Sunday News!

This is the first Sunday News in a while, and I’m sad to say, the last. As you all know, this year I start my new print series. I am also writing novellas that will release in between the big book releases, and I’m writing a novella series that I will self-publish. Despite my best efforts, I am unable to keep up the writing schedule and blog with any regularity. Not to mention, my lack of consistent internet. To give you an example, I have an internet connection at the moment only when the boat swings a certain way.

I have, however, joined the lovely group of ladies at Embracing Romance, where I will blog once a month. I hope you will join me there.

I will continue to post new releases, pre-orders, and contests but if you are not on Facebook with me, I encourage you to sign up for my newsletter. Actually, I encourage you to sign up for my newsletter in any event.

Now for the good news. Congratulations to Natasha for winning a copy of Sandra Master’s book.

Most of you know that I have two releases coming in the very near future. The first is a novella, A Promise of Love, which is book #1 in my novella series The Trevors. Those of you who read Miss Featherton’s Christmas Prince, the last book in The Marriage Game will remember Damon’s father, the nasty, horrible duke. More than one reader truly wished I had gotten rid of him. But I needed him for the series. After all, I could not write about how his many children escape the despot when I’d already done him in. Apologies to you, but needs must.

A Promise of Love is part of a box set, Passionate Promises which releases on February 15th, and I’m having a pre-order contest to help launch the series. To enter, you must provide a proof of purchase by completing the form. When the book releases, everyone who entered will receive a private link to the prologue of the next book in the series! I hope all of you will enter and spread the word to your family and friends!

PREORDER HERE: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks

On March 29th, what my publisher calls an April release, Three Weeks to Wed, the first book in The Worthingtons, hits the shelves, or if you read in ebook format, will magically download to your device. So, I’m having another pre-order contest sponsored by my publisher. On release day, everyone who entered will be able to access the prologue to Three Weeks to Wed. Please follow this link to enter.

I promise you that neither of these prologues will be available again at any time; no matter what promises or bribes I receive or dire threats are made. They are strictly for those of you who pre-order and enter the contests.

PREORDER HERE: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks

As I alluded to above, we’ve been traveling. Here are some pictures.

Read Full Post »

Sunday News!!

Happy Sunday!! Well, this has been a busy week! Let’s start with the winners.

Congratulations to:

D Foster for winning a copy of Cheryl’s book, Duchess by Mistake!

 

 

 

Aleen Davis for winning a copy of Barbara’s book, Lady of the Flames!

 

 

 

And bn100 for winning a copy of Anne’s book, Murder in Hindsight!

 

 

 

As for my books, It looks as if the next series will be titled “The Worthingtons.” So, harking back to a few weeks ago, if you had “The Worthingtons” in your title, you’ve won a book. You can pick any book in The Marriage Game series.

I can’t resist posting the cover art for the first book, Three Weeks to Wed. Moving on to The Worthingtons, I finished the second book in the series. My editor and I were conversing via email, and we touched on the idea of having novellas in between some of the full length books. I think it’s an interesting concept. What do you think?

We are still in St. Martin. Yesterday we went to the market, the bakery across the street, and a few shops. It appears fans are back in style, which thrills my historical heart. Unfortunately, they were quite pricy.

How have you been?

Ella

 

Read Full Post »

Sunday News!

Wow has this week gone quickly. Let’s begin with the winner of Sheri Cobb South’s book. Congratulations to Emm!!

A bit shout out and congratulations as well to everyone who entered Eileen Dreyer’s 12 Days of Temptation giveaway, and to Louise Risser who won my book and the grand prize winner Janie McGaugh!! Congratulations everyone and happy reading!!

Kensington is going to have a battle of the heroes for Valentine’s Day. I have to pick one hero to enter. The choices are Marcus from The Seduction of Lady Phoebe, Rutherford from The Secret Life of Miss Anna Marsh, Robert from The Temptation of Lady Serena, Huntley from Desiring Lady Caro, Will from Enticing Miss Eugénie Villaret, or Georges from Madeleine’s Christmas wish. So far on Facebook, the voting has been in favor of Marcus. So I really need your votes. Who do you think has the best chance of winning?

 

 

As you’ve probably guessed, this week has been very busy. I’ve been writing like mad as well as helping Hubby fix stuff on the boat. We had to replace the alternator on the other engine, we have the watermaker almost working, but need a 3-way valve to complete the job, and figured out why we had no hot water in our bathroom!

