Friday Fun Facts: A Chance to Read, Review, and Win!

TGIF everyone! Some Cocktail Cruise news today:

A new 5-star review for Tequila Sunrise that says, This story was realistically warming that the story could be read on a weekend over and over again. The characters are relatable and you are able to empathize with the conflicts and opinions of each one.


And a new review for Between the Sheets too!

I’ve read all three of the Cocktail Cruise stories now and each time the one I just read is my favorite. BETWEEN THE SHEETS is no exception. It’s about single mom Andrea and sexy dance instructor Sebastian. Both characters were introduced in the earlier stories. As a stressed out single mom, Andrea has had no time for love and romance. And the oh-so-hot Sebastian is trying to escape a very public life as the star of a dance reality TV show in Argentina—he just wants to be left alone. Neither is looking for love. Neither is quite willing to trust the motivations of the other. The story was sexy, romantic and sweet all at once. Absolutely loved it!

***Now the very important news: if you'd like to read and review Cocktail Cruises: The Collection, please sign up right here: Advance Reader Copy

What does signing up mean for you? Your choice of an electronic file of the entire Cocktail Cruise series to read, Books #1, 2, and 3 PLUS the special section never before published, Spirits for All Seasons, an awesome collection of drink recipes (both alcoholic and not) from some of my fellow romance authors, along with info about their latest books! I'll throw in some fun swag too, and everyone who posts a review on release day will have their name tossed in the ring for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card!

Sound good?

This collection will release at the end of November, so I'm looking for reviewers now who'll be able to read and post a review within a month (Advanced Reader Copies will be available by the 3rd week in October).

Remember, sign up here: Advance Reader Copy

I'm looking forward to it ~ hope you are too!

Writers' Wednesday: Sites for Fellow Authors!

Happy Hump Day! A couple of websites for my fellow authors today, in case you haven't seen these:

Read & Review Program at Choosy Bookworm - This site will list your book for potential reviewers. It does cost a fee, but your book will be featured for any reader who chooses to read and review it, within 14 days. If you're looking for reviews, you might want to check it out (although I see that they just increased their fee from $25, which I paid last month, to $50). I can tell you that for Tequila Sunrise, I had 20 people request the book and so far, I have 5 new reviews on Amazon (all 5-stars, which amazes me!). A nice bonus is that some of those readers have written to tell me that they'll be buying and reading the others in the series now!

How To Launch Your Book with at least 25 Reviews - This article is a good read for anyone in the industry, experienced or not. It has some great tips about approaching readers for reviews and making sure those reviews are posted come release day.

Good luck, and happy writing!

Monday Mentionables: Welcome to Fall!

Yes, it's officially the season here in New York: the nights are cool, the air is crisp, the sun sets earlier than ever...but those leaves! I'm not sure whether it's because we had an unusually dry summer, but the leaves this year are gorgeous. Take a look!

Writers' Wednesday: The Magic Paragraph to Get You More Reviews

As an author who has lots of author friends on Facebook and Twitter, I come across posts or pictures like this a lot:

And I love them! They make me laugh or smile or nod in agreement, and inevitably I copy or share or retweet based on whatever social media platform I happen to be on at the time.

I came across this blog post yesterday and thought it was definitely worth sharing. How do authors get more reviews??? Well, we can ask for them. We can send out files and free books to a myriad of review sites and blogs and hope they will get picked up. We can also put this "magic paragraph" at the end of our books and hope it will help do the trick as well. It's a good blog post, worth reading in its entirety.

If you're an author, what have you found that helps you get reviews for your books?

If you're a reader, what compels you to leave a review for a book?

And for the love of all things literary, if you've read a book of mine lately and haven't reviewed it over at Amazon or Goodreads, I will raid the shelves at Target tomorrow and send you bags of Halloween candy to do so!

I'm serious. Sort of. If you like candy, and if you're at a U.S. mailing address. Just let me know ;)

Monday Mentionables: Did You Stop by the Party?

