#WriteTip - A Character Directory by @SofiaGreyAuthor, spotlighting her sports #romance POLE POSITION

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My Sexy (To Go) cohort Sofia Grey (who is also sexy, and writes sexy stuff) has a new release today. It's priced at $0.99 until 18 February, after which the price goes back to the usual $3.99. Before we check out her sexy (yes, let's see if this tricks Google's search bots) contemporary sports romance Pole Position, take 5 seconds to absorb her writing tip (which is seriously useful for a series writer such as I).

P.S. Sofia's also giving away an eBook with a bunch of swag. Enter here.


I keep a directory for significant characters. Every new leading character gets added, with the following details: (a) name, age, birth date, appearance, (b) what book(s) they appear in, and (c) key dates of events in the book. This is REALLY useful when I have a couple of series that overlap, to help me keep track of who was where, and when. Jon and Anita also appear in the (unrelated) Talisman series, hence my concern to make sure their history all lines up :) - Sofia Grey

Tip absorbed? Okay then, onward to the sexy stuff. 

Pole Position

by Sofia Grey

Jon's glamorous life as a racecar driver is poles apart from Anita's job in a bookshop, and he's drawn to her in a way he never imagined. After one unfaithful, soon-to-be-ex-wife, and a revolving door of models and actresses, Jon finds Anita's innocence and vulnerability a breath of fresh air.

Anita's abusive ex-boyfriend left her running scared of any kind of relationship. Picking up the pieces of her life is hard, but her best friend since childhood, Danny Webster, is only too willing to help. And then she meets Jon. He completes her in a way Danny never could.

She doesn't expect the men to hate each other on sight. Losing Anita isn't an option for Jon or Danny, but only one man can take pole position for her heart.

Excerpt

I seethed in silence. Anita glanced up, saw the look on my face, and struggled to sit upright. “What’s wrong?” She asked.

I didn’t answer. I looked away as I tried to get my anger under control.

“It’s something to do with Danny, isn’t it?”

I wasn’t sure what to say. How about, I’d like to throttle your friend? No, perhaps not.

Anita tugged on my arm, and I turned back to face her. She had two spots of color in her cheeks. I’d not seen her annoyed before.

“You still have a problem with him don’t you? What is it with you?”

She galvanized me into being honest. “I don’t trust him, and I don’t like you spending so much time with him.” As soon as I’d said it, I could have kicked myself. It sounded sulky, and childish. And it infuriated her.

“He’s my best friend. Of course I spend time with him. And how can you not trust him?” Her voice rose in pitch. “What has he done to you?”

I was astonished she could have forgotten. “Well let me see. He hung up on me several times when I phoned for you. He’s warned me to keep away from you. He’s told me to fuck off in no uncertain terms. Then he picked a fight with me. You might recall it?”

“But he apologized. Shook your hand. He told me it was all a misunderstanding.”

“Yeah, right.” I couldn’t hide my contempt.

She jerked away and stood up, shivering, before wrapping her arms over her chest. “You’re jealous.”

There. The accusation was out in the open. It lay between us, challenging me to respond.

“I trust my instincts, Anita, and they tell me to keep the hell away from him.”

She stood there completely silent, staring at me with huge eyes. I sat sullenly. I could see she was close to tears, and I suddenly regretted my words. I held out a hand to her and tried a smile, but she ignored it.

“I’ve known Danny all my life.” She spoke slowly, as though she was working out what to say. “I’ve known you for less than a month. Are you asking me to choose between you?”

I just looked at her.

“You are. Jesus Christ.” She swung away, and walked to the doorway, her arms still wrapped across her body. The rain continued to hammer down; the thunder more distant now. She stood in the doorway, silhouetted against the lighter outside. It was ages before she turned back to me.

“Danny’s always had my back. Always. He rescued me when I quit at Uni. Danny encouraged me to train as an instructor. He spent months looking at horses for me, before finding Sam. He gave me a home. Rebuilt my life.”

Her voice was low. I struggled to hear her.

“Don’t make me choose, Jon.”

ABOUT SOFIA GREY

Romance author Sofia Grey spends her days managing projects in the corporate world and her nights hanging out with wolf shifters and alpha males. She devours pretty much anything in the fiction line, but she prefers her romances to be hot, and her heroes to have hidden depths. When writing, she enjoys peeling back the layers to expose her characters’ flaws and always makes them work hard for their happy endings.

Music is interwoven so tightly into my writing that I can’t untangle the two. Either I’m listening to a playlist on my iPod, have music seeping from my laptop speakers, or there’s a song playing in my head – sometimes on auto-repeat.

Check out my image collections on Pinterest and my music playlists on Spotify.