North Palm Beach was getting really cold, and to top it off I came down with some sort of crude. I’m currently coughing up a lot of congestion. Anyway, we are headed south in search of warmer weather so that we can finish getting the boat ready to go to St. Thomas.

Yesterday we got off to a late start and ended up anchoring out just inside Hillsborough Inlet. For the first hour or so we had friends swimming all around the boat while we were under sail.

 

This morning we left with the intension of stopping in Ft. Lauderdale for a day or two, but when our favorite mooring field was full, we decided to continue on to Key Biscayne.

We’ll be at Dinner Key tonight near Coconut Grove. Let me know if you’re in the area.

What have you all been up to this week?

Ella

 

Read Full Post »

Sunday News and Cover Reveal!!

Happy Cold Sunday!

I don’t know where you are, but we have no heat on the boat and are freezing.

Let’s warm up with book winners. Congratulations to Linda Thumb who won Jo Bourne’s book and to Elf Ahearn who won Cheryl Bolen’s book!! Have fun reading!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now for the cover reveal for A Kiss for Lady Mary which releases in May. Tell me what you think.

Blurb

Ella Quinn’s bachelors do as they like and take what they want. But when the objects of their desire are bold, beautiful women, the rules of the game always seem to change…

 Handsome, charming, and heir to a powerful Viscount, Christopher “Kit” Featherton is everything a woman could want—except interested in marriage. So when he hears that someone on his estate near the Scottish border is claiming to be his wife, Kit sets off to investigate.                                                                                                                                                                

Since her parents’ death, Lady Mary Tolliver has been hounded by her cousin, a fortune-hunting fool after her inheritance. Refusing to settle for anything less than love, Mary escapes to the isolated estate of rakish bachelor, Kit Featherton. Knowing he prefers Court to the country, she believes she will be safe. But when Kit unexpectedly returns, her pretend marriage begins to feel seductively real…

 

 

No excerpt yet, it’s still being edited.

Here is the Amazon link. I’ll post more later.

Hubby and I have had a busy week on the boat, and I also had a great deal of writing to accomplish.

We took one of the forward berths (front bedrooms) and turned it into a much needed pantry! Other than a 3 by 2 foot cupboard for food in the galley, all my food storage was under the settee. Here are the before during and after pictures.

 

My editor is breathing down my neck, so I have to get back to writing.

Let me know how you’re doing. Are you cold as well?

Have a great and warmer week,

Ella

Read Full Post »

Sunday News on Monday!

I did say I’d be late. Let’s start with book winners then I’ll tell you about my crazy week.

The winner of The Seduction of Lady Phoebe is Mystical Manuscripts!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the winner of Collette Cameron’s The Earl’s Enticement is Isabel!!

Congratulations ladies!

 

 

 

 

 

The week began Hubby finding a boat he really, really wanted. We called our broker, and by Sunday afternoon had sent the offer. Several tense hours passed before we received the counter-offer on Monday. We countered that and it was accepted. I had to quickly arrange the boat surveyor for the general survey and the rigging. Hubby couldn’t get off work, so I flew down to Florida for the survey. There ended up being several issues, so the price was re-negotiated, and it’s now in the boatyard getting repaired. Fortunately, the other broker arranged a marina slip for us until we start heading south. There was more scrambling to meet the closing date tomorrow. I finished that this morning.

I arrived back on Thursday to an email from my editor telling me Lady Mary has to be in two weeks earlier than planned, and I’m still editing Lady Beresford’s Lover and the novella. Also, Madeleine’s Christmas Wish releases on October 27^th.

I got some work done, but also did a lot of packing.

We are getting a Portuguese Water Dog, and yesterday I went to look at puppies. Their eyes had just opened, and because the mom had so many, they are bottle feeding as well as nursing, and I got to feed the babies.

They are so cute! Here is Mom.

 

I also got a hicky on my chin because one of them started licking it and then stared nursing on it.

While I was gone, Hubby was supposed to be packing household stuff and getting his clothes packed. As you can see, that did not happen.

 

Me Packed

 

Hubby Not

Today he went downstairs and the van we rented was gone. Apparently he did not know that it had to be parked in visitor parking, so it was towed. He is on his way to retrieve it as I type this. Oops, he just called. It appears that since I’m on the agreement, I have to go get it.

Habitat for Humanity is coming to pick up furniture and the rest of the stuff that’s not going on the boat. We still have to mail boxes, but they are in the van.

