I saw the entrance to the ranch but didn’t venture into the property. The internet is a marvelous way to find information for books.

If you could trade places with one of the characters from one of your books, who would it be and why?

I would like to be Melody O’Shea, American Saddlebred horse trainer at Royalty Farm in Kentucky. She’s the heroine of Kentucky Flame, a second chance and secret baby romance. She’s an excellent rider and trainer. Spoiler: She even wins the Five-Gaited World’s Grand Championship.

What has been the most unusual experience you’ve had that you have written into a book?

In Kentucky Cowboy, I added a scene that had happened to me and my daughter, who is now a dedicated veterinarian. She saw a mother mallard hit by a car crossing the highway. Her eight ducklings scattered into the underbrush on the side of the road. We trampled through the brush and captured all eight ducks. She then took them to a wildlife refuge.

 

About the Book

When champion bull rider Brody Caldera learns his stepfather has suffered a serious accident, he heads home to the ranch he’d left behind years before. Maybe the clean Montana air of the Six Buckles Ranch, near Yellowstone Park, will help him forget his cheating ex-girlfriend. But returning will also force him to confront another woman, the one he deserted when she needed him most.

Ten years ago, Brody had chosen bucking bulls over booties and bottles, leaving ranch worker Stef Chambers to raise their daughter alone. She’s done her best to cowboy up for the sake of her daughter and build a good life for them. She can’t let Brody’s return change that. Damn the man for breaking her heart once. It won’t happen again. But Stef’s hero-worshipping ten-year-old is enamored by the famous cowboy, and Stef’s best intentions are side-tracked from day one.

Is Brody ready to be the man Stef needs, or is he just taking her for a ride? Brody has troubles of his own, dealing with his injured stepfather and a stepbrother enraged that the family cattle ranch is now a dude ranch. Is he ready to settle down and trade bull riding for a bride?

Find the series on Kindle Unlimited

Read an Excerpt

Two o’clock a.m. ~ May 2017

Chicago, Illinois

He was home.

Brody Caldera’s heart quickened as he turned the key to the door of his high-rise apartment on North Sheridan Road. When his girlfriend Lori Ann helped him pick it out soon after they met two years ago, she’d loved the apartment’s million-dollar view of Lake Michigan. The location was trendy and close to downtown and her job at an up-and-coming ad agency. The apartment was to-die-for, and she said she’d be very happy living there alone between Brody’s business trips.

Yeah, Lori Ann was spoiled, all right. He gave her anything and everything she wanted. But why not? He could afford it. What else did he have to spend his money on but the woman he loved? Since the day he met her at a promotional event for his professional bull riders’ organization, he’d been head-over-heels in love with her. And she with him. They were a perfect match for each other. He was athletic, craved excitement, and took chances. She was sweet and calm, a great grounding rock for him. There was just something right about them together. And one day they’d get married and make beautiful blond babies together. Maybe sooner than she thought.

Even after all this time, he adored her. Still bought her clothes and jewelry. Still had hot sex with her. That’s why he’d caught an early plane home. He wanted to surprise her this morning and kiss her awake. And give her the ring he carried in his pocket.

His adrenalin surged just like it did when he was about to climb down on the back of a seventeen-hundred-pound bull. Brody slowly turned the doorknob, so he wouldn’t make noise and wake Lori Ann. She wasn’t expecting him.

What the hell?

Meet the Author

Whether it is the Bluegrass of Kentucky, the mountains of Montana, or Medieval England, Jan Scarbrough brings you home with romances from the heart.

The author of two popular Bluegrass series, Jan writes heartwarming contemporary romances about home and family, single moms and children, and if the plot allows, about another passion—horses. Living in the horse country of Kentucky makes it easy for Jan to add small town, Southern charm to her books and the excitement of a Bluegrass horse race or a competitive horse show.

A member of Novelist, Inc., Jan self-publishes her books with her husband’s help.

Jan lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with two rescued dogs, one rescued cat, and a husband she rescued twenty years ago. She needs a weekly horse fix and takes horseback riding lessons at Premier Stables and likes to volunteer at Alley Cat Advocates.

