Author: rachelleayala

Writing Christmas Romances in July @AyalaRachelle

Baby, it’s HOT outside. The sun is shining and the beach is beckoning. But inside my writing den, it’s cinnamon spiced and Christmas scented with jolly Christmas music jingling and the click-clacking of keyboards popping. July and August are Christmas time for me and my Author’s Billboard buddies–busy little bees tapping out Christmas all summer long.

Christmas hits our house early in the year. Shortly after the New Year, while the confetti’s sprinkled on the floor and the empty champagne bottles hit the recycling bin, Christmas is already a sparkle in my eye. Our Author’s Billboard team starts thinking about our Christmas boxed sets. We brainstorm themes and concepts and comb through our series looking for characters needing a merry, ho, ho, ho, and love under the Christmas tree.

Tentative titles are jotted down, covers made, and the ideas go into hibernation until June, July, or August. Then it’s crank up the Christmas playlists, browse for Christmas photos, stream Christmas movies to get into the mood, and sample Christmas recipes and research Christmas traditions and decorations. While the weather is hot outside, snow and evergreen trees swirl in my mind. My son comes downstairs and ask, “What’s with the Christmas songs? What’s going on?” My husband wonders why Christmas paraphrenalia are showing up at the door: a snowglobe here and an ornament there. It’s all part of living with Christmas all summer long.

This year, I’m writing three Christmas romances. Two of them are with my editor and the third one is just getting started. You’d think I’d be sick of Christmas by now, but I love it. It’s a season of joy and cheer, of family and friends, of giving and forgiving, and of love and re-loving. It’s the magic of a child’s wishes, a grandmother’s care, a friend’s suggestion, and a stranger’s yearning–a season for belonging and a reason for welcoming. Some common themes are: coming home, finding a friend, going from Grinch to elf, turning charitable, warming up the grieving, and blessing the poor in spirit. An outsider is brought into the fold. An estranged relationship is restored. Or an unexpected distraction turns into attraction. These are some of the fun Christmas romance themes to write about–all year round.

Rachelle Ayala’s 2021 Christmas Romances

Preorder for 99c: [Sweet] Dashing Through Christmas, Misty Jolly and Dash Weston play guessing games while rushing through a Christmas project with no help from Westie, a “talking” dog.

Preorder for 99c: [Sweet] Dottie’s Christmas Wish, All Merry Jolly wants is to make Dr. Colton Dale smile. All his daughter, Dottie, wants is a dog. Will Christmas wishes come true for three lonely hearts?

[Sassy] Santa on Strike, Bette’s bar is on the ropes when her biggest attraction, the barroom Santa, goes on strike a few days before Christmas.

Be sure to sign up for my Newsletter (get two free ebooks) to be notified of our upcoming Christmas boxed sets for a fun festivities and romance in the air.

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We Still Need Heroes by Rachelle Ayala

Photo by RODNAE Productions from Pexels

Heroes are the men and women who step up in times of crisis. They charge into burning buildings and rush toward disaster zones. They defend us against bullies and bad guys, and they stay on their jobs when others retreat. We appreciate our heroes because they inspire us and give us hope. They help us in times of need, and they do their duty while others are fleeing and hiding. We appreciate our heroes on special days like Veteran’s Day and anniversaries of their heroic acts. But do we understand the toll it takes on them and their families?

Being a hero entails sacrifice and putting others in front of self. Our military men and women not only fight bad guys but give aid and support to vulnerable populations. Our first responders put their safety at risk when responding to disasters or calls for help. Our health care workers stood at the front line to treat patients when an unknown disease sickened their communities. Every day, mothers and fathers put their children’s welfare in front of their own by working long hours to put food on the table or sacrificing for their education.

The qualities that heroes have: bravery, courage, resourcefulness, duty, honor, and sacrifice are still needed today. We need men to stand up for what’s right and women to nurture the weak and helpless. People to hold the line for freedom and individual liberty against the dark side of totalitarianism and mind control.

I’m grateful for all heroes: the police who catch criminals, the firefighters who save lives and homes, the military who secure our freedoms, the pastors who preach the Bible, the parents who protect the children, the essential workers who did their jobs, the patriots who stand against tyranny, and most of all, God who gave us his only begotten Son.

Forgive me for being sentimental. The 20th anniversary of September 11 just passed by, and while the ending of the war was not what we expected, it does not in any way diminish the heroism of the policemen, firefighters, and rescuers who charged into the buildings or all of the many military men and women who held the line against terrorists and warlords. They battled at tremendous personal cost and we owe them continued gratitude. Who knows how many attacks were prevented by their sacrifice?

