Every
author knows the excitement of releasing a new book. This month, I did
something I’ve never done—I released a whole series. Three books! Three times
the excitement.
It’s
been a whirlwind. To be honest, I don’t know if I want to release three books
at once again because I got confused at times. When uploading one to Kobo, I
used the blurb from one of the other books. Thank God I noticed that. I may not
do it again, but I love having all three for sale at the same time.
For
years, I resisted writing series, although other authors told me readers love
series. I finally broke down and wrote two sequels to my romantic suspense, Logan’s Redemption. The three became The Redemption Series, with number four
on the way. These books were released years apart. Then I wrote another series
of fantasy romances called Snow Globe
Magic. The three books in this series were all released in about 18 months.
The
books in my series sell better than my standalones, so I’m converted now to
writing series.
My
new series is called Gambling on Love.
The books are set in Las Vegas, a city I know well. The heroines each work for
a casino-hotel I named the Augustus, a combination of Caesar’s, the Venetian,
and the Palazzo.
I
wrote the stories well before the recent Las Vegas shooting. After the
shooting, I worried about releasing books set there. These stories are my
tribute to the people and the city.
My
son lives in Las Vegas. He wasn’t at the concert, thank God, although he was
driving by while the shooting was happening. My husband and I go to Vegas at
least once a year to see our son. We don’t gamble. We rent a car and explore
the area. I consider Vegas my second home. A few years ago, my husband
suggested I write books set in Sin City. Duh! I never thought of that. Great
idea. I wrote two of the books, novellas, last year, and they were included in
anthologies. The first book in the series is a full-length novel I started last
year and finished this year (I had to put it aside to finish a novella for an
anthology I’d committed to).
Here’s
all you wanted to know about the books in the Gambling on Love series:
Wedded in Vegas (Book
1)
A reluctant bride
A hot Hollywood actor
What happens in Vegas...
Bartending in Las Vegas is the means to an end for Analisa Barbero. As soon as she finishes school she can get her dream job as a teacher. With her hard-working single mom temporarily disabled, money is tight and the hours are long. Who has time for dating? But when a sexy nerd asks her out, Analisa does what everyone else in Las Vegas does: she takes a chance and says yes.
A hot Hollywood actor
What happens in Vegas...
Bartending in Las Vegas is the means to an end for Analisa Barbero. As soon as she finishes school she can get her dream job as a teacher. With her hard-working single mom temporarily disabled, money is tight and the hours are long. Who has time for dating? But when a sexy nerd asks her out, Analisa does what everyone else in Las Vegas does: she takes a chance and says yes.
Some people come to Sin City to gamble. Some
come to start over. And some come to hide out. Cole Lassiter is Hollywood’s
hottest property. Fed up with phoniness and paparazzi parasites, he just wants
to be an ordinary nobody for a while. But when his deception causes a pretty
bartender to lose her job, he makes her the kind of offer that can only happen
in the city of make-believe: Marry him for one year in exchange for a house,
money, and all-expenses-paid tuition for school. If she agrees, maybe the
tabloids will finally give him a break.
Neither Analisa nor Cole thought love was in
the cards for them. But what happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas. Is
Analisa willing to gamble her future on a man who already deceived her once?
Everyone in Las Vegas knows one thing: You have to roll the dice if you want to
hit the jackpot. And love is worth the risk.
Wedded
in Vegas is on sale at the
special introductory price of $0.99 until October 31.
Love by Chance (Book 2)
An accident-prone woman
A hotshot radio star
What happens in Vegas...
In Sin City, a couple, unlucky in love, gamble on each other. Win or lose?
Holidays have never brought Las Vegas hotel concierge Laney Sikora anything but bad luck in the romance department. The worst was her fiancé dumping her on Valentine’s Day. Via text. She’s determined to spend New Year's Eve alone with no romantic entanglements. But when her hunky new neighbor locks himself out of his apartment, she can’t leave him standing in the hallway. What's a girl to do?
What happens in Vegas...
In Sin City, a couple, unlucky in love, gamble on each other. Win or lose?
Holidays have never brought Las Vegas hotel concierge Laney Sikora anything but bad luck in the romance department. The worst was her fiancé dumping her on Valentine’s Day. Via text. She’s determined to spend New Year's Eve alone with no romantic entanglements. But when her hunky new neighbor locks himself out of his apartment, she can’t leave him standing in the hallway. What's a girl to do?
Las Vegas is just a pit stop for Chicago native and radio personality Chance Carlisle while he waits for his agent to land him something bigger in L.A. But in the meantime, he keeps bumping into—literally—his adorable, but accident-prone, neighbor. Their private New Year’s Eve celebration leads to a plan: they’ll become the Bad Luck Partners, dating only on holidays and special events, avoiding holiday heartbreaks and matchmaking mamas.
But Fate might have something else in mind for the klutzy cutie and the hotshot talk show host. Can their temporary partnership become a forever deal?
Formerly published as Bad Luck Partners
A Very Vegas Christmas (Book 3)
An event planner in need of luck
A man with a secret
What happens in Vegas...
A Las Vegas event planner in need of luck meets a mysterious guy who might be her winning ticket. Will his secret split them apart?
Can things get any worse for Las Vegas event planner Amanda Moreau? Her boyfriend dumped her for a stripper; she’s arranging a Christmas wedding for a Bridezilla; and her mother is playing matchmaker from 2000 miles away. When she meets hunky and ever-so-sweet Erik, who’s in town for a conference, she begins to hope her luck is changing. But Erik has a secret that threatens to split them apart.
A man with a secret
What happens in Vegas...
A Las Vegas event planner in need of luck meets a mysterious guy who might be her winning ticket. Will his secret split them apart?
Can things get any worse for Las Vegas event planner Amanda Moreau? Her boyfriend dumped her for a stripper; she’s arranging a Christmas wedding for a Bridezilla; and her mother is playing matchmaker from 2000 miles away. When she meets hunky and ever-so-sweet Erik, who’s in town for a conference, she begins to hope her luck is changing. But Erik has a secret that threatens to split them apart.
I
hope you’ll take a chance and read these fun stories of the affirming power of
love. Check out my website, www.caramarsi.com for news about all my books.
Congrats! I love series and I love Vegas! My husband and I were married there many years ago and I'd love to go back again. People watching is the best and while we only stayed on the strip, I understand the rest of the area is amazing as well with the lake and mountains. Maybe someday!
ReplyDeleteBest Wishes!
Sounds like a good read. Best of luck in your series.
ReplyDeleteIt took me awhile to get into the series mode, but now I think that way all the time. :)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your latest release, Cara. Sounds wonderful!
Congratulations on releasing the series and not losing your mind! I can't imagine trying to do that. I love series because I always get so invested in the characters, I can't help but want to see them have their own stories:) Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteI just love writing short stories. So much faster for me. Not necessarily a series, but the setting is in the same town. I have written a very sexy paranormal series but will probably do nothing with it.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Melissa, Judy, Tina, Paris, and Vicki.
ReplyDeleteMelissa, there's a lot to see around Vegas that's off-Strip. You should go again.
Vicki, you should release that paranormal series.