Jan's Website ~ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Newsletter Sign Up

Amazon Author Page ~ All Author ~ BookBub

~ ~ ~

It's a wrap for this week's guests. Of course, that doesn't mean that I won't try to sneak something in this weekend! Feel free to stop by to see. Otherwise, we'll see you next week with more authors, great books, and fun!

Nancy

 

NUMBERS GAME by Authors Liz Crowe & Desiree Holt

Today, we welcome the writing due of Liz Crowe and Desiree Holt to Notes From a Romantic’s Heart. They’re going to share their new release Numbers Game from The Wild Rose Press. They’re also answering some really fun questions!

 

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Is your book based on real-life experience or a figment of your imagination?

Desiree: Oh, definitely a figment of my imagination, but my years both attending and working at universities played into this.

If you could trade places with one of the characters from your book, who would it be and why?

Desiree: Olivia, of course. I want her second chance romance with a sexy, sexy coach.  I also wanted to be a sports reporter and actually was for a while so a little mixing of real life and fantasy here.

Is the setting for your book real? If so, have you been there? If it’s fictitious, is there somewhere real that you’ve used as a model?

Liz: The setting for Numbers Game is fictional but based on what I’d call an amalgam of locations in the Midwest (the Big Ten Conference specifically). It has an Ann Arbor feel to it as it’s about a Michigan college town located close to a bigger city, but it’s also on a nice lake, sort of like Madison, Wisconsin. And I also think, at least for me, that it has a bit of a small-town/big-city feel to it, a little like State College, Pennsylvania, or even Evanston, Illinois. I lived in Ann Arbor for over 20 years and Desiree attended the U of M so we definitely wanted to give the (fictional) town of Avon, Michigan, home to Lakeview University a real-feel and I think we accomplished it. It helps that I’ve visited pretty much every Big Ten campus, thanks to my daughter who played soccer for Michigan State.

If you could trade lives with any other writer, living or dead, who would it be and why?

Desiree: Dell Shannon, because suspense and police procedurals are my first love and she created the world of procedurals. She enjoyed such success in her writing but also great admiration from all sources. She had such a skill with words that I envy to this day.

What has been the most unusual experience you’ve had that you have written into a book?

Liz: I wouldn’t call this unusual necessarily but it was fun. My three kids went to Pioneer High School, which is literally across the street, diagonally from Michigan’s football stadium, a.k.a. The Big House. When my youngest was a senior, her prom was held in one of the big alumni event spaces there, and they got to take photos down on the field, which is super cool since that stadium is a “bowl” set into the ground. You don’t realize how huge it is from the street level. You have to go inside it to get a feel for the 100k + seats. While I am not a Michigan fan per se, I do respect the athletes and coaches who work hard to bring success to that program and so standing on the big “Block M” in the middle of the field gave me a fair bit of inspiration for Coach Hatcher, whose POV I wrote in Numbers Game.

 

I also got to meet both John and Jim Harbaugh (Michigan’s head coach and his older brother who is a Pioneer High graduate) when we had a Hall of Fame Dinner and fundraiser for them at the school. I snagged a football signed by them both to give to Desiree who is a huge Michigan fan—kind of by way of bribing her into writing a football romance with me. I’m glad it worked!

Do you like to read in the genre in which you write? Or, are you adventurous?

Desiree: I think I’m stuck in the genre I write but I still feel adventurous. I’ve tried several other genres but suspense is really my addiction. But I do like it in all subjects. I love sports mysteries and sports romantic suspense. And when I create my heroes, no matter what their current profession, I always imagine the sports heroes that I’ve followed for years. Probably my ideal hero (grin!) is: a former college football player, maybe a quarterback, who was also a Navy SEAL and is my own version of Superman!

 

About the Book

Former NFL player and coach Duncan "Hatch" Hatcher fumbled his career and marriage. Now divorced and ready to tackle his future, he has an opportunity to redeem himself as coach of his college alma mater's football team. But how can he can turn the team's losing streak around and keep the secret of his downfall buried when the school agrees to a documentary that will allow a lovely journalist to dig her way into his past...and into his heart?