Many years ago, I wrote about an Afghanistan War veteran, Tyler Manning, who returned home disillusioned and suffering from PTSD. He was homeless, subjected to flashbacks, and had lost his faith. It took a tiny four-year-old girl, Bree Kennedy, to see something special about him as he sat underneath a Christmas tree scavenging thrown-away food from a mall food court. I wish the war had ended better, but I know his effort was not wasted. Tyler’s story became a three-part Christmas series called: A Veteran’s Christmas.

In book 1, A Father for Christmas, Bree finds Tyler under a Christmas tree and brings him back to society and a romance with Bree’s mom, Kelly.

In book 2, A Pet for Christmas, Tyler returns to Afghanistan to work at a charity he founded, only to have it blown to bits. He and his translator then embark on a daring escape from Afghanistan with the help of a stray Kuchi dog.

In Book 3, A Wedding for Christmas, Tyler gets involved with a former Afghan female soldier and helps her get off the streets–all while trying to juggle his wedding to Bree’s mom, Kelly

Check out the first book, A Father for Christmas FREE.

A Father for Christmas by Rachelle Ayala

So let us remember to honor our heroes every day and to let them inspire us to give a helping hand and nurture those in need. All of us can be an every day hero by standing up for the values and ideals that made our country great and by giving our time, labor, and care to others. Like the children’s song says, JOY is Jesus, Others, You with yourself last.

Blessings, Rachelle

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Preview (Triggered by Love)

triggered-by-love

Fashion Designer Avery Cockburn lost everything in one New York minute. Her fireman fiance was gunned down next to her and her business is in shambles.

NYPD Detective Jason Burnett shot the killer and saved Avery’s life, but a year later, he still has no leads and the case has gone cold. He believes Avery is still in danger so he stalks her — to the gun range, through clubs and parks, and hopefully into her heart.

Chapter One

Avery Cockburn was on top of the world.

Here she was, twenty-six years old.

Manhattan Fashion Week and her very first show under her own label, Club Cockburn.

Her models strutted on the runway, and the fashion press was going gaga over her daring designs.

Haute couture with a wicked flair.

Her longtime boyfriend, fireman Brando Bonet, fidgeted with his suit jacket and tie, and she hung onto his arm.

They’d take the trademark ramp walk together, trailing the last model and accept the accolades of her fans, competitors, the press, and industry buyers gathered at the base of the runway.

“Ready?” She graced his handsome visage with an encouraging and adoring smile.

She loved this man. How could she not?

He’d saved her life. She was a complete stranger and a nobody back then—a design student staying late at her drafting table when a fire broke out at the institute.

Ivanna, her model wrangler, signaled her. “It’s looking good out there. And, you’re on.”

Striding in a more subdued gait than the slinky models, Avery placed one slender leg in front of the other, letting the slit of her off-shoulder evening gown part, barely. Her steps were in between mincing and assertive, and beside her, Brando’s hunky fireman’s body was solid and fluid like a symphony of testosterone and alpha manhood forged with power.

The applause and cheers were deafening as they walked out onto the runway. The spotlight heated her face enough to draw tiny prickles of sweat, but Avery was safe underneath her makeup. The heady, spicy scent of Brando’s cologne was enough to invigorate her from the stage fright she suffered—unbeknownst to her colleagues.

This was her moment of glory. She had nothing to be afraid of. It was her hometown crowd, and she was the hometown favorite. With Brando at her side, she’d foregone her anti-anxiety meds. She could do it.

Brando shined a proud and admiring glance on her, bucking up her spirits. They strode past the applauding models to the end of the runway. The cheers were deafening over the electronic pulses of techno music, and the plethora of photographic flashes shot stars into her eyes.

“We did it,” she whispered, glancing up at her hunky hero.

“Love you,” his mouth formed the words.

Pop. Pop. Pop.

“Get down!” A man’s voice roared, followed by more popping sounds.

Avery tumbled off the runway. Pain showered her, punching the breath out of her and slamming her ribs. Her head thumped onto a hard surface, and her arms and legs flailed helter-skelter.

A collective scream arose around her with the sounds of chairs toppling and footsteps running. Avery pushed and shoved underneath a big, heavy body.

“Brando. Brando,” she cried, unable to see past the red blurring her vision. Hot, sticky blood dripped over her, and she could taste the salty tang in her mouth.

