Announcing a NEW RELEASE by Lyssa Layne!

Please help me welcome my fellow author, Lyssa Layne.

 She's written a great sports romance set in Los Angeles (yay!).

 FEAR OF STRIKING OUT debuts today. Here's the scoop... 

TITLE: Fear of Striking Out

AUTHOR: Lyssa Layne

GENRE: Contemporary Romance

PUBLICATION DATE: February 19, 2015

COVER DESIGN: E.J. Kellan

LENGTH: 54,000+

CONTENT WARNING: Adult Content

Synopsis

Shortstop Tate James has been traded from the all-American town of Milwaukee to the trendy City of Angels. 

Pink hair, manscaping, dogs in purses... not his thing. This ball player is less than excited about his new hometown. That is until he crosses paths with beautiful Mia Tomko. She lets him know that not all L.A. women are just after fame and fortune.

As Tate and Mia find that their interest in each other isn't the only thing they have in common, neither are prepared for what their future holds. 

When someone from both of their pasts arrives, will it tear them apart or make them closer?

Book Links

Amazon US

Amazon CAN

Amazon AUS

Amazon UK

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Goodreads

Excerpt

Waves crash in the darkness of the night. The moon peeks behind a few clouds as I lean against Mia’s deck sipping whiskey. Once again, the thought of moving to L.A. doesn’t seem so bad, especially when I feel her hand slide over my back pockets. Her breath is warm on my ear as both hands run over my backside. I feel her smile against my cheek. She lightly kisses it and whispers while she gives me a squeeze, “I can’t wait to see you in baseball pants this season.”

Laughing, I turn around to face her and pull her body against mine. She moves her arms around my neck and we exchange a powerful kiss. My whole body shakes inside and I don’t ever want to stop kissing her. What is this woman doing to me? I’m not the kind of man that wants to settle down. Back in Milwaukee, I had a few lady friends that I would get together with from time to time, but I’ve never seen a woman the way I see Mia Tomko. She breaks the kiss, but I don’t let go.

“Good, you started the fire,” she says nodding toward the fire pit. “I brought out the fixings for s’mores; hope you like them.”

Chuckling, I nod my head as I let go of her and she walks over to the table. “They’re actually my favorite.”

I watch her open the box of graham crackers. Damn, even in torn-up jeans and a baggy Stanford sweatshirt she looks good. Reaching for another bag to busy myself, I stop and look at Mia. “Reese’s?”

She nods with a grin. “Trust me, it’s way better than a Hershey bar. It’s pure ecstasy.”

Leaning forward, I kiss her neck, making her giggle. “Nah, I think this is pure ecstasy.”

Walking to the fire pit with roasters in hand, I stand behind her so I can nibble on her neck as we toast the ‘mallows. She tilts her head, giving me full access to her soft skin. A few turns of the roaster and she holds the s’more in front of my mouth. My teeth clamp down over the treat as I lock eyes with her. “Mmm… ” I moan. She’s right, the Reese’s are delicious.

Grinning, she pulls the s’more back and takes a bite herself. Chocolate smears on her lip. I lean forward and run my tongue over it then close my mouth and suck her lip to get every last bit off. As she slips her tongue over mine, I can feel myself start to get hard and I moan into her mouth. Mumbling with my lips still against hers, I utter, “You’re right… ecstasy.”

Additional Books

Love is a Fire

Burst Into Flame

Everybody's After Love

If you love Fear of Striking Out then you don't want to miss Tate & Mia's friends story in The Right Pitch.

About the Author

Lyssa Layne is first, and foremost, the proud momma to her precious daughter, AR. In addition to working full-time and being a mommy to AR, she is also an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan, a runner, blogger, and an infertility survivor. 

Having watched one too many medical dramas and being inspired by author Rachelle Ayala, who introduced her to the world of indie writing, Lyssa decided to try her hand at writing a romance story. Her attempt turned into the Burning Lovesick series. You can find Lyssa's own interests throughout her stories although all stories are fictional.