Happy Monday, everyone! This past Saturday I joined a few other authors in talking all about our brand new releases over at The Romance Studio's party page. In case you didn't stop by, and wanted a peek at some more excerpts from Between the Sheets, click on this link that will take you directly there:

Party Posts by Allie Boniface

Today I'll be choosing a winner from all those who entered for prizes during the party: the choice of either Book #1 (Tequila Sunrise) or Book #2 (Sex on the Beach) in the Cocktail Cruise series! Stop; back here on Wednesday to find out the lucky reader!

Have a great start to your week, everyone :)

Friday Fun Facts: A Sneak Peek at a Brand New Book!

Happy Friday, readers!! For no reason other than that I love to share, here's a sneak peek at a Work in Progress that's so new, it doesn't yet have an official title. BUT it is the prequel to the Cocktail Cruise series, which means it's going to feature many of the characters you've come to know and love in these books:

Warning: this excerpt is unedited, rough, and may not even look this way in the final book. But I love the story so much that I wanted to give you a peek at the newest characters, Jace and Pearl. Enjoy!

Jace walked down the hall, registering on the edge of his consciousness the black and white photos that lined it. Dolly’s Diner had been a fixture in this neighborhood since the early 1930s. Half the photos that hung on these walls had been autographed. Everyone from vice-presidents to movie stars to foreign princes had stepped foot in here over the years, which always struck Jace as kind of funny. Besides the name, stolen from its older, richer, and probably way cooler sister city in Italy, the only thing Venice, Florida, had going for it was its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico. He wasn’t sure what drew famous names in this direction, but for Dolly’s sake, he was glad something did.

          He reached the men’s room and pushed on the door, but it only moved a few inches. What the hell? He tripped over his feet and bumped up against the wall. The bulb at this end of the hall had burned out, so he couldn’t see much. He tried again. This time the door shoved back.

          “Hey!” came a female voice from inside.

          Jace backpedaled as a body full of curves and smelling like the ocean emerged from the men’s room. Long hair fell over her shoulders. She wheeled a mop bucket ahead of her.

          “Sorry,” she said. “Didn’t think there’d be anyone back here.”

          He stuck his hands in his back pockets. “Hey, Pearl.”

          She steered the bucket toward the exit door. “Hey yourself.”

          “It’s Jace. Wilson.”

Dolly’s sixteen-year-old grandniece looked over her shoulder. “I know who it is.”

          He licked his bottom lip. Two years behind them in school, Pearl DeVane had the reputation of being one of the smartest girls at Venice High. In Jace’s opinion, she was also hands-down the hottest. She wasn’t stacked, and she didn’t have a tramp stamp across her lower back or wear heavy makeup. She rarely partied. In fact, most of the time she was helping out here at the diner, mopping floors or cooking behind the grill or sometimes sitting with her nose in a book if it was slow. But she had brains and bright blue eyes and caramel-colored hair and a smile that lit up the room.

          “What are you doing here?” she asked, not unkindly. She leaned against the wall beside him, and her perfume came to him again, a combination of sea water and flowers. “Didn’t you guys graduate tonight?”

          “Mm hmm.” He couldn’t stop looking at her mouth. At her silhouette in the shadows. Without warning, he turned rock hard, and he hoped she wouldn’t glance down and see the way his shorts tented.

          “So shouldn’t you be having an official graduation party somewhere?”

          “Dolly asked us the same thing.”

          She smiled, and a tiny gap appeared between her two front teeth. Had he ever noticed it before? Had he ever stood this close to her before? They’d had one class together last year, some kind of science. She’d sat in the front, and he’d spent most of the year wanting to scratch the itch in the middle of her shoulder blades whenever her fingers wandered back to reach for it.

          “Jace.”

          “What?” He reached out for her, slipping an arm around her waist before he knew what it was doing. He pulled her into him, snug against his chest. Before she could say anything else, his other hand went to the back of her head. He tugged her hair the tiniest bit, enough that her chin lifted and her breath caught. This close, even in the shadows, he could see her eyes darken with pleasure.

          Without all the beer he’d consumed earlier that night, and probably without the heady abandon of being a fresh high school graduate, with the goddamn fucking world ahead of him, he wouldn’t have had the balls to do what he did next. But in the shadows of a diner hallway at two in the morning, woozy from the booze and Pearl’s perfume, there wasn’t a thing stopping him. Jace ducked his chin and kissed her. His tongue teased open her lips, and his thumb stroked the underside of her chin. Soft, pliant, delicious under his touch. For a second, the small sober part of his brain wondered if she’d stop him.

