Some reviews for UGLY DUCKLINGS FINISH FIRST, plus last day for my giveaway!

I’ve been having so much fun letting the world know about UGLY DUCKLINGS FINISH FIRST that I’ve neglected to talk about the people who’ve already read it.  And before I let the chance slip away, let me thank all those who take time out of their busy day to sit down and read one of my books.  I’m so grateful!

 

In My Humble Opinion:

 “I got a kick out of this story” – 4-star review for UGLY DUCKLINGS FINISH FIRST-In My Humble Opinion Blog  http://inmho-read.blogspot.com/2013/08/ugly-ducklings-finish-first-by-stacy.html

 

Tome Tender:

“This is a perfectly delightful story” UGLY DUCKLINGS FINISH FIRST 4 stars from @sailon at Tome Tender Book Blog – http://tometender.blogspot.com/

 

Gin’s Book Notes:

“If I had to use three words to describe Ugly Ducklings Finish First they would be—Fun, Fast, and Light!” 4 stars, Gin’s Book Notes  http://ginsbooknotes.com/2013/08/04/book-review-ugly-ducklings-finish-first/

Book-A-Holic Anon:

“Their relationship is quick, hot and filled with a bit of angst as they both realize that they have something special that might be worth holding on to.  I’d love a chance to see them in a few years just to see how things are going so if Stacy wants to write more about Bitterthorn I’d be happy to read it.”  4 stars, Book-A-Holic Anon http://bookaholicanon.com/2013/08/04/ugly-ducklings-finish-first-stacy-gail-4-stars/

Guilty Pleasures

"Ugly Ducklings Finish First is an exceptional story" Guilty Pleasures 4.5 stars @CarinaPress http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/687150888  http://bit.ly/16eABEg

 

Tory Michaels World

“Ultimately, this was a great book and definitely worth reading. 5-star rating” Tory Michaels’ World, . http://torymichaels.blogspot.com/2013/08/arc-review-ugly-ducklings-finish-first_13.html

Reading The Paranormal

“I sat down to read this on a day when I needed something light and playful and I can say -- with confidence -- that I got just that. Wiley and Payton are SO DAMN CUTE together that it worked.” Kelly Rubidoux, 5 stars, Reading the Paranormal http://www.amazon.com/review/RXO9ND9DYLXRR/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00CC68FWK&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=283155&store=books

 

I’ve left links to all the reviewers who’ve taken valuable time out of their schedules to read UDFF, so if you’re a booklover, you might want to take a peek at their various sites. Each one is dedicated to the love of books, and the one thing these peeps have in common is their delight in sharing that love.  So drop in and say hi, okay?  Happy reading!

 

BLURB:

Metal Mouth. Queen Geek. Dr. Payton Pruitt heard it all growing up. But she’s over it, and attending her ten-year high school reunion is the perfect way to prove it to herself. Even if there’s only one person she’s interested in seeing in Bitterthorn, Texas: Wiley Sharpe.

Now a respected lawyer, Wiley didn’t live down to the label Most Likely to Be Slapped with a Paternity Suit. But recent acts of vandalism suggest someone still sees him as a heartbreaker, and the reunion seems a likely place to find the culprit. Instead, Wiley comes face-to-face with his old pal Payton—and is wowed not only by her transformation into a ravishing swan, but by the connection they still share.

Payton is pleased the playboy she used to tutor has grown into an honorable man, but she’s too smart to fall for a guy with roots in a place she couldn’t wait to leave. But while Payton is an academic genius, Wiley is the one with the PhD in pleasure, and he intends to use it to convince her to stay…

63,000 words

FYI: Be on the lookout for the second Bitterthorn book, STARTING FROM SCRATCH, a Carina Press holiday novella coming this November and edited by the amazing Angela James!

 

***

Buy links for UGLY DUCKLINGS FINISH FIRST:

Carina Press, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Google Play, ebooks. com, Kobo, BAM (Books-A-Million), ARe, iTunes

 

Want a Chance to win a $25 Amazon GC?  Enter this Rafflecopter giveaway!

 

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UGLY DUCKLINGS FINISH FIRST snippet, STARTING FROM SCRATCH news, + Giveaway!

Whew! I’m officially DONE with STARTING FROM SCRATCH. *happy dance* I stayed up until three in the morning doing a final read-through, and I'll admit I cried so hard at the end, my eyes are still red and puffy.  But I’m happy with it.  Really, really, happy.  I have that feeling of wanting to dust off my hands and say, “I did my best. Now where’s the wine?”