Author Links

Blog

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Amazon

Goodreads

Barnes & Nobles

Facebook Party

You won't want to miss the Fear of Striking Out Release Day Party on Facebook tonight from 7-10PM CT. There will be giveaways, games, and tons of fun! Hosts include: Beth Jones, Traci Hayden, William Scott, Linda Armstrong, Toshia Slade, and of course, Lyssa Layne! See you there!

Giveaway

Be sure to enter this Rafflecopter for a chance to win an ebook from Lyssa Layne, jewelry from Baseball Wishes, and a free cover from E.J. Kellan! Rafflecopter will be open until 2/22/15.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Eva's brother Logan gets his own story!

The Santa Monica Trilogy continues: Coming Home (Book 2)

Eight years ago, Grace went to New York to meet the father she never knew. Drawn into a frenetic life among Manhattan's über-rich, she ends up staying. But when her new marriage collapses in a firestorm of scandal, she flees back to California to recover.

After his college girlfriend dumped him without explanation, Logan spent eight years building his career and sampling some of L.A.’s finest talent. Now that Grace is back in town, Logan can’t stop thinking about her, and wondering What if…?

Sometimes first love deserves a second chance.

Available on Amazon 

Bake, LOVE, Write

What do most authors have in common, no matter what genre they write? They love desserts. Sweets sustain them through pending deadlines and take the sting out of crushing rejection letters and nasty reviews. They also often celebrate their successes—selling a book, winning a writing award, making a bestseller list, or receiving a fabulous review—with decadent indulgences. And when authors chat with each other, they often talk about their writing and their lives. 

Recipes. Relationships. Writing. 

In this cookbook 105 authors (including yours truly) not only share their favorite recipes for fabulous cakes, pies, cookies, candy, and more, they also share the best advice they’ve ever received on love and writing.

Bake, LOVE, Write

Available now from:

AMAZON ~ Paperback / Kindle 
KOBO ~ eBook 
Barnes & Noble ~ NOOK Book
iTunes ~ iBook

Where it all began...

Pursued by the Playboy was my debut book. It began as an experiment to see if I could write a contemporary romance that was true to life--only better.  Along the way, it turned into a labor of love.

After completing a few more books, I recently revisited Kate and Marc’s story. With fresh eyes, I tightened, polished, and re-released it, along with a boxed set containing the entire Doctors of Rittenhouse Square trilogy.  Though the characters do overlap, each book is a self-contained story with its own beginning, middle, and end--and, of course, a happily-ever-after.  

For those of you who enjoy reading about smart women and sexy men, I encourage you to pour your favorite beverage, pull up a comfy chair, and see where the journey began.  Happy reading! 

A bachelor who's finally looking to settle down meets a career-driven woman who doesn't believe in love...

Kate Warner isn't interested in romance. After years of bearing silent witness to the disaster zone of her parents' marriage, the last thing Kate wants is a husband and kids. Besides, she's on the fast track to academic success at an Ivy League university.

Enter Dr. Marc DiStefano, star of the university hospital's department of gynecology. Tired of the Barbie-doll wanna-be's of his past, he's looking to settle down. And he's set his sights on Kate.

...That's when the problems begin.

Excerpt from Pursued by the Playboy:

Marc wondered what it would take to get her to lose her cool. Unable to help himself, he leaned forward and smiled. “You don’t think it’s possible, do you? Combining work and family?”

“Maybe for some,” she conceded. “But you can’t expect to rise to the top of your field if you’re always getting distracted by what’s going on at home. You either have to focus on work or on family. Trying to do both means you’re constantly torn and everyone ends up suffering.”

“That’s a pretty cynical attitude. Especially for a woman.” He raised his hands, palms out. “Sorry, no offense. But don’t you want kids?”

“No.” Her sharp tone took him by surprise. She took a breath, then continued in a calmer voice. “I wouldn’t have gone into academe if I’d wanted kids. You know the odds of actually making tenure if you take time off for maternity leave or because your kid has a sniffle or daycare is closed for the gazillionth obscure holiday of the year? There’s a reason these hallowed university walls are lined with photos of men. They have stay-at-home wives to take care of the domestic life. If I could get a stay-at-home wife, I would too.” She unclenched her fingers and raised her water glass. “Pity I’m not into women.”