Website | GoodReads | Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | Amazon


#WriteTip + #Giveaway - In honor of her dark, #paranormal #suspense ADDICTION, Sofia Grey (@SofiaGreyAuthor) advises caution

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One of my Sexy to Go sisters in crime has a new release. With more than 20 titles under her belt, Sofia Grey knows a thing or two about the perils of skipping steps. In this short but sweet writing tip, she advises extreme caution. (Yes, I'm really killing this suspense pun, but it's been a long, promo-intense week...)

Oh, before I forget, Sofia has some swag on offer. Hurry, you only have until 14 December to enter! 

Giveaway


Proof-reading

by Sofia Grey

Always, ALWAYS, do a final read-through of the finished manuscript. It doesn't matter if you've had it professionally edited, and you've already spent a month staring at the pages, it can still have glitches and typos. I've published over 20 titles, with a number of publishers, and in every case, I've caught at least one error in the final version. 

Addiction

Talisman, #3

by Sofia Grey

Krista Inglewood’s addiction runs deep; she can't survive without a regular fix. Her Talisman bracelet, stolen when she was a child, was the only thing that ever kept the craving at bay. Until she meets Matty. He sneaks under her defenses and calms the incessant noise in her head.

Matty knows Krista is bad news, but he can’t get enough of her. His first instinct is to help, but when he learns her addiction is linked to the sickness crippling his sister, he has to face the ugly truth.

Finding her missing Talisman may be the only thing that can save Krista.

Excerpt

It was late, and my head spun with all the information Alex had shared. When he went to join Sylvie in bed, I slipped outside for some fresh air. Make that fucking-freezing air. The end of November was cold in Britain anyway, but here, in a remote part of North Wales, it felt bitter. We were close to the sea, and I’d naively thought the climate would be mild, but instead it was the kind of damp that seeped into your bones. I made a mental note to buy a down-filled jacket or stay indoors. That would work too.

When I stepped farther away from the house, out of the immediate range of the security lights, I finally saw the night sky and stopped in my tracks. I came from Manchester, where the only kind of Milky Way on offer was a chocolate bar. Here, the sky was so bright with stars, I could have been on a different planet. I gazed, open-mouthed, forgetting the cold, forgetting Janine, and everything weighing me down.

“Feels close enough to touch, huh?”

The husky female voice sent chills down my spine, and for a second I forgot how to breathe. A crunch of gravel beside me identified her position. I knew without looking it was her. Film girl. She had exactly the voice I expected. Low. Almost no accent. Sexy. I inhaled, catching a hint of a spicy perfume, and then I turned to face her. God. Up close she was even more stunning. Her wild dreads were tied back, and she wore a tight-fitting, pale, leather biker jacket. A motorbike helmet dangled from one hand. She was a biker? My inner lust monster sat up and took notice.

She’d spoken, this goddess of leather and hair, and I stood there like an imbecile. “I…” Words failed me. Stars. She was talking about the stars. “Yeah. Beautiful.” I studied her face as I spoke. My night vision had adjusted, and there was enough light leaching from the windows, to illuminate her eyes. They almost glowed, sparking with mischief and life.

“Thank you.” She stepped closer, light on her feet, and I had to work hard to make sure I wasn’t drooling. Multiple rings glittered in her ears, and I saw more metalwork in her eyebrows as well as a tiny jewel gleaming in her nose. Hang on. Did she think I meant her? Did I?

“You’re beautiful too.” Whaaat? My brain spun her words back and forth, inside-out, and upside-down, but they made no sense. I stood there, speechless, and when she moved closer and pressed cool lips against mine, I forgot my own name.

About Sofia Grey

Romance author Sofia Grey spends her days managing projects in the corporate world and her nights hanging out with wolf shifters and alpha males. She devours pretty much anything in the fiction line, but she prefers her romances to be hot, and her heroes to have hidden depths. When writing, she enjoys peeling back the layers to expose her characters’ flaws and always makes them work hard for their happy endings.

Music is interwoven so tightly into my writing that I can’t untangle the two. Either I’m listening to a playlist on my iPod, have music seeping from my laptop speakers, or there’s a song playing in my head – sometimes on auto-repeat.

Check out my image collections on Pinterest and my music playlists on Spotify.

Website | GoodReads | Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | Amazon


#WriteTip - Go for a Drive by @SofiaGreyAuthor, spotlighting her @EntangledSelect #Military #Romance

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I'm delighted to welcome fellow Sexy To Go collaborator Sofia Grey back to my blog. Today, she has a brand new release from Entangled Publishing. Since I'm a sucker for sexy military heroes (*cough* A Christmas Together *cough*), I'm on pins and needles to find out more about her contemporary romance. Nonetheless, I remembered to extort a short writing tip. 

But first, there's a GIVEAWAY!

