Event planner Sage Wilde has lots of lists and no time for a relationship…
Precise to a fault, Sage plans everything—meetings, meals, and sex. But when she learns her youngest sister can’t carry a child, she steps up and commits to the role of a surrogate mother. It’s not out of sentiment, because Sage doesn’t do love or touchy-feely, but out of practicality. She doesn’t plan on marrying or having children, so why not rent out her unused space, right?
Luke Riley is a sexy firefighter who’s looking for love in all the wrong places…
Luke’s morning gets a little brighter when he’s called to a clinic and spots a blonde beauty wearing killer red boots. Though she doesn’t seem interested, he manages to introduce himself. It’s unusual for a woman to push away his advances, but Luke is attracted to her confident nature and strong personality. It’s not long before he wears her down, and she finally agrees to a date.
Who says you can’t mix work with pleasure?
Sage blames her growing affections for Luke on pregnancy hormones. But one last hurrah before her belly swells sounds like a well-deserved thrill. After a few passionate nights, the line between love and lust begins to blur—leaving her more confused than ever.
Luke is mesmerized by her keen wit and social charm. She may claim not to want children, but when she befriends his troubled foster sister, it proves there’s a heart inside of Sage waiting to be loved.
Will Sage’s surrogacy unlock her willingness to commit? Or will Luke stand by as the woman he loves plans a future without him?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Marianne Rice writes contemporary romances set in small New England towns. Her heroes are big and strong, yet value family and humor, while her heroines are smart, sexy, sometimes a little bit sassy, and are often battling a strong internal conflict. Together, they deal with real life issues and always, always, find everlasting love. When she’s not writing, Marianne spends her time buying shoes, eating chocolate, chauffeuring her herd of children to their varying sporting events, and when there’s time, cuddling with her husband, a drink in one hand, a romance book in the other.
The Mystic Author Signing Event Hosted by Abby P. Cook and Lisa Ravenscroft at Foxwoods Casino
This weekend, I attended MASE (Mystic Author Signing Event) with four other authors with my publisher, Limitless Publishing, and about 50 other authors both self-published or signed with other publishers. The event was hosted by Abby P. Cook and Lisa Ravenscroft of Abby & Lisa’s Book Blog. These two ladies did an awesome job arranging the event that took place in the Grand Pequot Ballroom at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut.
Left to right. Limitless authors Alison Mello, Marianne Rice, Jennifer Allis Provost, and Debbie De LouiseLimitless Publishing authors left to right: Jennifer Allis Provost; Alison Mello; Marianne Rice; Apryl Baker, and Debbie De Louise
This was my first signing with other authors and the first event to which I had to travel. I drove up with my husband who assisted me at the table I shared with Jennifer Allis Provost. Seated next to us were fellow authors, Marianne Rice and Alison Mello. Apryl Baker, NYTimes Bestselling author also with Limitless Publishing, attended the event and signed a copy of “The Ghost Files” for me.
It took us 4-hours with a stop to drive from our home on Long Island, New York to Mashantucket, Connecticut where we were booked at the Two Trees Inn at the group discount for the event.
Me at my MASE Table.
Although the weather driving in was overcast with some drizzle, the day of the signing was sunny and warm. That might explain why attendance at the event wasn’t as high as expected. However, it was great seeing the eager readers who passed our tables and asked us to sign their tote bags or homemade autograph books. It was also wonderful to meet fellow authors, some of whom we’d only communicated with online and others whom we’d never heard of before. Following the signing, the authors gathered for a delicious buffet turkey dinner and got to know one another better.
There was also some time for entertainment, as those traveling to the signing and staying over, as we had, were able to participate in some casino gaming, visit the Pequot Indian museum, Pick up souvenirs or gifts at the Tanger Outlets or other Foxwood shops, and dine at the many fine or casual restaurants.
Kitty Slot Machine that MeowsMy husband, Anthony, wearing his new hat from Native Nations
Since my husband and I are not gamblers but we still wanted to try our hand at casino betting, we opted to play the slots. We set limits and didn’t exceed them, but the machines seemed to be against us the first night. I also left my phone in the casino. Luckily, it was recovered by Security. My luck improved Saturday night when I found a cute cat slot machine that even meowed when I won. I was excited to cash out my big win of $20, but I spent much more in the gift shops. In the Native Nations shop, I purchased some special Totem stones, t-shirts, and Indian herbal tea for my daughter as well as an Indian doll for my daughter’s friend whose family she stayed with while we were away. My husband found a hat at the same shop. Another store sold adorable Pusheen items, and I couldn’t resist the cat slippers with a tail and the mug that I used to store raffle tickets from my giveaway at the author signing.
Rainmaker Square
We also enjoyed our stay at Two Trees. The inn had a nice restaurant where we dined for breakfast on both Saturday and Sunday morning. The grounds are lovely with a gazebo, deck chairs, stone bunnies, and babbling waterfalls. Throughout Foxwoods, there are also beautiful statues. I particularly enjoyed the Rainmaker area as well as the Theater section of old-fashioned storefronts. I took a break from my dieting for a special treat at the Cake by Franck store where I ordered a strawberry custard pastry.
Strawberry Custard Pastry from Cake by Franck. I hope my Jenny Craig Counselor doesn’t see this.
Regrettably, there wasn’t enough time to visit the Pequot Museum, and there weren’t any shows that weekend of interest to us. All in all, it was still a worthwhile experience. While I didn’t sell all the books I came with or break any jackpots in the casino, I met a lot of people, both authors and readers. I hope to attend many more signings in the future.
Welcome to the Limitless Library Lounge where I interview fellow authors from Limitless Publishing. Today, I am chatting with Marianne Rice from Maine.