The heavy man weighed over her, still warm, but silent. The coppery scent of blood overpowered the manly cologne, but Avery knew every inch of her lover’s body.

“No! No! No!” her screams rose in a wail of anguish. She didn’t have to listen for a pulse to know there was none. No breath, no heartbeat, not a single muscle twitch.

What happened? Why?

She held onto him, moaning, sobbing. “I love you. I didn’t get to tell you. I love you. Come back. Come back. You can’t leave me. My love. I owe you. It should have been me.”

“Man down,” someone shouted close by, but she already knew.

A fusillade of what she now recognized as gunshots followed. Shells clicked to the floor, and a strong hand yanked her from underneath her precious Brando’s body.

“No, no, no!” She was reduced to a single word. “No, no, no, no, no.”

Pop. Pop. Pop.

“You got to get out of here.” The stranger wrapped her slender body with one arm while shooting at the same time.

“No, no, no!” She struggled and clawed at his face, hands, anything.

Bullets whizzed by her, but strangely she didn’t care. She turned her head, looking back through the red mist. Brando’s eyes were still open. He lay on his stomach with his arms spread out. He’d protected her, and she was soaked with his blood.

“No!” Avery’s wail was thin and forlorn. “No …”

“Get down.” The man shoved Avery through a doorway and fired off more shots. “Got him.”

He spoke into a shoulder mic and holstered his gun.

“You killed him.” Avery kicked him with the heel of her stiletto. “You killed my Brando. Who are you?”

“Officer Jason Burnett, NYPD.”

Pre-Order for Triggered by Love for June 2020. [Avery’s friends have novellas in the same world as the REVISED (2018) Leap, Laugh, Love and Blush of Love.]

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Writing from the Villain’s Point of View

desiring-danger-series

A romantic suspense is supposed to deliver equal doses of love, attraction, desire and sex along with spine-tingling fear, adventure, and a walk in the dark side of forbidden passions.

My new series, Desiring Danger, explores the dark side of passion, the thin line between passion and obsession. There’s a dark side in all of us, and whether we mean it or not, our strongest desires bleed over the edge when something we want is just out of grasp.

The fun and scary part for the writer is to immerse and discover these dark and forbidden emotions, then magnify and act on them through the story. Sometimes, what’s hidden in the shadows is the very force that drives the story forward, makes the characters take the largest risks, and slams them when they least expect it.

In this series, I include short snippets from the villain as they stalk that which they also most desire. Love Will Stay, Book 1 and Taking Me Back, Book 2 both start this way.

Here’s an excerpt from Book 3, my work in progress, All You Want, where town busybody, Tami King, has her eyes on the handsome but aloof sheriff, while a stalker has his eyes on her.

Chapter One of All You Want, Book 3 in the Desiring Danger Series

He hates her guts, but he’s a patient man.

He doubts she even remembers him.

He was aware of her before he could even speak. He lurked near her crib, and he hid in her closets. She was loud and bold, the little princess born with a golden spoon in her mouth.

His mother made him be nice to her, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t hate her. So he bided his time, and he did things to her that she’ll never know about.

Oh, they were small victories. Tiny things. Like the time he brushed her toothbrush on his ass, and the poison ivy he rolled her pajamas in. He was careful to cover his tracks, and even though his mother suspected and she warned him with her frightened eyes, she never knew how much he hated that blond little fairy with the sapphire blue eyes.

He grits his teeth and grinds his molars, clenching his fists until his knuckles would pop. He kneels on the damp earth and brushes the pine needles off his mother’s tiny gravestone.

“Oh, isn’t she the prettiest girl you ever laid eyes on,” Mooma would say while ironing and folding the little monster’s many dresses. She was always buttering up her employers with her constant praise and adulation of the pampered puffybutt. It was a wonder anyone could breathe when all the hot air went to pumping up the prissy petunia’s poufy head.

The tinkling of the piano would draw him to the window, and he’d press his forehead against it to stare at her. He wasn’t allowed to stare or speak to her after his voice turned, and he was relegated out to the barn. But his mother always kept him apprised of the princess’s many accomplishments.

Her flowing hair was light as wheat, and the blue in her eyes were those of an enchanting goddess. The sparkling tones of the piano tinkled and plinked like a colorful waterfall of crystal bells, and rays of sunlight enfolded her like a golden bath showering her from heaven.

A kick on the seat of his pants sent him sprawling. His mother was always cross with him. “Get back to work, you lazy bum. They raised the rent again, and I’m working my fingers to the bone for you.”