Olivia Grant's ex-husband almost wrecked her journalism career while he definitely did a number on her self-esteem. The documentary on Duncan Hatcher is the perfect way to rebuild both. As a freshman in college, she'd had a crush on the senior football hero, but he hadn't known she existed. She never expects the sparks that fly between them as they work on the project nor the struggles they must face if they both want to win.

Get Numbers Game On Your Favorite Platform

Find Numbers Game on BookBub

 

Read an Excerpt

Hatch winced at the memory of how goofy he must have sounded to the lovely woman he was going to be having a fair bit of contact with this season. Olivia Grant was, without a doubt, beautiful, not to mention sexy as hell. She was a natural reporter, putting him at ease, even in the face of his high-school-ish reaction to her at first. But dear Lord, the crap he’d said? That shit about her being “better than she thought” at the race? And “looking for a foot in the door”? He’d sounded about as slick as the grandpas he’d been named for.

He groaned and pressed his forehead to the leather blotter on his new desk. After his divorce, he’d made a point not to notice women, something that was a bit of a self-imposed penalty. But there was no not noticing Olivia. Her soft, dark blonde hair that kept dropping over one of her deep green eyes as she’d look down at her notes, then back up at him. That smile, and those full, barely lip-sticked lips. And there was no denying she had a body that would be hard to shake out of his brain. Scott had told him she used to play soccer here, a few years behind him as an undergrad. How he’d not known her… Granted, he hadn’t been a big partier then, kept mostly to himself and his close group of friends and, as always, focused on the game.

But damn. He’d missed out on something then, without a doubt. He felt his face flush red and his entire body begin to react in ways that didn’t really serve him well as a fully grown man, with plenty of experience under his belt, so to speak.

Thankfully, she’d left before he could embarrass himself any more.

Home. Shower. Beer. Stare at a string of old movies on the giant television screen. Anything to get the lovely Olivia Grant and all her many attributes out of his head. She was, after all, the media. And everyone knew how he felt about the media.

It was get-a-grip time—on all parts of himself.

This was his chance at redemption. The opportunity was a godsend, considering the sorry state he’d left his life in on the west coast, and he didn’t intend to do anything to screw it up. He couldn’t afford to get distracted by a single thing. But how the hell was he going to do that when Olivia Grant might prove to be the biggest distraction of all?

 

Meet the Authors 

Liz Crowe is a Kentucky native and graduate of the University of Louisville living in Central Illinois. She's spent her time as a three-continent expat trailing spouse, mom of three, real estate agent, brewery owner and bar manager, and is currently a social media consultant and humane society development director, in addition to being an award-winning author.

With stories set in the not-so-common worlds of breweries, on the soccer pitch, inside fictional television stations and successful real estate offices, and even in exotic locales like Istanbul, Turkey, her books are compelling and told with a fresh voice. The Liz Crowe backlist has something for any reader seeking complex storylines with humor and complete casts of characters that will delight, at times frustrate, and always linger in the imagination long after the book is finished.

Liz's Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Newsletter Sign Up 

Amazon Author Page ~ BookBub ~ Goodreads

USA Today best-selling and award-winning author Desiree Holt writes everything from romantic suspense and contemporary on a variety of heat levels up to erotic, a genre in which she is the oldest living author.

She has been referred to by USA Today as the Nora Roberts of erotic romance, and is a winner of the EPIC E-Book Award, the Holt Medallion and a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice nominee.

She has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and in The Village Voice, The Daily Beast, USA Today, The (London) Daily Mail, The New Delhi Times and numerous other national and international publications.

Desiree's Website ~ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Newsletter Sign Up

Amazon Author Page ~ BookBub ~ Goodreads

~ ~ ~

Thanks to both Liz and Desiree for stopping by today. We've got one more guest this week, so please come back tomorrow. Until then, stay happy, stay healthy, stay well read.

Nancy