There was a funny moment in these edits.  For the most part, all I had to do was a final read-through.  But there was one comment my editor left in that she tweeted about, she was so thunderstruck.  The copy editor wanted to know why the hero, Sully, couldn’t remember someone.  Well, Sully has RA, or retrograde amnesia, due to a TBI. 

 

 

Ha!  Just thought I’d share. :D  (To learn more about SFS, please feel free to take a peek at its unofficial blurb on my Latest Projects page)

Also, UGLY DUCKLINGS FINISH FIRST is doing great! I’m thrilled that people seem to really enjoy the explosive chemistry between Wiley and Payton, so I thought I’d share a bit of it with you.  Enjoy!

***

He moved until the sun-heated steel of the pickup pressed into her back. He leaned into her as though he hungered to tattoo himself with the imprint of her body. Hungry for that herself, she pushed past his suit jacket with greedy hands to flatten them against his back, her fingertips dipping in beneath his waistband. A sound between a growl and a moan grated deep in Wiley’s throat, and that purr of approval made her shudder as his pleasure heightened her own. Restlessly his hands roamed down to the swell of her bottom, before his fingers curled on the folds of her skirt as though frustrated by the barrier. It was a frustration that was contagious, resonating inside her until the need for flesh against flesh was a physical ache. Without a thought she rubbed her body against his until every nerve threatened to spontaneously combust.

A groan rippled from Wiley as if he was being tortured, and he ground his hips against hers in wordless demand to merge into her hidden depths. Her mind drained of every coherent thought when she felt the iron-hard thrust of his manhood, pulsing against her with an urgency she understood all too well. She wanted him outrageously, more than she wanted air, more than she needed water, and she didn’t even care they were a breath away from making love in broad daylight in a public parking lot.

Then a horn sounded in the distance, followed by a testy shout, and only then did she realize they weren’t alone in the universe. “Uh…Wiley? This…this is—”

“Right. This is so right, Payton.” Lifting her just a little, he balanced her weight between the side of the pickup and his legs, pressing his hips closer. A helpless whimper of pleasure escaped her as the position parted her legs until her inner thighs clamped over his hips. There was an unmistakable gleam of triumph in his eyes a moment before he buried his mouth against her throat. “I’ve never felt anything more right.”

Logic told her she shouldn’t believe him. But with his hips pumping against the veiled juncture of her thighs and his mouth sampling the flavor of her pulse in her neck, she wanted to forget all about logic and just believe. Believe he felt the same overwhelming wave of passion that was engulfing her, believe that what had come before had merely been a prelude for this moment. Everyone had a history. What mattered was now, this moment.

In a parking lot behind a greasy spoon.

“Dear God, Payton, I want you now. Right now.”

“Now?” Urgent, demanding, he rocked his hips against hers, and there was no way she could stifle a low moan.

“I love the noises you make.” His voice was rough with need, a velvet rasp that could have seduced the devil himself. “I could have you right here.”

“Wiley… Oh God, wait.” Somewhere along the way she had pulled his shirt out from the waistband of his pants. It took most of her strength to stop herself from stroking her hands over his lower back, and the remainder of her strength got eaten up by the willpower it took to push him away. “Please, just…wait a second.”

“Wait?” He repeated the word like he’d never heard it before. “We’ve waited too long already. Years.”

“But—”

“I love the taste of you.” Dragging the strap of her dress from her shoulder, he let his lips trail to the exposed skin. “I think I’m addicted.”

***

BLURB:

Metal Mouth. Queen Geek. Dr. Payton Pruitt heard it all growing up. But she’s over it, and attending her ten-year high school reunion is the perfect way to prove it to herself. Even if there’s only one person she’s interested in seeing in Bitterthorn, Texas: Wiley Sharpe.

Now a respected lawyer, Wiley didn’t live down to the label Most Likely to Be Slapped with a Paternity Suit. But recent acts of vandalism suggest someone still sees him as a heartbreaker, and the reunion seems a likely place to find the culprit. Instead, Wiley comes face-to-face with his old pal Payton—and is wowed not only by her transformation into a ravishing swan, but by the connection they still share.

Payton is pleased the playboy she used to tutor has grown into an honorable man, but she’s too smart to fall for a guy with roots in a place she couldn’t wait to leave. But while Payton is an academic genius, Wiley is the one with the PhD in pleasure, and he intends to use it to convince her to stay…

63,000 words

 

FYI: Be on the lookout for the second Bitterthorn book, STARTING FROM SCRATCH, a Carina Press holiday novella coming this November and edited by the amazing Angela James!