He picked up the ax and hefted the weight in his hand. How easy it would be to blot her beauty with ugly, dark-red spurts of blood.

But he was a patient man, and patience was a virtue.

One day, the first shall be last, and the last shall be first.

He raised the sharp axe, swung it high and hard.

Thwack.

A wedge of hard oak exploded into splinters.

He kisses the cold, dead gravestone and vows to his mother. “This is for you, Mooma. This is for you.”

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Christmas Creek Christmas Romance – An Unexpected Hint of Magic

Christmas Creek Series

As an author, I love when stories weave an unexpected and magical direction. It’s as exhilarating as riding on a runaway sleigh and realizing I’m not in charge. My Christmas Creek series of romances has surprised me in every way.

Initially, I conjured up Christmas Creek as a town where Christmas lives all year round. I was invited to be in a very special boxed set with Mimi Barbour and her Gang of awesome writers. I never dreamed I would be even associated with them, but Mimi is always looking for the unexpected story and serendipity in putting together her sets so she proposed a theme. Let’s write a story around a Christmas carol.

Thus, Love, Christmas: Songs of the Heart [A USA Today Bestseller] was born. Everyone chose their favorite Christmas carol, and I picked Deck the Halls, mainly because it’s public domain, so I get to include the lyrics inside my story. I set out to write a story between a Christmas fanatic named Holly Jolly and a grouchy Grinch named Gordon Gills. My first scene was Holly decorating the old Gills Mansion when Gordon walked in and knocked her off her ladder and catching her when she fell.

Little did I know that magic would come into the picture when Gordon tried to hightail it out of Christmas Creek and caught an “Uber” from the past.

Oh boy! Writers do love magic, because once I created Christmas Creek, I used it for my next story, Her Christmas Chance, which featured a cantankerous Maine coon cat, a woman with cerebral palsy, and an ex-con with a mysterious past. Once again, they meet their fate in the Gills Mansion, only in a different century.

In 2018, Mimi went back to our Love, Christmas idea, and this time proposed a set based on the theme of Christmas movies: Love, Christmas: Movies You Love [Another USA Today Bestseller]. I dipped once again in the well of Christmas Creek and wrote my own rendition of A Christmas Carol where the Ebenezer Scrooge character is played by a frustrated romance writer, Ebony Cruse, wanting to escape Christmas nonsense on her old family farm, on the outskirts of guess where? Christmas Creek.

This year, Mimi proposed a new set of Christmas Shorts, short stories as a snack for Christmas readers. While searching for a cover image that would match my other Christmas Creek stories, I came across this cute and adorable picture of a kitten in the snow. Before I knew it, I wrote not one, but two stories. Kitty, It’s Cold Outside [See my comments on how this book came about] and A Christmas Creek Caper for the boxed set. It’s a short story, and it was a challenge to fit a sweet story that touches all bases into such a short format. [See my comments on how I did it].

Rachelle Christmas-Creek-Caper

I hope you’ll check out all of my Christmas Creek Series as well as the Authors’ Billboard sets, Love, Christmas: Songs of the Heart, Love Christmas: Movies You Love, and Christmas Shorts, 18 brand-spankin’-new and fun stories.

Christmas Creek: Romance and a Tint of Magic

[Sassy] Deck the Hearts Can Holly’s jolly Christmas spirit help Grinchy Gordon Gills save the town of Christmas Creek? Audiobook link.

[Sassy] Her Christmas Chance A woman with cerebral palsy and her tomcat disagree about the attractive ex-con living next door. Will a dose of Christmas magic reach through his dark secrets? Audiobook link.

[Sweet] A Christmas Creek Carol A reclusive writer, Ebony Cruse, is given a one-star review on her life by characters in her past, present, and future. Audiobook link.

[Sweet] Kitty, It’s Cold Outside When mailman Mick Jolly delivers a kitten to an abandoned millhouse, he is ensnared by a mysterious Victorian woman caught in a Christmas curse.

[Sweet] A Christmas Creek Caper Someone’s stealing packages off the Christmas Creek porches. Sheriff Brad Wing is on the case, and he sets a sure-fire trap. Will he catch this cold-hearted person, or will he find something he never imagined?

 

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#LKBB March Free for all Giveaway – Roaring Hot!


Welcome to the March FREE For All & Giveaway Event March 12-16!

Click to download these romance reads.

Thank you for being loyal readers! To show their appreciation, your favorite authors have come together to offer a book for FREE. Download one or all. Maybe you’ll find your next favorite author.

PLUS Enter to win our giveaway!

