I was tagged by the fabulous Beth Trissel, author of SOMEWHERE MY LOVE, and here I am answering a few questions.

What is the title of your book?
CHRISTMAS BABIES, very appropriate for the Christmas season.

Where did the idea come from for the book?The story takes place in Florida where I live. While living in northern states, I have often wondered how people celebrate Christmas on the beach. Now I know and I love it. Like my daughter, the heroine is a pediatrician and neonatologist. But what if this heroine who deals with tiny patients all day long can’t have children of her own?

What genre does your book fall under?
Contemporary romance, with some medical scenes, although most of the story takes place out of the hospital or on the beach at Christmas time.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I love Kate Hudson. She’s sassy and confident. She can handle the role of Dr. Madelyn Ramsay. I can picture Matthew McConaughey in the role of Dr. Nick Preston.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
The best synopsis was given by my friend Mary Ricksen:
Would that we all realize about love without needing a health scare to convince us.

Where (or when) can we get your book?

CHRISTMAS BABIES is available at Amazon for 99cents. It’s a bestseller with a rank #180 in kindle store and #41 in Contemporary romance. Link to order: http://tinyurl.com/burgd9j

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
My manuscript is 36,000 wc. I wrote it in four weeks while in a cruise in the Middle East and India. I was relaxed. The words flew off my fingers.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
This is my first Christmas story. I wrote several medical romances in the same genre. BABIESIN THE BARGAIN, NO MORE LIES, and RIGHT NAME,WRONG MAN.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? The story involves an interesting look at foster care and adoption. Believe me, I did some intense research about these subjects.

Blurb: A heartwarming holiday story set in South Florida.

Dedicated to her patients, the serious Dr. Madelyn Ramsay never had time for fun. An unexpected health problem jolts her into the realization that there’s more to life than just work. She longs to surrender to the magic of Christmas.

But can she handle the charming and secretive Dr. Nick Preston who carries his own package of disillusions? Can she allow two newborn twins to worm their way into her heart?

***The next stop on The next Big Thing (Monday the 31st) will be with the talented Celia Yeary, either at her blog: http://celiayeary.blogspot.com/

Christmas Babies

CHRISTMAS BABIES available in Kindle format at Amazon.

FREE TODAY AND TOMORROW.

http://tinyurl.com/burgd9j
A heartwarming holiday story, set in South Florida.


Dedicated to her patients, the serious Dr. Madelyn Ramsay never had time for fun. An unexpected health problem jolts her into the realization that there’s more to life than just work. She longs to surrender to the magic of Christmas.

What would be the best Christmas she could give herself?

A charming doctor to date, like the secretive Nick Preston, who hides his own package of disillusions?

Or a pair of adorable babies, like the newborn twins, Celia and Liana, who’d already wormed their way into her heart?

Treat No Trick

www.booktalk.com/Halloween

what to do:

1) Visit each author's website and collect the Witch's Brew ingredients. Enter the Witch's Brew Drawing (form below) and list each author's featured book (aka "ingredient"). All authors are contributing goodies for the Witch's Brew Basket! Contest ends on Halloween at midnight. Winner will be randomly selected from entries and winner will be notified on Thursday, November lst. Good Luck!!

Visit my Website: Witches Brew ingredient: Find the title of my newest book. http://www.monarisk.com

2) "LIKE" each authors FACEBOOK page to be eligible for "treat" from each author whose page you visit and "Like." Look for the Halloween contest tab to enter. Prize varies from author to author. All contests end on Halloween at midnight, October 31st. Winners will be notified via e-mail on Thursday, November 1st. Happy Halloween!

"Like" my Facebook Page:: "Like" my page between Oct. 28 - 31 to be eligible for a prize. Winner chosen randomly. Winner notified on November 1st by e-mail. http://www.facebook.com/MonaRisk?ref=tn_tnmn

All contests end at midngiht on Halloween, October 31st.

Neighbors and More is a romantic suspense, and the first book of the High Rise Series.

High Rises are like large families where members face love, hate, meddling, and gossiping. When the neighbor who was harassing her is found dead in the Jacuzzi, Alexa is a prime suspect.