 

***

Buy links for UGLY DUCKLINGS FINISH FIRST:

Carina Press, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Google Play, ebooks. com, Kobo, BAM (Books-A-Million), ARe, iTunes

 

Want a Chance to win a $25 Amazon GC?  Enter this Rafflecopter giveaway!

 

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STARTING FROM SCRATCH is up on Amazon! Plus, a UDFF giveaway

*ahem*

I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT! :)

Despite the fact that UGLY DUCKLINGS FINISH FIRST is only one week old as of today, the next book in the Bitterthorn, Texas series has already gone up on Amazon, can you believe it?  STARTING FROM SCRATCH won’t be out until November 21^st (a rare Thursday release), yet it’s up for pre-order. Wow. *confetti dance*

 

As for UGLY DUCKLINGS FINISH FIRST, it’s been the most successful release I’ve had with Carina Press, and I’m thrilled about it.  I suspect it's because a lot of people can relate to Payton and Wiley; I know I can.  There’s just something magical about lifelong friends deciding to leave those safe but familiar waters, and take a shot at becoming lovers.  It’s a scary thing, risking that cherished friendship to reach for something even more profound, but it's worth it.  At least, Wiley and Payton think so, and the passionate love and depth of understanding they create proves it.  In taking that chance--and pushing through all the bumps thrown in along the way--they discover a love and devotion that's strong enough to see them through even the worst storm.

 

BLURB:

Metal Mouth. Queen Geek. Dr. Payton Pruitt heard it all growing up. But she’s over it, and attending her ten-year high school reunion is the perfect way to prove it to herself. Even if there’s only one person she’s interested in seeing in Bitterthorn, Texas: Wiley Sharpe.

Now a respected lawyer, Wiley didn’t live down to the label Most Likely to Be Slapped with a Paternity Suit. But recent acts of vandalism suggest someone still sees him as a heartbreaker, and the reunion seems a likely place to find the culprit. Instead, Wiley comes face-to-face with his old pal Payton—and is wowed not only by her transformation into a ravishing swan, but by the connection they still share.

Payton is pleased the playboy she used to tutor has grown into an honorable man, but she’s too smart to fall for a guy with roots in a place she couldn’t wait to leave. But while Payton is an academic genius, Wiley is the one with the PhD in pleasure, and he intends to use it to convince her to stay…

63,000 words

FYI: Be on the lookout for the second Bitterthorn book, STARTING FROM SCRATCH, a Carina Press holiday novella coming this November and edited by the amazing Angela James!

 

***

Buy links for UGLY DUCKLINGS FINISH FIRST:

Carina Press, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Google Play, ebooks. com, Kobo, BAM (Books-A-Million), ARe, iTunes

 

Want a Chance to win a $25 Amazon GC?  Enter this Rafflecopter giveaway!

 

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UGLY DUCKLINGS FINISH FIRST Almost Didn't Make It

UGLY DUCKLINGS FINISH FIRST almost never made it into the hands of an editor.  Why?  Read on...

Over a year ago, Executive Editor of Carina Press, Angela James lamented on Twitter that she hadn’t seen any small town contemporary romances in ages.  At the time, I was slaving away on The Earth Angels, a paranormal miniseries Angela had already picked up and shot off to my latest editor (much love to Andrea Kerr!), so my mind wasn’t anywhere near what she was asking for.  But when I saw this tweet, it stopped me in my tracks.

It was like a sign from above.

I actually typed a response tweet that basically yelled, “I VOLUNTEER!”  After all, it just so happened that I had a contemporary romance, UGLY DUCKLINGS FINISH FIRST, sitting in a computer file.  It was exactly what she was asking for--sensual and fun, and set in a small Texas town called Bitterthorn.  The only reason I’d never sent it off was that I felt the market seemed a wee bit soft on contemporary romances that didn’t have a jet-setting billionaire in it. I mean, there are a lot of things in Bitterthorn—sweet tea, block parties with smokers full of turkey legs and brisket, and a ruggedly sexy lawyer who was once voted Most Likely to be Slapped with a Paternity Suit. But no billionaires. (Maybe a millionaire or two, but that’s not the point…)

I erased the tweet before I could send it. I was working to establish myself as a speculative fiction writer (futuristic, paranormal, a planned urban fic series). While writing contemporary romance is second nature to me, I’d made the decision to take my writing in another direction, and I was going to stick with it.  Except… I DID have a manuscript just sitting there.  Seemed like a waste not to do anything with it…

