Life On The Beack Blog Hop

Beachwalk Press is 2 years old and so we, the authors wanted to celebrate.  Hence, the  Love On The Beach Hop was born! This is our opportunity to show you a little about out lovely Beachwalk Press authors.

For me, though, my reason for choosing Beachwalk Press was a bit of an adventure. As many of you would know, I had previously been with another publisher, but when you sell a series to one house, you are always wondering ... Is this really a fluke? Well, that was something that went through my mind.

So I started asking around... I was scared and nervous. After all, I'd only had limited experience and there was so much more out there to learn and experience.

So after asking different authors lots of questions, I had a short list of 3 houses I was interested in ... Beachwalk Press were highly recommended.  I asked a heap of questions... Let me tell you, everybody I spoke to said the same thing.  They are a good boutique house. They do limited releases, which means they can spend a lot of time on getting it right. They support their authors. 

So with a great deal of trepidation, I sent off my manuscript to them.  I have to admit to a bit of screaming and a fair dose of delight when they took The Plan on.  I was over the moon.

So without further chatting... here is a sample of The Plan (psst... I'm giving away an ebook copy of this title at the end... so read it all the way through ;) )

And if you ask me do I regret submitting to them?  No Way!  In fact, I have another release, possibly coming out in November 2013 coming with them.  

A Bar In Paris

When you're an Aussie living in London and single... what do you do on your 30th birthday? You treat yourself to a long weekend in Paris, hunting for commitment-free sex... right?

Only, things don't go quite to plan.

More details coming soon!

The Plan by Imogene Nix

What happens when a former orphan, now illegal parts runner Kadie Frost falls for the new head of the Department of Authority?
Jonah Fielding has been brought in to clean up the department on Centauri, but in the course of his work, he also captures Kadie, the sprite who got away.
But what happens when work and pleasure collide?

Excerpt:

The man that arrested her, Captain Jonah Fielding, she had heard of. A straight man, everyone agreed. He didn’t associate with the old, corrupt Authorities. But at this point that’s cold comfort. How can I possibly explain that I have nothing else except my little Sugar Plum Fairy and that’s why I took the chance? Her stomach rebelled and she dry heaved right there in the cells as catcalls and laughter from other prisoners filled the air. Thank the Lights at least I am in a single cell. Her head ached brutally and she wavered slightly, waiting for Captain Fielding to send for her.
“Kadie Frost? Captain Fielding wants to see you.” The clank of the cell door told her someone was coming; she struggled to her feet, lifting tired, sore eyes.
A young man, little more than a boy really, with a freshly pressed uniform marched in, unfastened her from the restraint loop, and pulled her out the door and into an anonymous corridor.
Hoots and hollers met her ears as she allowed herself to be paraded down the long walkway. As if cattle in a moon-cow yard, she thought, closing her eyes as the Authority man pulled her toward a heavy, metal door at the end of the corridor. He stopped there and she opened her eyes, reading the sign on the door.
Interrogation Room One. What a great name, she thought snidely. Really inventive.
The door opened slowly and she was quickly thrust inside. The door snapped shut behind her as she looked around the bare room. A table and two chairs sat, scarred and ugly, in the middle of the floor. The metal was cold and glittering in the cool air as the air circulators pushed currents around the frigid room. She made her way over and sat down, waiting for the captain to enter. Her head drooped to the table and she let it rest, seeking the refreshing cool on her overly hot skin.
Her hands stung and her eyes burned. She felt sorry for herself as she thought about the mess she had gotten into, and she turned her stinging hands to check the damage. They were bright red and radiated heat. The deep scratches were swollen and weepy; sticky drops of goop coated the raw skin. Never a good sign, she already knew that.
“Kadie Frost?”
She started. Obviously, the woolly, heavy feeling in her head had overtaken her and she had dropped off to sleep as she waited. Her skin burned against in the coolness of the room.
“That’s me.” Her head hurt viciously, but now she realized her throat burned too.
“Captain Fielding is my name. I believe you and I can discuss BXM parts?” He lifted an eyebrow and she noted the captain had the most amazing blue eyes she had ever seen, teamed with long, black hair fastened at the back of his neck, high cheeks, and impossibly chiseled features. He had full, pink lips that would make a woman cry when they moved over hers. Huh? Where did that thought come from?
She blinked, dazed by the thought, and considered her plan of attack. “What? Oh, the BXM parts.” She swallowed and felt the razor blades she was sure were in her neck slashing from the inside which then proceeded to burn. “They aren’t mine. They never were.”

 To purchase, click on this link

How to enter The Plan giveaway!

Okay, to win a copy of The Plan, this is what you need to do.  Tell me simply WHY you want to win a copy.  I read EVERY entry, so please... Make sure you follow my simple request :) 
Make sure you leave your EMAIL address with your comment.

I will email the winner and let them know on the 15th July.  

Please also go visit the other author pages, as they also have individual prize.

The winner is chosen from the group of Eligible Entries.

And to really top it all of!  (And how amazing is this?) Beachwalk Press have funded the following prizes...

The grand prize is a Kindle Paperlight!

Additional prizes include:
* A beach tote bag filled with Beachwalk Press print books (winner's choice of 5 print titles)
* Two gift certificates of $25 each (winners' choice of GC from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or All Romance Ebooks)

CLICK on this image to visit the list of participants.