The day is bound to get better. How was your week?

 

Ella

Read Full Post »

Sunday News!

Happy Sunday!!

Let’s begin with this past week’s winner.

Eileen Dandashi won a copy of Madeline’s Christmas Wish!

And Julia Tagen won Liza’s The Troublesome Apprentice!!

Congratulations ladies!!

For the better part of the week, I was buried in the writing cave finishing the first draft of book #7 in The Marriage Game, Lady Beresford’s Lover. That is done, but there is still a great deal of editing to do.

I’ll give you a short excerpt to read:

End of August 1817 Beresford Abby, England

Vivian, the widowed Countess of Beresford, sat at her desk in the morning room of the dower house in which she’d been living for the past year, plotting her escape. A beam of bright afternoon sunshine shot along the gold and blue Turkey carpet, interrupted only by supine form of her gray cat, Gisila.

In truth, plotting was probably too strong a word, though Vivian liked how it sounded, and she did feel as if she was escaping; not only the dower house, but Beresford Abby itself. In less than one week, her period of mourning would end. Her hand clenched as if she could strike her dead husband and everyone else in this hellish place. Soon she would leave and vowed never to return.

 

As soon as I was ready to leave the apartment, our car broke down, so we are walking to a small country market about a half a mile away. Late yesterday afternoon, Hubby and I took a shopping bag and set out to buy dinner and wine. He had been pooh-poohing the idea of a folding wagon for the boat to do things like haul groceries back from stores we had to walk to. After carrying the bag back, he is much more amenable to the idea.

Without the car, I was unable to get more boxes to pack, so that has stalled for the next day or so.

I did have a lovely luncheon with my friend and fellow historical author, Jenna Jaxon. She drove.

The weather here has been really strange, and I find myself missing my island,

and counting down the days until we move up to Annapolis.

I’d love to hear how your week went!

Ella

Read Full Post »

Sunday News!!

Happy Sunday!! We have book winners and here they are:

Congratulations to Shelia who won a copy of Jenna Jaxon’s book, Time Enough to Love!!

 

 

 

 

And to Joanna Mortes who won Loreen Augeri’s Lost Honor!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

In more book news, I have a Christmas novella releasing on October 27th. It’s now on pre-order and, I’m giving away one copy to someone who tells me she wants it. It is in ebook only. Those of you who read The Secret Life of Miss Anna Marsh will remember Georges.

 

Madeleine’s Christmas Wish

The bachelors in Ella Quinn’s Marriage Game series make a habit of resisting the irresistible. But during the season for giving, surrendering to temptation may be the greatest gift of all…

A French spy, Georges, Marquis Cruzy-le-Châtel, has lived in England for years, sacrificing his life for his country—but not his heart. For he’s never been able to forget his childhood friend, Madeleine. And now, in her hour of need, he is there to rescue her…

The victim of a ruthless statesman, Madeleine, Comtesse du Beaune, has been abducted and sent to England to work in a brothel. Her greatest wish is to return home for Christmas, and her only hope of it is to marry Georges—though she will be his wife in name alone. Yet as they steal across the snowy countryside, Georges decides to woo her—with kisses that melt the winter’s frost and leave her longing for a holiday miracle…

Amazon ~  Barnes and Noble ~ iTunes

I hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend last week. We drove to my mother-in-law’s house where we met up with my son, daughter-in-law and, most importantly, my lovely granddaughter, Josephine.  We haven’t had the opportunity to spend a lot of time together, but it didn’t seem to matter. Great-Grandma brought out the children’s books and we spent a lot of time reading. She is only four, but she’s already hooked on books.

One of our rituals was to have breakfast together, after which, I’d braid her hair. We took this photo because she was unable to hold the mirror just so she could see it. Braiding worked much better than the ponytail she’d had before.

 

On the way back (it was a 13 hour drive) we stopped at Rockfish Gap and I took these pictures. It still boggles my mind that people fought their way through the wilderness and made homes and lives for themselves.

 

You won’t see me around on social media much for the next week or so while I finish the next book in The Marriage Game and a novella that will be part of a boxed set with several other authors, including NYT bestseller Cheryl Bolen.

I’d love to hear how you’ve been doing.

Ella

 

Read Full Post »

Sunday News!!

Happy Sunday to you!! Let’s start with winners! This is the first time all the books won are signed print copies!!

