Signing Season

Tis the time of year when I do some book signings - one of my favorite things to do! Not only do I get to meet readers, but I have the opportunity to hang with my sister writers. I did a fun signing this weekend at the Orlando Public Library's Local Authors Festival with talented Central Florida authors Jax Cassidy, Dianne Venetta, Blair Bancroft and more. Aside from reconnecting with those awesome folks, I met book blogger Lorelei of Lorelei's Lit Lair, a super nice lady.

We had lots of readers come out to support us and buy our books. Doing book signings reminds me why I love writing romance so much. One woman who just happened to be at the library came over and told me she'd read some of my books and loved them. That made my day!

So for your enjoyment, here are a few pics from the event, courtesy of Lorelai and Jax Cassidy.

Pictured here are Dianne Venetta, Lorelai, Jax Cassidy and Maria Geraci.

Wedding Woes

With the popularity of wedding shows now, you can hardly turn on the TV without catching a show about one aspect of a wedding or another. There's Four Weddings, Bridezillas, Say Yes to the Dress and Randy to the Rescue just for starters. And I must admit, I really enjoy some of these reality shows.

I think one reason shows dealing with weddings are so popular is because in one way or another, they all tug at our heartstrings when we hit that happy ending.

But not everyone has a happily ever after. A friend's sister was engaged to a seemingly nice guy many years ago. He proposed, they planned their wedding but then something happened. A few days before the wedding she got cold feet and called off the marriage. She said something just hadn't felt right.

Fast forward three years. The jilted groom contacts her and proceeds to spend the next six months trying—and succeeding—to sweep her off her feet. He again proposes and she accepts. They plan the wedding and this time she is sure all is well. The night before the wedding—right after the rehearsal dinner—he tells her he doesn't want to marry her. In fact, he only proposed and took it to that point to get back at her for crushing him three years earlier.

She is, of course, devastated. But two years later she meets the man of her dreams and they live happily ever after. But this story stuck with me for years. I always thought being jilted at or near the altar would be devastating.

So I thought the jilted bride setup would make for a great way to torture a character. Hence, The Very Best Man was conceived. Here's a little about the book, which is releasing today from Ellora's Cave.

Always the bride, never the bridesmaid. After growing up without a father, wannabe bride Wendy Weston will resort to anything to secure a husband, including chasing down the man who dumped her. But in order to find him, she must turn to the guy who makes her knees weak, uber sexy best man, Marco DeLuca.

Marco has always kept his attraction to his cousin’s woman under wraps. When the wedding implodes, he wants to be the one to catch the beautiful bride.

Comment and win a download of The Very Best Man. Read an excerpt HERE