It took me two days to work up the nerve to send off UDFF, and I’m so glad I did. When it got accepted, I wondered why I’d hesitated in the first place.  There's a saying that Angela uses when it comes to reluctant writers: "If I don't see your work, how can I say yes to it?"  I'm still interested in speculative fiction, but this experience has reminded me just how much I love contemporary romance.  I think I'm going to be doing this for a while. :)

 

BLURB:

Metal Mouth. Queen Geek. Dr. Payton Pruitt heard it all growing up. But she’s over it, and attending her ten-year high school reunion is the perfect way to prove it to herself. Even if there’s only one person she’s interested in seeing in Bitterthorn, Texas: Wiley Sharpe.

Now a respected lawyer, Wiley didn’t live down to the label Most Likely to Be Slapped with a Paternity Suit. But recent acts of vandalism suggest someone still sees him as a heartbreaker, and the reunion seems a likely place to find the culprit. Instead, Wiley comes face-to-face with his old pal Payton—and is wowed not only by her transformation into a ravishing swan, but by the connection they still share.

Payton is pleased the playboy she used to tutor has grown into an honorable man, but she’s too smart to fall for a guy with roots in a place she couldn’t wait to leave. But while Payton is an academic genius, Wiley is the one with the PhD in pleasure, and he intends to use it to convince her to stay…

63,000 words

FYI: Be on the lookout for the second Bitterthorn book, STARTING FROM SCRATCH, a Carina Press holiday novella coming this November and edited by the amazing Angela James!

***

Buy links for UGLY DUCKLINGS FINISH FIRST:

Carina Press, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Google Play, ebooks. com, Kobo, BAM (Books-A-Million), ARe, iTunes

 

Want a Chance to win a $25 Amazon GC?  Enter this Rafflecopter giveaway!

 

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News of the Week!

A lot of things happened this week that made me happy-dance, so I need to take a breather and make sure I didn’t miss anything.  First up on the list of Wow, That Just Happened is…

The military holiday homecoming anthology (our editor has been calling it a “duology”, so I think I’ll try and get used to that) finally has a name!  She went to Twitter for inspiration and came up with…

GIFTS OF HONOR

I love it, I love it, I love it! *bounces*  Can’t get any better than that when it comes to mixing military with Christmas, amirite? :D

One half of GIFTS OF HONOR duology is my novella, STARTING FROM SCRATCH. Miracle of miracles, I actually made my editing deadline of August 6^th (whew!).  What does my editor Angela James have to say about this project?

AJ: First, let me say again, the emotional intensity in this book kills me! I really think you should be writing full length contemporary romances. Truly. You have a gift for contemporary. I've loved all your books (clearly since I keep putting you in anthologies) but contemporary--you could do this (STARTING FROM SCRATCH) in novel form.

Because I loved Lucy and Sully so much, I didn't want to let them go when this story reached its HEA. I loved them so much, I wrote a couple scenes that take place AFTER the end of the novella. I told Angela as much, so this is what’s going to happen:
 

AJ: As for those extra scenes you wrote, you could put them up as bonus scenes on your website, we could put a note about looking for them in the back of the book?

WHEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! I finally have a place for those extra scenes!  They’ll be placed on my blog site on a separate page at the same time that the novella will be released.  I’m so excited that these scenes are finally going to have a place to stay.

 And that leads me to the last thing… STARTING FROM SCRATCH is the 2^nd project to take place in the small town of Bitterthorn, Texas.  The first is my latest release, UGLY DUCKLINGS FINISH FIRST, which released this week. Yay!  So far it’s been the most successful launch I’ve had with Carina Press, and I’m thrilled. Wiley, the hero of UDFF, is really getting a lot of attention, which makes my little heart get all Grinchy-huge.  I’m kinda swoony over him myself. :D

 

Okay, that’s it for now.  A special thanks to all the book bloggers who helped me launch UGLY DUCKLINGS FINISH FIRST this week.  Their sites are amazing, so why not drop by and see what they’re up to?
 

Gin’s Book Notes

Tome Tender

Book-A-Holic Anon

Caribbean Accent Book Reviews

Riverina Romantics

 

BLURB:

Metal Mouth. Queen Geek. Dr. Payton Pruitt heard it all growing up. But she’s over it, and attending her ten-year high school reunion is the perfect way to prove it to herself. Even if there’s only one person she’s interested in seeing in Bitterthorn, Texas: Wiley Sharpe.