If that doesn't work, enter this url into your browser: http://bit.ly/18E1pmG

Good luck and happy hopping!

Imogene

Happy First Birthday Secret Cravings Publishing

Firstly, I want to say, Happy First Birthday to Secret Cravings Publishing!

I struggled with my blog today. I mean what do I say? In the end, I thought I would share my story…so read on if you dare!

I’m a bookstore owner, specializing in Romance Books. Makes sense, right? I read romance. Lots and lots of romance. I know about the genres and what appeals to me, but for years I went through life with the attitude, I couldn’t do it. I mean, getting published is such a fierce thing. Rather like competition where only the very top echelon can achieve that brass ring. I still think it is extremely competitive…I doubt I will ever change my mind about that.

I attended a conference in Bondi, New South Wales in March 2011 and one of the sessions I sat in on, was with the super talented Lexxie Couper. Such a great lady – tons of fun!! Trust me, I sat with Lexxie and her fabulous friends at the dinner and had a ball! Even my husband, one of only 2 men to attend had a great night. (We had both the men at our table so it was a slightly more balanced table than it could be!) Anyway, I am digressing though…

So there I sat in the room, listening to these ladies talking about their journey. At that moment, the light bulb went on in my head. These ladies wrote what they saw and heard in their minds. Now given my over active imagination, surely there was a story in mine? Right? Absolutely. I mean, this is the person that has had dreams of flight and fancy for more years than I could poke a stick at.

So, we arrived home. Very tired after the flight and then a 4 and a half hour drive home. Pooped. But in the back of my mind, there was the seed of a story growing. That seed would eventually become Starline.

For the next 8 weeks, I barely moved away from the computer. I wrote, then wrote more, and then wrote even more again. At the end of 8 weeks I had about 55 000 words written and the basis for the story.

At this time, I did the best thing ever. I joined a writing group. Thank God for Romance Writers of Australia. I joined the paranormal group (super enthusiastic and helpful). They offered advice and friendship. I got a critique partner, (yes and I think I drove her mad with my requests) and I listened. I participated in the Clayton’s Conference (you know, the conference you attend when you can’t attend the conference in real life.) I was on a bender! I soaked up information like a sponge.

I edited, polished, rejigged. You name it. I did it with Starline. A bit like a dog with a bone, I kept worrying it.

By August, it was ready to do something with. I entered it in my first ever competition. (And did quite well, garnering a third place in the end.) I knew it had merit, I knew it wasn’t awful. I knew I could get it published.

I visited Preditors and Editors and started hunting. Who handled romance? Especially a first timer, who really didn’t know what they were doing? I made a list. I selectively submitted. I got requests, for the full manuscript. A couple of rejections – you expect that, don’t you? In October, I woke up to an email. Secret Cravings offered me a contract. Well, I think I screeched yahooed and generally bounced around in my seat. Then I sent a request out to the paranormal loop for advice.

Once more, these fabulous ladies came through. Keri and Tracey have my undying gratitude. Especially Tracey who talked to me about tin tacks and basics, listened to me warbling on about the contract and offered valuable and constructive advice. Thanks so much!

So now, here I sit, waiting for my book to release in the next few weeks. This part of the journey is just beginning, but I do have some suggestions to share with others on the same point of the journey. Please bear with me, though…

My thoughts on writing romance:

1. Write what you love.
Seriously, you need to love the genre you are writing in. If you do, the writing will flow. Trying to fit a square peg in a round hole never worked before, and it certainly won’t work if you are writing in a genre you don’t love.
2. Surround yourself with great, honest and knowledgeable people.
I can’t say this enough. Writing is a lonely journey. Sure you may have friends, co-workers and even husbands, wives, parents and children. But you need information to make it a success. Find people who are writing in your area. Learn from them, there is no reason to reinvent the wheel. Then pay it forward. Help someone else on the journey. Find a critique partner with experience and then one with less. Give something back to the writing world.
3. Research is key.
Not every genre is easy to research. In my case I had to find names of asteroids, planets and try to think how space travel could take place. Thankfully I am a trekkie with great internet access. But there is nothing worse than reading a historical and seeing something glaringly and obviously wrong in the historical context. Check and double check your facts. And if you are making up worlds? Write down what you know, because if you ever go back to the world you invented, you need to keep it straight.

Phew. This started as a quick blog… Ahh well. What does this have to do with Secret Cravings having their first birthday? Well, I am lucky. As a young publisher, so many people give you the advice to be careful. And yes, you do need to do your homework. I did and honestly, can I say that I am pleased I did? I don’t regret signing with SCP.

So, in honor of their first birthday, I am offering a $10.00 USD gift certificate with SCP as a prize!

The catch? You need to tell me about your journey – either as a reader or a writer. It can be as quick as you like. But you must leave me an email address so I can contact you, if you win.

I will be drawing this on 7th January 2012 (Queensland time) and letting you all know here on the blog.

However, there is a double dip here as well. As part of the birthday blog, you will also go into the draw to win the SCP grand prize draw to win…

From Secret Cravings
First prize - Kindle Fire
Second prize - Amazon GC $50
Third prize - SCP GC $25
Visit this page to find out more details http://www.secretcravingspublishing.blogspot.com/