Thanks for joining me, Marianne. Please have a seat and make yourself comfortable.
I understand you have a novel that is just being released by Limitless today. Can you give me some details about it?
I signed my contract with Limitless in October of 2015 and will have my first release on January 26, 2016. It is the first book in my Wilde Sisters series, SWEET ON YOU. My other contemporary romance series, The McKay-Tucker Men, was published through Liquid Silver books in the winter-spring of 2015. I write contemporary romances set in small New England towns. So far all of my books are part of a series, however each book is a stand alone.
Congratulations on your new release. Would you describe your goals as a writer to us. What do you hope to achieve in the next few years? What are you planning to do to reach these goals?
I’ve been writing off and on for the past nine years, since my son was a newborn and my daughters were two and four. I never had plans to publish. While I always thought it would be a nice perk, it was never my goal. I write as an outlet, an escape. The publishing part is the icing on the cake. To keep myself from getting too overwhelmed, I make my writing goals quite simple. I’ve been writing one book a year and have a large backlist, and when I signed with LSB in 2014 I got motivated to write faster. I wrote three books in 2015 but know I can’t keep up that pace (and my sanity) so writing one book a year is my goal. If I write more it’s just an added bonus. Because I’m OCD about goals deadlines, I don’t make them if I know I will have to sacrifice my family time because I have an obsession with meeting goals.
I understand those issues. My daughter is 11, but I also find it hard to make the time to write, work full-time at the library, and spend time with my family. I get up early and write or edit for an hour each morning before my husband and daughter get up and I have to get ready for work. I hope to publish a book a year, as well. I just finished the sequel toA STONE’S THROW that was published in November and am currently editing it before I submit it. With luck, the second book should be out this summer. I wish I had a backlist. I wrote many novels years ago, but they aren’t on computer, so it would be a lot of work to revive them. Although the Cobble Cove books can be considered standalones, it helps to read them in order. I had started a different book before A STONE’S THROW and hope to finish that one eventually.
What type of reader are you hoping to attract? Who do you believe would be most interested in reading your books?
Every single one of my books deals with a real-life issue. Something the everyday person experiences. I’ve covered issues of rape, unplanned pregnancy, type 1 diabetes, alcoholism, death, neglect, adoption etc. While these sound like heavy subjects, my books are light, carefree, and at times, funny. I don’t make light of these situations but try to show how, even when the chips are down, happily ever after can still happen.
Great topics that have wide appeal. Your approach sounds quite interesting.
What advice would you give other authors or those still trying to get published?
Don’t stop writing. When you’ve finished your first book, step away from it and start the next. Take some time before going back to edit and revise. Keep writing and learning. Join author groups, whether they be online or in your area.
That’s great advice. I stopped writing after my self-published novel, CLOUDY RAINBOW. I’m very sorry i did that, but I’m making every effort to keep writing now. I’m also starting a writer’s group at my library that I feel will be helpful to myself as well as others. It’s great to have feedback from other authors in person as well as online, as you mentioned.
What hobbies and interests do you have besides writing?
I bake and decorate cakes on the side, but with my 9 year old son’s recent diagnosis of celiac disease (this will make its way into a future book for sure), I may need to stop. Or only do gluten free cakes since we can’t have flour near our son, not even in the air. I love to bake and experiment with healthy alternatives so you’ll often find me in the kitchen concocting something yummy—and usually chocolate based. On the flip side of this, I love finding creative workouts. I’m a huge fan of the mud runs and obstacle races and have completed the mother of all obstacle races, the twelve-mile Tough Mudder, designed by British Special Forces, twice. I’ve worked this into a book as well.
Two of my children have type 1 diabetes (which does NOT run in our families) so I spend a lot of time researching and being active in various diabetes groups.
On a happier note, my children are very active in sports and I’m that loud mom in the stands who cheers and yells out positive reinforcement. We’re currently in basketball season; the Little Guy is on a team, Sports Girl is on two teams; Teenage Princess is a cheerleader. In the spring it will be baseball, lacrosse and tumbling and in the fall it’s soccer, field hockey and football cheering. My interests are guided by my kiddos.
Sorry to hear about your son’s recently diagnosed illness and your diabetic children. I had a cat who was diabetic, and I had to give him insulin shots daily for seven years. It was difficult and costly. I don’t know if your children need shots, but I’m sure it’s a challenge dealing with their issues. I’ve always found researching subjects close to me help me make my fictional books more realistic, and I’m sure your treatment of these subjects may be useful to others facing similar situations.
As far as sports, my family is not very athletic. I’ve started an exercise walking routine and video tapes indoors when the weather doesn’t permit exercising outdoors. I find it really helps me destress, concentrate more on my writing, and also helps with my dieting and weight loss (60 pounds off since last year).
In addition to your baking, I know you run a Facebook page devoted to baking and books called Read, Eat, Drink where members share recipes and reading recommendations. It’s a great idea.
Thanks for mentioning that, Debbie. We currently have 110 members and would be happy to welcome new members.
What do you like most and least about being an author? What is your toughest challenge?
I love everything about being an author: crafting ideas, writing stories, reading for research, connecting with readers and other authors, doing workshops, author signings, marketing…I love it all. There isn’t anything I don’t like but my toughest challenge is definitely balancing between the day job, my children and my writing. And then balancing marketing, writing and editing.
I feel the same. Finding time to do it all is difficult. Before you publish, you don’t realize all the work involved. It’s not just writing.
Can you please list your social media links, website, blog, etc. so readers can connect with you.
WILDE FOR YOU by Marianne Rice
Who says you can’t mix work with pleasure?
PURCHASE LINKS: Available on Kindle Unlimited!
Ruff Drafts 