The off-color remark startled a laugh out of him. “Where does the cowboy fit in?”

“What cowboy?”

“The one you were with at the gala.”

“You mean Jake? We’ve known each other for ages. His family sort of adopted me in college.”

His eyes narrowed as he tried to gauge what she wasn’t saying. “So I won’t have to ask him to step outside?”

“Step outside? What is this, the 1880s? The ‘my gun is bigger than yours’ approach?” She shook her head. “Whom I choose to spend time with is exactly that: my choice.”

“I see. Well, in that case, thank you for choosing to have lunch with me.”

Pursued by the Playboy

Available now on Amazon

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Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by the MFRW Authors Blog

Santa Monica: an insider's guide

Full disclosure:  I am actually an East Coast gal, transplanted to sunny Southern California. But after over a decade of living, working, and raising my children here, I feel sufficiently well-versed in local culture to offer this insider's guide to Santa Monica. The fact is, most of the people I've met here are not native to L.A., but rather transplants like me who relocated in search of better weather and opportunity.

So, for those of you who plan to visit Santa Monica and want the 411 on this marvelous little enclave on the Westside of Los Angeles, here goes...

What to wear:  

Casual chic. Short sleeves, shorts or jeans, and don’t forget the sunglasses. We’ve got 310 sunny days a year. Except in the mornings. May, June, and part of July brings a morning mist off the ocean fondly known as “June Gloom.” Temperatures range from 60 to the low 70s Fahrenheit during the day, rarely going above 80-something even in the summer. Don’t forget your jacket at night! Thanks to the cold ocean waters, night temps can get as low as 50 degrees F.

Things to do:

Visit Santa Monica Pier.While it’s also a big tourist attraction, plenty of locals (especially those of us with young kids) go here. There’s a huge old fashioned indoor carousel, a trapeze school, plenty of rides and restaurants, and the iconic Ferris wheel. (In my latest book, Max and Eva come here on a date.)
Browse the art galleries at Bergamot Station.
Attend a Sunday morning concert at McCabe’s Guitar Shop.
Go surfing, sailing, running, biking, hiking. (See exercise below.)

Exercise:

Thanks to its proximity to the beach, and its year-round temperate climate, Santa Monica has a “skin culture” mentality. Everyone exercises. (And if they don’t, they lie about it.) We’ve got the beach for running, walking, roller-blading, playing beach volleyball, and surfing. The entire town is very bike-friendly, with bike paths running along the beach, and on the surface streets (look for the fresh green paint!).

There are also the Santa Monica Stairs – several steep sets of stairs that attract both locals and visitors who want to challenge themselves. The tallest of these, near 4th street, runs 189 steps. And yes, the views are amazing.

Did I mention the hiking? Will Rogers, Temescal Canyon, Malibu Creek (okay, we’re branching out here, but it’s still the Santa Monica Mountains).

Dining:  

You can get everything from fast food to haute cuisine. Some of my fave’s:

· Wilshire Restaurant (yep, this also features as a date venue for Max and Eva)
· Bru’s Wiffle – a waffle joint. You heard right: waffles aren’t just for breakfast anymore!
· High end: Melisse, Valentino, JiRaffe, Sugarfish
· Warszawa – best Polish (and other Eastern European) food west of the Mississippi
· Vegetarian: RFD (Real Food Daily), Native Foods

Shopping: 

There are three main shopping districts. If you really want to pass for a native, you’ll stick to the first two, since the third is mostly for tourists.

o   Montana Avenue, a chichi stretch of boutiques and cafes 

o   Main Street, which caters to a younger, funkier crowd

o   Third Street Promenade, a 3-block pedestrian-only collection of mostly chain stores like Barnes & Noble (yay!), GAP, H&M, etc, as well as a few movie theaters, many eateries, and an open-air mall at the south end called Santa Monica Place. 

Stay tuned for more insider info on life in Southern California. 

If you're a local, please feel free to add your favorite tips.

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Jill Blake lives in Southern California. 

Her latest contemporary romance, Without a Net, is set in Santa Monica.