Enter here: http://lovekissedbookbargains.com/2018/03/09/march-free-for-all-giveaway/

Please note: all sales are limited time offers.

Don’t have a Kindle? Don’t worry. Read with the FREE Kindle App.

**Please note: these books may not be free on other Amazon sites and many of these books are free for a limited time only.**


Look for my book, Roaring Hot!
Teo Alexiou is an arrogant playboy who gets what he wants. He meets his match in actress Amy Suzuki, a woman he hired to play his girlfriend. The fun starts when he falls for her, and suddenly, the billionaire bad boy is wishing she’d cut the act and show him her true heart.Pick up the Audiobook for an exciting narration by Charley Ongel.


 

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Big Twelve Days of Christmas Sale! All Books 99c [some free]


Hey friends! It’s the Twelve Days of Christmas SALE and all of my Christmas romances are 99c for the ebook. [Regular prices range from $1.99 to $3.99, so this is an awesome deal.] But hurry! Sale ends when Santa slips down the chimney Christmas morn.

With Eight Nice and Four Very Naughty, you’ll find yourself going from cozy to sizzling. So roast a few chestnuts on an open fire, whip up a batch of sparkly Christmas cookies, and toast yourself a spiced rum eggnog toddy. Sit down in a soft, warm comfy chair and enjoy my Twelve Loves of Christmas.

First, the Nice…

A Father for Christmas, A Veteran’s Christmas #1 [Free everywhere except Amazon] – Single mother Kelly Kennedy can’t afford lavish gifts for her four-year-old daughter, Bree. Homeless veteran Tyler Manning doesn’t believe he deserves a Merry Christmas. When Bree asks Santa for a father and picks Tyler, both Tyler and Kelly vow to keep Bree from being hurt while fighting their feelings for each other. They must believe in the power of love to give Bree her best Christmas ever. [Audiobook Available at Audible, Amazon, Apple] 2015 Readers Favorite Gold Award Winner.

Christmas Stray [Free with newsletter signup, http://smarturl.it/RachAyala or http://smarturl.it/SweetRachelle] – Juliette Martin does not ever want to celebrate Christmas again, not when it means reliving the last one after her six-year-old son, Jeremiah, passed away on Christmas Eve. She and husband, Gabe, find themselves snowed in at a mountain cabin with a stray puppy and a boy claiming to be an elf. Is a Christmas miracle on the way? [Audiobook Available at Audible, Amazon, Apple] 2016 Readers Favorite Gold Award Winner

A Pet for Christmas, A Veteran’s Christmas #2 – Kelly Kennedy and Tyler Manning have a baby on the way, but PTSD and Afghanistan haunts Tyler and he returns to run a children’s charity. Meanwhile, Kelly’s daughter Bree misses Tyler and wants a pet for Christmas. When Tyler is captured by terrorists and goes missing, Kelly and Bree hold onto hope while Tyler fights to survive and return home for Christmas. [Audiobook Available at Audible, Amazon, Apple] 2016 Readers Favorite Honorable Mention

Christmas Lovebirds, Have a Hart #1 [Free everywhere] – A mix-up between lovebirds brings Melisa face to face with Rob, the man she crushed on her entire life. Unfortunately, he’s not welcome in her large Irish family because he betrayed her brother. Only, she doesn’t know the real reason. Can two little lovebirds and Christmas cheer open Melisa’s heart to giving Rob another chance? [Audiobook Available at Audible, Amazon, Apple]

Deck the Hearts, A Christmas Creek Romance #1 – Holly Jolly lives for Christmas. It’s the only time of the year, as far as she’s concerned. Gordon Gills doesn’t need a reason to hate the holiday season. He doesn’t see the point. Will Gordon prevail and turn Holly into a Grinch, or will a sprinkling of Christmas magic show Gordon that there’s no fighting love, especially when it’s wrapped up in a gorgeous redheaded package of jolly holly? [Audiobook Available at Audible, Amazon, Apple] This book put me in the USA Today Bestselling List!

