May Kisses...

If you haven't picked up the May Harlequin Kiss releases, please do so!
They're fab!

Her Deal with the Devil now on kindle!

Here's another snippet from HER DEAL WITH THE DEVIL, which is now available for KINDLE.

And the winners are...

A huge thanks to everyone who entered the pitch contest.
So many fab entires! I'm glad I didn't have to decide the winners...and I'm now handing you over to Flo Nicoll (my lovely ed!) who had the unenviable task.

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who’s entered this pitch – the KISS team has been absolutely blown away by the amount and qualities of entries!

We’ve spent a very enjoyable - although very difficult! -  morning reading all the 47 (yes, 47!! What a result!) entries and after much deliberating, we’ve decided on our three winners.

In no particular order, these are…

RUMOUR HAS IT by Evie Huxtable – we loved the concept of the heroine being a boyfriend-dumping professional! It’s a fun, sexy twist on the world of dating, and spot on for KISS. We can’t wait to see the fireworks between Saskia and Jamie…

INSERT GROOM HERE by Kwana – the reality TV show setting, and the fact that the heroine is falling for the very man who’s supposed to be filming her falling for someone else, instantly appealed! Can’t wait to see how Eva gets her happy-ever-after with her off-screen – and very unlikely! – hero!

THE BIG BANG THEORY OF DATING by Jane Linfoot – who can resist a burlesque heroine, how intriguing?! The ultimate in opposites attracting, and the hero’s ten-date challenge, all contributed to a really fun, snappy pitch that had us dying to read more.

So, I’ll be in touch with this talented threesome asap, and they will all get their partials critiqued within a week (although, if full manuscripts are available, we’ll be eagerly reading them too!).

However! Because the standards of this pitch were so high, quite a few others of you will be hearing from the KISS team too… watch out for the emails coming your way!

Thanks again to everyone who’s taken part, and, of course, a huuuge thanks to the amazing Nicola Marsh for hosting this pitch – I think we can all agree she’s done an incredible job!

Love Flo x

This is why I love pitch contests...expect the unexpected!

It's fantastic that Flo was so impressed with other pitches besides the lucky winners and she'll be contacting 15 of you to take a look at your manuscripts.

WOW!

Thanks again, peeps, for participating, and a huge thanks to my editor Flo and the team at Mills & Boon UK.

You guys launched my career 10 years ago and I'll never forget it.

Kiss pitch contest!

It's time for the celebrations of my 10 year anniversary in the publishing industry to begin!

Flo Nicoll, my fab editor from Mills & Boon UK is taking pitches here starting now.

Flo will choose 3 lucky winners and critique their Kiss partials within 1 week!

That's a super-fast turnaround from an extremely busy editor at a major publishing house.

Before posting your pitch, you may want to check out the imprint Guidelines below:

KISS is sharply contemporary, glossy and chic, attracting readers who enjoy a short hit of romantic excitement with a thoroughly modern twist! Smart and stylish, sweet or sexy, these stories offer fun, flirty reads featuring smart, sassy heroines, equally matched by 21st century alpha heroes!

KISS Key Elements

• Contemporary romance series with a range of sensuality – we're looking for authors who can convey that young urban feel with sparkling characters and simmering tension - either with or without the hot sex!
• This series is all about the 21st century alpha male hero!
• Vibrant, sexy, spirited, fun – but still offering a strong emotional pay off and happy ever after.
• 50,000 words.

Featured in KISS:

Sparky, spirited heroines in control of their own destinies and with friends to help them through – these ladies are more than a match for their men.

Flirty, cheeky, alpha heroes, who expect their partners to be their equals - these guys are absolutely irresistible!

KISS is: all around you! Just look out for edgy, modern-day characters, sometimes struggling, sometimes knocked sideways by love, but finding their happy endings with plenty of laughter and attitude along the way…

• TV: Brothers and Sisters, Ugly Betty, New Girl for their fab, witty dialogue
• Films: What to Expect When You're Expecting, Bridesmaids, 500 Days of Summer, 27 Dresses, No Strings Attached, The Holiday, Friends With Kids, Crazy Stupid Love.
• Authors: if you enjoy authors such as Kristin Higgins, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Tasmina Perry, Jennifer Cruisie or Meg Cabot you'll love KISS!

To enter the contest, leave the following in the comments of this post. Entries will be accepted from now until midnight EST on May 14th.

Title
1-3 line pitch
Email address

-Entries preferred for a completed manuscript but partials accepted.
-Contest open to unpublished & published writers.

Winners will be announced by end of this week- keep an eye out on the blog here and on my Twitter & Facebook accounts for the announcement.

You can post up to two different pitches, but each pitch must be written in a separate comment.

*Editor reserves the right to not choose winners, based on quality and quantity of submissions.

So what are you waiting for?
Let the pitching games begin!

Happy anniversary to me!

10 years ago today, I got The Call from Kimberly Young at the Mills and Boon London office that changed my career.

I went from physiotherapist to published author and haven't looked back.
I'm so lucky to be doing my dream job!

My first book will always hold a special place in my heart.

Tomorrow, the celebrations kick in here with my current M&B editor, the lovely Flo Nicoll, offering 3 lucky winners a 1 week turnaround on a Harlequin Kiss partial critique (so get those pitches ready!)

In the meantime, thanks to the many writers who've contacted me about my new how-to book, celebrating 10 years in the industry.
I'm so glad it has galvanised your writing and helped clarify points for you.

Still at the introductory price of $0.99!

Amazon
Kobo
Smashwords
iTunes
And Barnes & Noble tomorrow!

Quickie

This weekend I'm visiting TAWNY WEBER'S blog for a Quick Six.

And giving away a copy of BRASH.

Super easy to win, come play!

COVER REVEAL: Italian Affair

Isn't this a stunning cover?

Congrats Annie Seaton on your upcoming release with Entangled Publishing's Indulgence series (and sequel to Holiday Affair.)

Release date: June 10th 2013 

Blurb:

Free-spirited sex therapist Brianna Ballantine has four days to find a fiancé so she can inherit her birth mother’s Italian villa. Commitment is not on the agenda. Writing her sex therapy book and signing legal papers are. And once all is said and done, she’ll return home to Australia.

For finance guru Tomas Richards, relationships have been a bad investment—give him stocks and shares any day. When Tomas offers a marriage of convenience to help Brianna secure her inheritance, the sizzle between the sheets promises an affair to remember, despite family complications at every turn.

But Tom must convince Brianna to stay, and make this Italian affair a lifelong commitment.

Pre -Order 

Barnes and Noble…link http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1115250853?ean=9781622661374

Amazon link….http://www.amazon.com/Italian-Affair-ebook/dp/B00CNTTEAI/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1368016768&sr=8-10&keywords=annie+seaton