She didn’t. 

Writers' Wednesday: Grab a Drink and Feature Your Work: New Promo Opp for Authors

Calling all authors! If you're looking for a promo opp, a chance to get your latest work or your Facebook and Twitter page links in front of readers, here's a chance for you:

I'll be putting my three Cocktail Cruise novellas into a single bundle and releasing it in mid-November (for all you non-ereader owners, yes, it will be available in print!).

I'm including a special section, never before published, called Spirits for All Seasons which will feature drink recipes of all varieties, alcoholic and not. Soooo...if you have a favorite drink, go ahead and give it a jazzy name, tie it to a holiday or special occasion if you like, and send it my way. I'll include your recipe, along with any book excerpt or blurb you choose to include, your author bio, and any links you'd like as well.

Drop me an email at allieb@allieboniface.com, and I can give you more information. I'll be looking to collect all the information from participating authors by the end of October. Hope you'll join me!

Monday Mentionables: A Thank-You and a Free Ebook!

Happy Monday, everyone! I wanted to share the super-exciting news that the Passionate Kisses Boxed Set has now sold over 55,000 copies! Woo hoo!! Thank you readers for your awesome support!

(Not one of the 55,000? You can still get the set for the low price of $0.99. Check out the links below:)

Buy the Set on Amazon Kindle
Buy the Set on B&N Nook 

Also...if you're in the mood for a FREE ebook to read and review, check out Choosy Bookworm's Read & Review program, newly launched! (You'll see a familiar cover there if you're one of my readers...)

Have a great day, everyone! Read on :)

Friday Fun Facts: Where Stories Begin...

So I thought it might be kind of cool today to talk about how and where and when stories emerge. Of course, everyone has a different process. Sometimes every book is a different process. I remember when I first started thinking about the story that would eventually become my newest release, Between the Sheets. I had just started going to Zumba classes at my local gym, and I soon became friends with a group of women in the class.

One night we all went out to dinner, along with our instructor, and I mentioned that I should write a book about our adventures. They all wanted to have input on character names, so I grabbed the closest thing I had and started scribbling. 5 years later, I still have the napkin:

The final book changed shape MANY times over the years, and it's a lot different today than where it started. But I did keep two names from this original napkin, Roxy (friend of the heroine) and Sebastian, the hero. I love looking back at this and remembering where it all began!

Sneak peek for all you blog readers (no one else knows this yet!!): I'm hard at work right now on the prequel to the Cocktail Cruise series, and while I didn't write my first notes for that one on a napkin, I did use long-hand to start drafting:

If you look closely, you can see the names of some of my characters from the Cocktail Cruise books...yes, they'll be appearing in the prequel! Stay tuned to find out more...

Writer's Wednesday: It's Release Day for Between the Sheets!

Hey everyone, look what's available TODAY!!!! The third book in my Cocktail Cruise Series:

An affair with an exotic cruise line dance instructor might be just the escape single mother
Andrea DeMarco needs…

Andrea is determined to merge career and motherhood, which she’s (barely) managing as a cruise line marketing manager and a single mom to six-year-old Drew. That life leaves zero time for sex or love, so when she has a chance for a no-strings fling with a sexy cruise ship dancer, she decides to go for it.

Sebastian is enjoying a low-key life as a dance instructor on a singles’ cruise ship, a welcome change from his previous life in Argentina as the star of a hugely popular dance show. Tired of women who only wanted him for his moves on and off the dance floor, he’s content to teach basic waltz and foxtrot and keep to himself. But when the lonely, enigmatic Andrea sweeps into his life, everything changes.

Can he come to terms with his past? Can she find room in her life and her heart for another man? And is the possibility of new love strong enough to make them both want to?

Amazon
or

Smashwords in other formats (for my Nook readers)

Only $0.99 for the month of September!

Friday Fun Facts: Reviews Are A Beautiful Thing

That's all today, folks! If you've read one of my books lately but haven't had a chance to leave a review, you can hop on over to my Amazon page and do just that! Doesn't have to be long or detailed. We just love to see new ones!