Her Christmas Chance, A Christmas Creek Romance #2 – Bella was born with cerebral palsy, but she doesn’t let her disability keep her down. When her cantankerous cat makes a mess of her attractive neighbor’s workshop, she stands up to him, despite him being an ex-con. Will the trail of destruction left by one naughty cat ruin Bella’s chance for love, or will Christmas be the season for both love and second chances? [Audiobook Available at Audible, Amazon, Apple]

A Wedding for Christmas, A Veteran’s Christmas #3 – Kelly Kennedy and Tyler Manning are planning a Christmas wedding, and her six-year-old daughter, Bree, is worried about being the perfect flower girl. Complications arise when Tyler gets reacquainted with a female soldier he rescued back in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Kelly gets an urgent message from the man who fathered Bree, asking for a big favor. Will love, faith, and a Christmas miracle be enough to keep their family together? [Audiobook available at Audible, Amazon, Apple]

Blue Chow Christmas, Have a Hart #4 – Cait has been married to Brian for twelve years, but does she really know him? The redheaded firefighter is dependable, loyal, and kind to others, but he’s never let her probe his feelings. Brian hides a painful secret behind his brave and courageous firefighter demeanor. When a pair of blue chow dogs show up at his mountain cabin, he is confronted with a boy he never got to know. Cait and Brian are tested on the true meaning of love when the boy goes missing and authorities suspect Brian of wrongdoing. Can two lost chow dogs save this fragile and vulnerable family and give them a Christmas to remember?

And Now for the Naughty!

Christmas Flirt, Jingle Belles #1 [Kindle Unlimited] – Lacy Reed is the ultimate bad girl, but she doesn’t know how her naked selfies ended up on her boss’s cell phone. Brandon Cole never smiles, ever. Not even when Lacy’s indecent selfies appear on his phone. He doesn’t need Lacy to get close and discover his well-hidden secret. Lacy’s not going to leave Brandon alone. Can she flirt her way to the top or will all she get is a big, lump of Christmas Cole? [Audiobook Available at Audible, Amazon, Apple]

Santa’s Pet, Jingle Belles #2 [Kindle Unlimited] – Brilliant girl genius, Brittney Reed, plays elf to a substitute Santa, Ben Powers. When she sits on his lap, they suffer dual wardrobe malfunctions and are arrested for indecent exposure. Meanwhile, hackers are after her company and Ben’s grandfather, the real Santa, is ill. Will a roly-poly old basset hound and a big-mouthed cockatoo help save Brittney and Ben and bring the real Santa home to stay?

Sapphire Falls: Going Toe to Mistletoe, My Country Heart #2 [Kindle Unlimited] – Dumped, broke, and jobless, Candi Myers visits her sister in Sapphire Falls to help with her upcoming Christmas wedding. It’s love at first sight for Troy Caine when he spots Candi nabbing mistletoe her first night in town. Catching her should be a slam-dunk for the hometown hero who gives advice to the lovelorn. Unfortunately, Candi is not looking to be burned again. Will a town filled with mistletoe, busybody matchmakers, and festive Christmas fun bring Candi and Troy’s lonely hearts together?

Bad Boys for Hire: Nick [Kindle Unlimited] – He’s the naughtiest Santa ever. Meet Nick. He ain’t no saint, but he’s got the toys, especially in bed. Carol is a paraplegic and love is the last thing on her mind when she hires Nick to play Santa. She’d rather date a good boy, a disabled firefighter, than face the fact she’s dead to passion. When Nick tempts her with his toys, she can’t resist the naughty over the nice. Will she let Nick prove that bad boys can be good, especially on Christmas day? [Audiobook Available at Audible, Amazon, Apple]

 

From Our House to Yours,

May your Christmas be Blessed and Bright,

Love Always, Rachelle

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The Case for Paperbacks

My bookshelf

My house is literally full of books. Books I’ve collected since I was a child [I still have a ragged Barney Beagle] to books I purchased just this week. If you’re like me, your kindle is also burgeoning with books. I have over 5000 at last count.

My friends tell me to declutter and sometimes, I have rather reluctantly said goodbye to many of my books (sniff, sob, I still mourn them). After all, why hold onto the paper or hardback when I can simply download an ebook to my ereader?

The answer is simple. With 5000+ books in my kindle library, I’m constantly forgetting I have a book. How many of you have gone to a book page, hit “purchase” only to have Amazon tell you you already have the book? Thank goodness Amazon does this, but that doesn’t count the books I have on Nook and Google Play, not to mention borrowed from Scribd or Overdrive.

So the other day, I got to thinking, and maybe it’s a dangerous thing since I’m supposed to be decluttering so that when my husband retires we can move… Books that I have in paper form are like friends I see in person, my neighbors, my cousins, my relatives, and my old school friends who live within fifty miles of me. Books I have on kindle are like social media friends. And while I love my social media friends, they don’t occupy the mind space and physical space as people I get together for coffee, walks, and parties.