Can she count on her dear neighbors,

including the delectable Italian, Dante, for help? With too many skeletons in their closets, would they save her or incriminate her?

First Day: Naples, Italy

Bay of Naples

Following a long tiring plane trip, we arrived in Rome, early morning and rode the bus for an hour and a half straight to the port of Civitavecchia where we boarded our ship. Needless to say I was so exhausted with a swollen ankle from a previous fall two days before the trip that I collapsed on the bed in our cabin and slept a few hours until dinner.



Volcano of Mt. Vesuvius


In the evening the ship sailed to Naples where we arrived the next day.


Castel del Ovo

We had a lovely day in Naples and took an open-top bus to visit this old city. 



The Cathedral




Downtown Naples

 Stay tune for pictures of Santorini, Greece, tomorrow.

Trick-or-Treat Free ParTay!

GOING FREE October 10-11

As part of the FREE Par-Tay

(Previously titled Sailing with You)
            When Greek billionaire Stefano decides to demolish the dilapidated villa inherited from his grandmother, the American co-owner refuses to sell his shares and sends his attorney—and pretty granddaughter—to contest the demolition. To check out the opposition before he faces her at the hearing, Stefano meets her incognito and convinces her to take a sunset ride on his yacht. Sparks fly and passion sizzles during a memorable night.
            In court, Ashley is in for a nasty surprise about her handsome Greek god and Stefano is about to lose the only woman who’s ever touched his heart. Will Stefano be able to convince Ashley he’s not the enemy anymore?

 

 

Trick-or-Treat Free ParTay!  For Two Days Only, Oct. 10^th – 11^th , "Her Greek Romance" will be FREE! If you like "Her Greek Romance" you might also like these other FREE books:

“Voodoo or Die,” A voodoo doll gift turns out to be anything but! By Stephanie Bond.

“Optical Delusions in Deadwood,” Packed full of humor, romance, sex, ghosts, suspense, and mystery! By Ann Charles.

“Light The Hidden Things,” A woman’s love saves a self-destructive PTSD veteran. By Don McQuinn.

“Stolen Secrets,” Danger threatens to tear them apart. By NancyRadke.

“Songs for Perri,” Danger wears a mask, nothing is as it seems. By NancyRadke.

To enter to win a Kindle and $25 worth of Amazon gift cards, simply visit FreePartay.com and sign up for our newsletter!

September Eleven (9-11)

Today is a day of remembrance and prayers. In my family, it is a day to give thanks to God for sparing my uncle and my cousin—his nephew.

On September 11, 2001, my cousin Alex, a twenty-five years old accountant was cursing himself for staying up late the night before, ignoring his alarm while still dozing, and missing his train from Long Island to Manhattan. His Mom had just arrived the night before and the whole family was celebrating her visit with a special dinner.

Alex took the next train and worried during the whole trip about what his boss would say. It was his first job after graduating with an MBA, a nice position as accountant in a firm on the 18th floor of the World Trade Center.

The train stopped for 20 minutes at the previous station and then zoomed without stopping for the next four stations. Alex and the passengers couldn’t understand why. They were told to evacuate the train and walk. While walking toward the World Trade Center, Alex saw the smoke and fumes darkening the sky. People were running in all directions. Someone told him about the attack. He tried to walk away, toward his home. From 9:30 am to 5 pm he roamed in the streets, not knowing how to find transportation and reach home. By 4 pm he finally found someone who agreed to let him use a cellular phone and he called home.

His mother had seen the attack on TV and collapsed thinking her son dead. The whole family gathered around her, supporting and comforting her with words of hope, as she screamed, prayed, cried for hours, until she heard my cousin’s voice on the phone.

That same day, my uncle, a VP in a contracting firm was meeting with important clients in the company’s office on the 80th floor of the World Trade Center. A man in his sixties, he often had health problems.