Drum roll please!! Congratulations to:

Eli Yanti who won a copy of Enticing Miss Eugénie Villaret.

 

 

 

 

Merri Williams who won a copy of Grace Burrowes’s Laird.

 

 

 

 

 

Ki Pha who won a copy of Anne Cleeland’s Murder in Retribution.

 

 

 

 

 

This week has been crazy. I’m still neck deep in moving plans and, for the first time, under a real deadline for a book I haven’t finished. Maddie, my husband’s new kitty, has decided pouncing on Raphaella, my older cat, is a fun thing to do. Raphaella begs to differ.

Maddie also likes shopping bags. As you can see, we only use non-plastic.

She is having to learn office etiquette, such as no paws on the computer, or the iPhone. One of her major fascinations is the printer. We have a new one that opens and closes itself, better for a boat environment. Every time it turns on, she rushes over to see what’s going to happen next.

Next weekend we’ll be in southern Illinois at my mother-in-law’s house. Our son and granddaughter are meeting us there. It will be the first time we’ve all been together since he got back from Afghanistan.  What are your plans for Labor Day?

Have a great week!

Ella

 

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

Sunday News!

Happy Sunday!! Well, it’s been a busy week for me. First I want to congratulate Di Huffer for winning a pack of Marriage Game Keeper Kards. Di, please message or email me with your address.

Currently there is a lot of planning and cleaning going on. I finished sorting the kitchen, then Hubby and I painted it.

I received excellent news for anyone who will be in San Antonio for RWA. Kensington will have free print copies of Enticing Miss Eugénie Villaret for their signing. Speaking of writing stuff, I’ll be sending out a news letter shortly with the release tour for Miss EV. There will also be a Facebook party!

I’ll also be at the RWA Literary Signing with ebooks and print books.

If you haven’t already heard, all The Marriage Game books are on sale right now!

Back to cleaning and organizing. How was your week. If you were in Arthur’s path, how did you fare?

Ella

 

Read Full Post »

Sunday News!!

Happy Sunday!! Let’s start with winners.

Congratulations to Andrea Schiffner for winning Jennifer Bray-Weber’s book, Carol Cork for winning Miranda Neville’s book and Sue Gorman for winning a set of Keeper Kards and a pen!!

I’m giving away a set of Keeper Kards and a pen each week for the next month. All you have to do is tell me you want them.

The house reorganization is still underway. This week will be devoted to painting kitchen cabinets and touch-ups.

I did buy new chair cushions and a mooring ball.

I’ll leave you with an excerpt from Enticing Miss Eugénie Villaret.

The morning following the disaster with his betrothed, Will sent his groom to the flower market. As he was tying his neckcloth, Griff returned empty-handed.

This was not good. “Where are the flowers?”

Griff fiddled with his hat. “Ain’t got a market hereabouts.”

Will almost rolled his eyes. His groom wasn’t usually so dense. “Why didn’t you go to the florist?”

“Ain’t got one of them either.”

They must have something. Will ran a hand through his hair. What the deuce was going on? He’d seen a flower arrangement at the Whitecliffs’. “I need to find a bouquet.”

“Sorry, my lord. I looked all over town and didn’t see any at all.”

Damn and blast. “Get your breakfast and meet me down at the warehouse. I’ll ask around.”

“Yes, my lord.” Griff bowed and left the bedchamber.

Will finished his cravat before strolling into the parlor, where he found Andrew already discussing a good portion of fruit. Will strolled to the sideboard and inspected the offerings. “There is apparently no flower market in town.”

Andrew glanced up with a smug expression. “That is what I was given to understand.”

Will paused in the process of selecting a baked egg. “Then where am I to find flowers for Miss Villaret?”

A grin split Andrew’s face. “You have to go to someone’s house and ask to be allowed to pick a bouquet from their garden.”

The egg slipped off the serving spoon Will held. “Ask a private person for flowers? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

Andrew nodded. “There is a woman in the Queen’s Quarter who raises roses and lilies, among other plants. I have her direction. You may go immediately after breakfast. I was told it is better to pick the blooms in the morning.”

Will retrieved the egg and took a piece of Dum bread stuffed with cheese. “I’ll send Griff.”

“You’ll go yourself,” Andrew said, “or you won’t have them at all. The woman is particular about who she sells them to.”

“Give me the directions.” Will heaved an exasperated sigh. Was nothing easy when it came to Eugénie?

And a picture of the beach.

What have you all been up to?

Ella

Read Full Post »