Writers' Wednesday: Why Writing the Next Book is Always a Good Marketing Strategy

Hello writers! (and readers, and everyone else who's dropped in today. But my post this morning is mainly targeted to ((newer)) writers).

Inevitably, no matter what path you take to publication, you will discover that a large part of the marketing and promotion of your books will fall on your own shoulders. From New York Times Best-Selling authors, to brand-new teeny fish in the pond indie authors, we must promote our own books. Your publisher may do some of this for you, but by and large, even the most famous names are out there on Facebook or Twitter, or speaking at conferences, or setting up book signings, or taking out ads in various media.

Where to start? Where to spend the money? It's a daunting task, and conventional wisdom will tell you that in many cases, it's hard to directly link advertising to sales, because so many other factors come into play. This post is not about where to advertise - there are a million posts out there about best choices for you, your genre, your budget, your social media reach.

Many authors I've come into contact with recently will tell you not to spend a dime on advertising until you have at least 3 books for sale. I don't know if I agree with that completely. After all, you do want people to know you have a book they can buy. If you can throw a Facebook party, or book a $5 ad, or get your friends and family together at a winery to sell your first print copies, I say go for it.

But far and away, the other advice you will hear, and the advice I will echo, is to write your next book. Backlists (those books you've already released) are beautiful ways to sell, especially since e-books are always available (as opposed to print books which will be removed from store shelves after a pre-determined time). Release a new title - people read it - people love it - people want more. So they look up your name and see what else you've published. Voila! More sales.

Series work along these same lines. Once your readers fall in love with your characters/plot/setting/world/whatever, they'll want to read more. So release the first book, and then get to work on the second.

As a very basic example, I thought I'd share my sales over the last 3 months, all of these indie-released titles. Now, I am not a big seller (sigh). Roughly speaking, I averaged about 1-5 books sold a day in May and June (excluding a BookBub ad which ran in early May - more about this another time). Prior to June 1, I had 3 indie titles for sale.

On June 23, the Passionate Kisses Boxed Set released. On July 20, Tequila Sunrise released. On August 5, Sex on the Beach released. My sales now average anywhere from 5 - 15 books each day. And interestingly, Inferno of Love, which follows my book included in the boxed set, is far and away the best seller of the 5 titles now available. I have not spent a single dime, or much time at all promoting Inferno of Love. It is simply the next book in the Hometown Heroes series, and once people read Beacon of Love, I'm guessing they wanted more :)

People read books - people want more books. So keep writing! Don't get too hung up on promoting, and don't spend too much time or money on it, either. Write. Isn't that what you love to do, in the first place?

Monday Mentionables: New Things to Come!

Happy Monday, everyone! My apologies for being rather absent last week. I'm a full-time high school teacher, and we started school last Tuesday. Bring on the coffee!

In other, more exciting, book-related news, though, exciting things are on the horizon. First, the 3rd novella in my Cocktail Cruise series, Between the Sheets, will be available within the week! It's the story of a single mom and a sexy dance instructor and the sparks that fly on (and off!) the dance floor...

If you didn't get a chance to pick up Tequila Sunrise or Sex on the Beach yet, the first 2 books in the series, they've both gotten some lovely 5-star reviews over the last few days, so do check them out! Quick reads, only about 100 pages each.

Finally, I'm soon going to be launching some changes to my newsletter, which will include lots more sneak peeks and prize opportunities for everyone who subscribes, so sign up right here if you want in on the fun! Have a wonderful start to your week!

Monday Mentionables: Honoring Labor Day

Whatever kind of labor you're doing (or not) today, in the United States, here's something to keep in mind:

Friday Fun Facts: How Much Do You Know About Indie Authors and Self-Publishing?

Happy Friday, everyone! If you're in the United States, it's the beginning of Labor Day Weekend - we hope with good weather to round out this summer. Two interesting reads came across my Facebook Newsfeed this week, both related to self-publishing. Now, many of you probably know that I am what they call a "hybrid" author, meaning I'm both published with a traditional press and I've self-published, or indie published, other titles. I have much to say about both experiences, but that I'll save for another post. Today, let's just say that while I do believe that attitudes are changing toward indie authors, many readers do think that DIY publishing is less than authentic. I will say this: for those who do it right, nothing could be further from the truth. Check these out:

12 Things You Should Know About Indie Authors Before You Snub Them

What It Costs To Self-Publish (I actually take issue with the very low figure given to Cover Design. In my opinion, covers sell books. Yes, yes, I know we might not like to admit that, but it's true. I've seen many covers on indie published books that LOOK amateurish. This is definitely one place you don't want to skimp.)