While driving at 8:30 on the Expressway, he felt sick and had to stop at a fast food restaurant to use the restroom. At 8:45 he called the office, talked to the administrative assistant and to the owner’s son and informed them that he would be fifteen minutes late for the meeting with the clients. A moment later, he raced on the highway. But at 9:15, his wife called him and said to make a U-turn. His office was no more. Later he learned that his boss’s son, a young man in his early thirties, ran down the 80 floors, but their administrative assistant and the old client waited for the elevator and never made it.

Today is a sad day for many. We will never forget 911.

At Story Finds

  http://storyfinds.com/section/author_spotlight
 

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT

Author Spotlight

Neighbors and More

High Risk Series

Mona Risk

High Rises are like large families where members face love, hate, meddling, and gossiping. When the neighbor who was harassing her is found dead in the Jacuzzi, Alexa is a prime suspect. Can she count on her dear neighbors, including the delectable Italian, Dante, for help? With too many skeletons in their own closets, would they save her or incriminate her?

Excerpt:

Alexa couldn’t tumble into bed with him and later regret her bout of lust for months. But she wanted a night in Dante’s arms. A night of love, not of lust. She’d had her share of lust-without-feelings with her ex.

A banging interrupted her. Dante spun toward the bedroom door. “What’s that?”

She stiffened. “Damn it.”

“Someone’s at your door.”

“I’ll get it and be right back.” She checked herself in the mirror and smoothed her hair. Another knock on the door grated on her nerves.

 “I bet it’s your ex.”

“Probably.” Her recent euphoria died as she remembered the turmoil brewing outside her little haven.

“You should tell him to stop barging in without an invitation.”

Why was Greg here, now? Couldn’t he ever let her enjoy a moment of happiness away from him? She wanted her moment. She wanted Dante. Why was she fighting her desire for the man of her dreams?

A quick look at him had her groaning. All male and handsome, he lusted for her and his scorching gaze promised to take her to heaven and back. “Well, hurry up. It’s not particularly exciting to imagine you with your ex.”

As if to confirm it, another knock pounded loudly. After closing her bedroom door, she rushed toward the living room.

“Coming,” she called between gritted teeth.

I hate you, Greg Partson.

****

Alexa skated to the front door and pulled it open while blocking the doorway.

“What took you so long?” The assessing gleam in Greg’s gray eyes turned suspicious as he peered above her shoulder and scanned the living room.

 

Struggling to control her rising temper, she stabbed him with a stern look. “Why are you here?”

 

“I came to see if you were okay.” His voice oozed with saccharine sweetness. “And tell you—”

 

 “I’m fine.” Damn it, she was fine a few minutes ago, but he’d spoiled her mood at the worst possible moment. She plastered on a perfunctory smile and held herself rooted to block the entrance, her hands gripping the door and its frame. “Get to the point.”

 

“I just came to tell you a detective will meet us at eight in the conference room.”

“I’ll be there.”

“He’ll interview the condo owners who saw the deceased recently.” Greg leaned forward and grabbed her shoulders. “Was Steve Bairey here last night or today?” His breath blasted with alcohol fumes. Alexa almost gagged. She tilted her chin, refusing to lie but hating Greg’s distrust.

Dante was in her bedroom getting impatient. Could she push Greg out? Physically push him out with her fists and all her strength? How had she been able to withstand five long years married to the autocratic sleaze ball? She hissed and tried to bang the door shut, but he blocked it with his foot.

“Alexa, answer me, damn it.” His bellow made her jump. “Did Steve come today?”

“Yes. Yes, he came two hours ago.” Who cares when Dante is here?

“Around two?” he specified after glancing at his watch. “And?”

“I threatened to report him for harassment. But he said he came to say goodbye.” She exhaled her exasperation. Greg focused a stern look on her.

“Did he stay long?” Disapproval underlined his tone.

“For heaven’s sake, why all these questions?” She tapped her foot, ready to kick it into Greg’s leg. Was he dense or what? He arched a suspicious eyebrow. Understanding dawned on her. “Oh my God, you thought I could have done something to ki... kill him? Is that why you’re bombarding me with questions?” Alexa rubbed her neck to soothe the lump in her throat.

“Well, I remembered you saying once you wanted to kill him for stalking you.”