It’s the same with ebooks. Now, don’t kill me here. I love ebooks. I love the convenience, the ability to have thousands in my account and countless more available at any time or any place. But I don’t “bump” into them the way I do with my paperbacks. They don’t bring back memories, and I don’t pick them up and flip to a bookmark or a crease in the spine or discover a long-forgotten sticky note or bookmark, and they definitely don’t transport me back to when we first met.

Paper books, meanwhile, are like old friends. A couple weeks back, in the throes of decluttering, I kept putting a set of books into a box, then taking them back out and reshelving them, then trying to resolve to give them away. I made excuses for them. They’re yellowed and wrinkled, no one would want them, and I can’t bear to throw them in the garbage. But they’re taking up space! Logically, all these books exist as ebooks. I can simply do as Marie Kondo says: to discard them, knowing that if I ever wanted to read them again, I can buy the ebook or the audiobook.

BUT… here is the big question. Will I remember them?

This particular set of cozy mysteries was written by Carolyn Hart. While flipping through these yellowed paperbacks, I was transported back to my younger days, scouring bookstores to buy her latest Death on Demand mystery. I’ve quite forgotten Max and Annie throughout the years as my reading tastes diverged to romance and suspense thrillers. But because I could not throw away that set of books, I am now reliving the 1980’s by re-reading my Death on Demand stories. I’ve even downloaded the audiobook so I can have it read to me–the font on the old paperback being kind of small for my senior eyes. I’ve rediscovered that series and was so pleased to discover that it is STILL GOING after all these years.

It’s all because I had the paperbacks. A paperback from 30 years ago can remind you of an author you loved and lost touch with. A paperback is like a loyal friend sitting on the shelf winking at you when you walk by, and a paperback is something you can pass on to others. As an author, a paperback is a living reminder to your readers about you. Who knows? Twenty years from now, the reader you have now might rediscover you and be joyously surprised that your series is still going on. Or your paperback has been passed from friend to friend, making you new friends to the farthest corners of the earth.

Now that, is like having a friend for life!

p.s. I have the black covered collector’s hardbacks of the Agatha Christie mystery library [a subscription series] and I’m NOT parting with them. Besides, my daughter has tagged them all already. Agatha is a friend for life and beyond.

What do you think? Do you buy paperbacks of the books and authors you like? Do you keep every autographed paperback of your writer friends? [I do]. Or do you let them go to share and spread the joy?

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Fun Trip to Chinatown to do Research on a Chinese Paranormal Romance

 

I visited San Francisco’s Chinatown yesterday to spend some time with my sister who was in town for a study session. We had dim sum at the Hang Ah Dim Sum Tea House, the oldest continuously run dim sum house in the US, established in 1920. After eating a variety of tasty dishes, we decided to walk off the calories by going up and down the various streets and of course, taking pictures to get a feel for the neighborhood and enjoy the sights and sounds.

My first paranormal romance is a sweet romantic comedy set in San Francisco Chinatown. My heroine is an ordinary everyday woman who works as a greeter at a bank, and my hero is the Son of the Kitchen God, whose job is to fight kitchen fires, especially ones that start during cooking.

I got my idea from cooking in my wok and accidentally igniting it on fire when I let the oil get too hot. I didn’t take a picture because I was too busy pulling the wok off the gas range and stopping the fire myself. I didn’t have the help of a supernatural demigod who’d jump out of the wok and put out the fire by pushing the flames around with his hands until it turned into a tiny ball. His name is Johnny Wok, the cosmic firefighter, and hero of my story.

See that wok that is darker than the rest? It is seasoned, meaning there is a polymerized layer of oil that has been chemically bonded to the bare metal. A wok like that is basically nonstick without the use of too much oil, and it is a joy to cook in it. In my story, Sapphire Sing, the heroine is trying to find out her grandmother’s matchmaking skills and she believes it has something to do with a magic wok. While seasoning her grandmother’s wok, she starts a fire that attracts Johnny Wok.

Chinese mythology is so rich in gods, goddesses, magic, and symbolism, that there was literally too much to cram into my story. I had to be satisfied in sticking to only a few of the gods and goddesses, a few demons, and of course magical animals to make the story work. Ultimately, though, it is a romance and a love story, this time between an ordinary woman and a demi-god. It is a sweet romance with no steamy scenes other than hot food.