Have a great day and a spectacular weekend, everyone! Go out and buy an indie-published book!

Monday Mentionables: Oh, How We Love Those Reviews!

Good morning, readers! I know I've said it before, but reviews are so crucial - and so appreciated - by authors as we strive to set our books apart from others. I checked my books on Amazon last night and was thrilled to see that

(A) The Promise of Paradise hit its 100th review (!!), with the last 4 being these:

"Good"
"Loved it"
"This is a cute love story I can absolutely relate to"
"A great story, great characters, and great location."

and (B) Beacon of Love had a lovely 5-star review posted as well:

Thank you, thank you, to all of you who leave reviews. It means so much!

Writers' Wednesday: What's In A Name? Talking About Book Titles

Happy Hump Day, everyone! Aren't titles - of days, of places, of books - interesting? I blogged over at Long and Short Reviews this week all about my thought process behind titling the 3 novellas in my Cocktail Cruise series. Want to know where the heck Tequila Sunrise, Sex on the Beach, and Between the Sheets came from? Hop on over and see :)

Monday Mentionables: A Review of Against Her Rules by Victoria Barbour

What's up today? Another review of a book included in the Passionate Kisses Boxed Set! This time it's Against Her Rules by Victoria Barbour, a sweet, fast-paced story set in beautiful Newfoundland:

Thriving business? Check. 
Sexual exploits with a rockstar? Check. 
Complete independence? Check. 

Elsie Walsh had it all. Or so she thought. Until Scottish hunk Campbell Scott showed up on the doorstep of her bed and breakfast. He’s making it pretty hard for her to stand by her one rule: No sleeping with the guests. She’s denied some of the world’s hottest actors, musicians, and even royals... but how can she keep Cam out of her bed, when he’s invaded her head and her heart? 

Campbell Scott went to the wilds of Newfoundland with one thing on his mind: sketch some birds, and then get back to his playboy lifestyle in London. But one look at his sexy hostess and there’s a whole lot more in the air than sea birds. Rejection isn’t part of his vocabulary, and Cam sets out to not only convince Elsie that he belongs in her bed, but by her side at the Heart’s Ease Inn.

Victoria Barbour has a wonderful writer's voice, and the setting and characters come alive in this story. Elsie is full of fire and determination, and Cam is a sexy Scot who meets his match in Elsie and finally realizes that there's more to relationships than jumping in and out of bed. While there are great, hot sex scenes in this story, it's mostly about the whirlwind romance between these two. It's a very sweet, sincere story about two people who meet and just know they're supposed to be together. They don't hem and haw around but give in to their feelings and make us, the readers, believe that it can be that magical for us as well. The setting also comes alive with rich detail - now I want to move to Newfoundland! I'm glad there are more books in this series, because I will be picking up Hard as Ice, the next, to find out what happens in the town of Heart's Ease next!

And don't forget, readers - you can own all ten of these sizzling romances for only $0.99. Our set is still on sale - just click below!

In Memory of Robin Williams

It was  a sad beginning to this week, the announcements of Robin Williams' death. Among the many tributes, statements, and video clips I've read and watched, I think the one of most poignant comes from this quote by David Foster Wallace about suicide:

“The so-called ‘psychotically depressed’ person who tries to kill herself doesn’t do so out of quote ‘hopelessness’ or any abstract conviction that life’s assets and debits do not square. And surely not because death seems suddenly appealing. The person in whom its invisible agony reaches a certain unendurable level will kill herself the same way a trapped person will eventually jump from the window of a burning high-rise. Make no mistake about people who leap from burning windows. Their terror of falling from a great height is still just as great as it would be for you or me standing speculatively at the same window just checking out the view; i.e. the fear of falling remains a constant. The variable here is the other terror, the fire’s flames: when the flames get close enough, falling to death becomes the slightly less terrible of two terrors. It’s not desiring the fall; it’s terror of the flames. And yet nobody down on the sidewalk, looking up and yelling ‘Don’t!’ and ‘Hang on!’, can understand the jump. Not really. You’d have to have personally been trapped and felt flames to really understand a terror way beyond falling.”