For a chance to win any ebook from Sofia's backlist AND a swag bundle, leave your details in this Google form.
One name will be drawn on the 31st October, and yes, she will send swag worldwide :)
http://goo.gl/forms/Dz0QCTQMVz

Go for a Drive

by Sofia Grey

When I'm struggling with a scene, or a plot point, or am just stuck in a story and can't see how to make it work, there is one thing that always unblocks me: going for a drive.
I think it's something to do with the left and right sides of the brain. When you're driving, your brain has to focus on the automatic details of keeping the car safe, and it seems to free up the other side to wander unfettered. I swear I get my best dialogue while I'm driving, and the best plot twists.

The downside is remembering the amazing, witty, poignant dialogue until I have chance to write it down, but hey. It's a small price to pay * grin *

Music is interwoven so tightly into my writing that I can’t untangle the two. Either I’m listening to a playlist on my iPod, have music seeping from my laptop speakers, or there’s a song playing in my head – sometimes on auto-repeat.

Check out the playlist for His Temporary Fix on Spotify: 

Add to GoodReads

Read Chapter 1 at
Entangled Publishing

His Temporary Fix

a Love at the Beach novella

by Sofia Grey

One night is all it takes. 

Holly Jacobs loses her heart a little too easily. Never again. But when she meets the sexy soldier on the beach, Holly knows she's in big trouble. Zack Winter is gorgeous and in pain, and when he kisses Holly, all of her resolve melts away...

Zack is on short-term leave to attend a funeral, and he's walking a fine line. The loss is unbearable...and he'll do whatever it takes to distract himself from it. Especially if it means a night of searingly-hot sex with Holly Jacobs. Only his brilliant idea isn't exactly going according to plan.

One night isn't nearly enough. But if it goes much longer it might end in broken hearts…

What reviewers are saying....

“One sentence in and these characters drew me into their world, and had me hanging on every word. Their touching story captured my heart.” – Misty
“This was a very enjoyable quick read. ”  – Betty
“I do love reading novella's for a quick fix, a quick pick-me-up, in between long novels. When they can pack emotion, connection with the characters, a great plot and storyline into less than 120 pages, well, that leaves me very satisfied and wanting to read more by the author. His Temporary Fix gave me all that and then some. ”   – Lee

Excerpt (For Mature Audiences Only)

There was a heartbeat of hesitation, and then he dug his hands beneath my bottom and lifted me out of the seat. Surprise stole my breath but, before I could even squeak, I sat in his lap, facing him. Oh. He tunneled one hand into my hair while the other steadied my back, but I’d never felt safer in my life.

“Your hair is beautiful.” He played with the end of my thick ponytail and wrapped it around his fist. “All I could think of last night was holding this while I fucked you.”

The breath caught in my throat, every nerve ending lighting up as though he’d held a match to me.

“What are you doing to me, Holly Jacobs?” Something like pain flashed across his face, gone so quickly I almost missed it. He ducked his head and nuzzled the side of my neck. “I could make it so very good for you.”

I knew he could. I just needed to say yes.

My legs fell to either side of his solid thighs, and I was sitting right over his dick. I felt it jerk beneath me, and my panties dampened even further. Had it suddenly gotten very hot in here? I was melting and couldn’t get enough air into my lungs.

“Do you want me, Holly?” His lips a heartbeat from mine, his whisper made me tremble, and there was only one answer I could give.

“Yes.”

His huff of breath scorched my skin, and he made a growling noise deep in his throat. I felt him pull on my hair, not hard, just enough to lift my chin and tilt my head back a fraction. Warmth bathed my throat as Zack breathed on me, then pressed a hot kiss over my pulse. A whimper escaped me, but he held fast and trailed his lips up to my jaw, the stubble rasping against me. The rough of his bristles and the softness of his lips combined into a sensual high I’d never known before. I squirmed on his lap, definitely wet between the legs and hungry to feel his hands on my flesh. My skin felt too tight, my breasts ached, and while I moaned he took his time feasting on me. His lips traveled down again, hitting the V at the top of my cleavage. I gasped. Surely he’d touch me now? No, his hands stayed still, one burning the small of my back, the other fixing me in place.

No man had ever taken charge of me like this or excited me so much. I’d expected a quickie, a fast and hard shag, but it seemed Zack had other ideas. With excruciating precision he licked and kissed back up to my jaw, finally taking my lips. His tongue plundered, flicking mine and claiming my mouth. He owned me. I was so ravenous for him, I’d agree to pretty much anything, and I dug my fingers into his shoulders to get his attention.

“Yes, gorgeous?” His words vibrated against me.

“I need you, Zack, Please don’t make me wait.”

ABOUT SOFIA GREY

Romance author Sofia Grey spends her days managing projects in the corporate world and her nights hanging out with wolf shifters and alpha males. She devours pretty much anything in the fiction line, but she prefers her romances to be hot, and her heroes to have hidden depths. When writing, she enjoys peeling back the layers to expose her characters’ flaws and always makes them work hard for their happy endings.

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