Now a respected lawyer, Wiley didn’t live down to the label Most Likely to Be Slapped with a Paternity Suit. But recent acts of vandalism suggest someone still sees him as a heartbreaker, and the reunion seems a likely place to find the culprit. Instead, Wiley comes face-to-face with his old pal Payton—and is wowed not only by her transformation into a ravishing swan, but by the connection they still share.

Payton is pleased the playboy she used to tutor has grown into an honorable man, but she’s too smart to fall for a guy with roots in a place she couldn’t wait to leave. But while Payton is an academic genius, Wiley is the one with the PhD in pleasure, and he intends to use it to convince her to stay…

63,000 words

FYI: Be on the lookout for the second Bitterthorn book, STARTING FROM SCRATCH, a Carina Press holiday novella coming this November and edited by the amazing Angela James!

***

Buy links for UGLY DUCKLINGS FINISH FIRST:

Carina Press, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Google Play, ebooks. com, Kobo, BAM (Books-A-Million), ARe, iTunes

 

Want a Chance to win a $25 Amazon GC?  Enter this Rafflecopter giveaway!

 

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*all gifs harvested from Tumblr and will be removed at the request of the proven original owner*

Where am I...?

 

 

 

It's going to be a busy day today!  My book blog continues over at Caribbean Accent Book Reviews, as well as Riverina Romantics.  At Caribbean Accents I'm sharing how UGLY DUCKLINGS FINISH FIRST got into Angela James's hands (which was a bit of a Twitter thing).  At Riverina, pop in to read an excerpt of Payton and Wiley's first kiss, which just happens to be one of my favorite scenes in the whole book. :)

 

Don't forget to enter to win a $25 Amazon GC at both sites, and at Caribbean Accents there's another giveaway to be had! *throws confetti* An ebook copy of UGLY DUCKLINGS FINISH FIRST can be yours if you enter Sasha's Rafflecopter, so look for it, okay? 

 

 

Buy links for UGLY DUCKLINGS FINISH FIRST:

Carina Press, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Google Play, ebooks. com, Kobo, BAM (Books-A-Million), ARe, iTunes

 

 

 

 

Want a Chance to win a $25 Amazon GC?  Enter this Rafflecopter giveaway!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Amazon GC Giveaway, Plus UGLY DUCKLINGS FINISH FIRST is out on Audible!

 

Not only did Ugly Ducklings Finish First release yesterday from Carina Press, but there was also an Audible.com release as well!  I’m so thrilled to have it out in this format, as I personally know people who like to listen to books during their daily commute to work.  Guys, this is for you!

One thing of interest, though… a rather heated debate kicked up not too long ago on Twitter about this subject.  When you listen to a book, do you consider it a book that you’ve “read”?  In my opinion, it doesn’t really matter how the book gets into a person’s mind and imagination, and since we don’t yet have an adequate term for a book that’s audibly devoured by a booklover, I think of a listened-to book as “read”.

I’m still celebrating the release of UDFF, so feel free to celebrate with me by entering my giveaway, below!  Unless you DON’T want an Amazon GC, heh. :P

***

BLURB:

Metal Mouth. Queen Geek. Dr. Payton Pruitt heard it all growing up. But she’s over it, and attending her ten-year high school reunion is the perfect way to prove it to herself. Even if there’s only one person she’s interested in seeing in Bitterthorn, Texas: Wiley Sharpe.

Now a respected lawyer, Wiley didn’t live down to the label Most Likely to Be Slapped with a Paternity Suit. But recent acts of vandalism suggest someone still sees him as a heartbreaker, and the reunion seems a likely place to find the culprit. Instead, Wiley comes face-to-face with his old pal Payton—and is wowed not only by her transformation into a ravishing swan, but by the connection they still share.

Payton is pleased the playboy she used to tutor has grown into an honorable man, but she’s too smart to fall for a guy with roots in a place she couldn’t wait to leave. But while Payton is an academic genius, Wiley is the one with the PhD in pleasure, and he intends to use it to convince her to stay…

63,000 words

FYI: Be on the lookout for the second Bitterthorn book, STARTING FROM SCRATCH, a Carina Press holiday novella coming this November and edited by the amazing Angela James!

***

Buy links for UGLY DUCKLINGS FINISH FIRST:

Carina Press, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Google Play, ebooks. com, Kobo, BAM (Books-A-Million), ARe, iTunes

a Rafflecopter giveaway