 

When ordinary you and the Son of the Kitchen God are all
that stand between a playboy apocalypse and innocent hearts yearning for love.
Sapphire Sing is in desperate need of her grandmother’s
matchmaking skills. She’s stuck on a not-so-merry-go-round of second-hand men
while wedding bells ring for her snooty stepsisters.
Sapphire sets out to discover her grandmother’s secrets but
runs afoul of Johnny Wok, the Kitchen God’s Son. When Sapphire’s friends steal
the magic wok, one reputed to cast love spells, she is hurled into an ancient
conflict between love and evil.
What’s a girl to do when a playboy demon and a seriously
hunky demigod both want your heart … and your wok?
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Why does visiting the location of a story help a writer when most of it won’t make it into the book? I took lots of pictures, saw a lot of sights, tasted food, bought dishes and bowls, and spoke to shop owners. Did a lot of research, but most likely only a few small details will make it into my story.
It is those details that give the reader the few that your story is authentic, and some of it cannot be found online. Examples are the barbed wire around freeway signs in LA, and the poems on the sidewalks in Berkeley.
There were a lot of details I saw while walking around Chinatown that someone who only did Google Maps would not have noticed. For example, in the Portsmouth Square, there were many groups of elderly people sitting around playing games. One would assume they were playing Chinese chess or maybe some kind of Chinese game with tiles and cards. But it turns out they all had decks of playing cards, the type with hearts, spades, clubs, and diamonds, and everyone gathered around were in rapt attention at the games going on. Since I’m no good at card games, I couldn’t tell what was being played, only that many, many people spent their day sitting in the square playing cards. Maybe I’ll mention this when Sapphire and Johnny visit Chinatown on their shopping trip. Maybe not. But my sister also noticed something carved on one of the foo dogs. “Made in Free China” and I noticed that one of the dogs had a ball under his foot and the other one had a little dog under her foot.
I hope I’m not boring you, but it is fascinating to find tiny details and learn things while doing research for a book. And I do hope you’ll also visit Chinatown someday, either in person or by reading Black Tied where Sapphire and Johnny not only visit Chinatown, but also Twin Peaks summit and the Inner Sunset District.
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Watch for Black Tied to come out in a boxed set with 5 other paranormal romances, as well as in paperback.

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Be sure to check out my Sweet Romances at my website: https://www.rachelleayala.net/sweet-romance and or sign up for my Sweet ONLY newsletter: http://smarturl.it/SweetRachelle and get two free sweet books. I’ll also have a new sweet series after my Hart Family is done, and will be announcing it later this summer.

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Rich Asian Lovers 6-Book Boxed Set: Spicy After Dark

Announcing Rachelle Ayala’s newest collection! Six (6) hot and spicy romances with an Asian flavor – all in one low-priced set ($0.99 introductory price).

Rich Asian Lovers are sweet by day and spicy by night. Savor six romances with an Asian touch by USA Today bestselling author, Rachelle Ayala. Get the exotic edge from culture to cuisine; taste the hot and naughty fun from Kyoto to K-town, Berkeley to Manila. Laugh and swoon with Asian feels and fun!

Roaring Hot!
Teo Alexiou is an arrogant playboy who gets what he wants. He meets his match in actress Amy Suzuki, a woman he hired to play his girlfriend. The fun starts when he falls for her, and suddenly, the billionaire bad boy is wishing she’d cut the act and show him her true heart.

Whole Latte Love
What’s business-minded Carina Chen to do when she finds herself rooming with a hot, delectable barista with a heart for the homeless?

Taming Romeo
Medical student Evie Sanchez is recovering from heartbreak when she runs into Romeo Garcia, the boy she ditched at the prom. Only now, he’s an actor determined to make her his costar. Are his hot moves and sexy lines real or revenge?

Claiming Carlos
Choco Sánchez has been friends forever with chef Carlos López until flashy food consultant Johnny Dee steps in to makeover both her and the restaurant. Carlos isn’t about to lose his best friend. He sets out to claim Choco’s heart by cooking hot, spicy, and steamy.

Played by Love
Korean-American soccer star Jaden Sloup dons nerd glasses to score an anime fangirl who won’t date jocks.

Playing the Rookie
Korean baseball pitcher Jay Pak Ahn has been burned one too many times by good girls. When he meets an American girl at spring training, he throws all caution to the wind in this fun and sexy romp.

With over 400,000 words, this super boxed set will have you laughing out loud one minute and licking your lips the next. Enjoy and aloha! Rachelle

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I always want to give you the best value for your dollar, and these stories are some of my best. So, please take advantage of the low introductory price and load up on 6 tasty stories today.

 DOWNLOAD NOW from Amazon.

LIMITED TIME ONLY.

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