Certainly, the depths that depression and mental illness reaches cannot be underestimated. I do hope that amid the sadness and shock of Williams' death comes a greater awareness of, and compassion for, mental illness and the havoc it can wreak on an individual. 

To the mighty and talented Robin Williams, I hope you're resting in peace. Finally.

Writers' Wednesday: A Peek Inside Book Three

Yes, yes, I know that Sex on the Beach, the second book in the Cocktail Cruise series, just released. But I'm busy at work on the third and final book in the series, Between the Sheets, where single mother Andrea and dance instructor Sebastian get their romance (finally!). Want to see a peek inside one of the early scenes?

Her cabin was twice the size of his, with a sliding glass door that led to a balcony. Precioso. So beautiful. He stood for a minute looking out into the black. She closed the door and slipped off her shoes, silver sandals with buckles that glittered. She sank onto the small loveseat and stretched out her toes. “I don’t have anything fancy to offer you to drink,” she said with a little laugh. “I think there’s bottled water or cold sodas in the fridge, though.”

“It is fine. I do not want anything.” Sebastian picked up the television remote. “May I? There is music on some of the channels. Good for relaxing.”

She nodded. “Go ahead. I don’t even know what’s on.”

He found a station playing soft Latin music, the one he sometimes listened to before bed.

Her head dropped back on the loveseat. He remained standing where he was. “Do you like working here?” she asked.

“I’m not –” What was she really asking? Women, American women especially, always seemed to have a second or third meaning in their words. Did he like the guests? The captain? His actual job of teaching three or four classes a day to people who didn’t know the difference between the cha cha and the mambo?

“I know you said it was a good change for you.” She opened her eyes again. “But what do you really think? You’ve been on board – how long? Almost a year?”

He nodded.

“What do you think we could change? What would make people happier?”

Ah, happiness. “I am not sure I am the best person to answer that question.”

“What do you mean?”

“Only that I am still trying to figure it out myself. True happiness, what it means, where it comes from. How to find it again after it disappears.”

She looked at him for a long minute, saying nothing. Her eyes shifted to the television, where a blue line zig-zagged across the screen as the music played. “That is nice,” she said. “I don’t know what it is, but you’re right. It’s soothing.”

He hesitated a moment, then held out one hand. "Would you like to dance?"

"Here?" She looked around. “Is there enough room?”

"Does not take much.” He smiled. “I do know this: happiness for me comes when I am dancing. When there is music in my soul, when my feet can move, then nothing else matters.”

She stood, her bare toes peeking out from beneath her dress. “Well, how can I turn down an offer like that?” She took his hand. “I have to tell you, though, except for this morning, when you were showing me the tango, I haven’t danced in years.” She blushed, and her fingers tightened around his. “I mean, I haven’t danced with anyone.”

“It’s nothing. It’s like – what do you Americans say? Like riding a bicycle. You do not forget. It is like breathing." His free hand went to the small of her back. "Let me lead."

A worry line appeared between her brows, and her spine stiffened. He shook her fingers to loosen them. It had been forever since he'd taught a private lesson, since he'd had a woman who looked more concerned about where to put her feet than trying to peel off his clothes. It felt good. Refreshing.

The music changed, and the tempo picked up. He smiled and nodded to himself. They could move easily to this one. But three beats into the song, Andrea turned fire-engine red. She froze, her hand gripping his as though she were balancing on a two-inch ledge. “I’m sorry. I have no idea what I’m doing.”

He pressed his palm into the small of her back. “Just follow. Try to relax.”

Her lips parted in a breathless laugh. "I'm not sure the last time I actually did that. I might not remember how."

The song changed again, and he improvised a few dance steps, just to put some space between them. At that, she smiled, and turned on her tiptoes in the small cabin, mimicking his motion. Ay dios mio, he had a hard time looking away from her. “See? You are very much a good dancer.” She twirled again, only this time she stumbled a little at the end – straight into him. 

Coming in September 2014!!