Get to know Author Valerie Ullmer today on @RomanceBooks4Us #RB4U @valerieullmer

Welcome to Romance Books 4 Us, a place for all romance and all genres. We’re very happy to have you here with us today. First, tell us a little bit about yourself…

Please tell us a little about yourself...I live in Denver, Colorado and have been a writer since 2010, but I self-published my first book in 2016.  I have a very supportive husband who allows me to stay at home and do what I love.  But when he’s not at home to spitball ideas with, I bounce ideas off of my black lab mix, Maddie, as she stares as me as though I’m stupid with eyebrow raises and deep sighs.  She doesn’t really help with my story ideas, but she makes me laugh.

What or who initially inspired you to become a writer?  Every book I’ve ever read inspired me.  I devoured books as soon as I truly started reading novels, around my senior year in high school, and I haven’t stopped.  Each novel, each word, has inspired me.

Do real life events find their way into your stories?  Not particularly.  I mainly put in phrases that I or someone I know might use, or a particular personality quirk that I like, but no true events have become part of my stories.

Do you find yourself going back to the same inspiration for each story or is it always something different?  It’s always something different.  There are so many people and events that influence my inspiration that they are never the same.

When do you write?  Early morning? During the day sometime or all day?  After the kids go to bed?  My husband and I don’t have kids, and since my husband works all day, I write when I feel like it during the day.  I have to say that I’m most productive early in the morning.  By afternoon, I’m flagging and my brain screeches to a halt.  I do love to read at night though, it helps me relax.

Is there any other genre that you would love to try writing?  If so, what is it?  I’m curious about writing mysteries, but I don’t think I would be able to plot such a twisty-turny story that would capture readers attentions, but you never know.  It could be in my future.  I never thought I would write gay romance, but I find that I’m loving it.

Do you have a special place you like to do your writing? Such as an office, a spare room, the dining room table, your couch?  I have to write at my desk in the living room with the TV off and music playing softly in the background.  If I move to my couch, I find myself surfing the net, which I get lost in and forget what I’m doing.  So the desk or nothing.

As a reader, what types of genres do you enjoy? And do you think they influence the genre/genres you write in?  I read mostly romance, but lately, I’ve only been reading M/M or gay romance.  I find that the situations are completely new for me and I love most of the ones I’ve read.

What is your favorite method of writing...as in laptop, desktop, iPad or the old-fashioned pencil and paper?  And do you plot out your story or go with the flow of your muse?  My favorite is with pen and paper.  I outline my entire story, plot points and everything, before I type it into Scrivener.  Since most of my story is fleshed out with my outline, it makes my story easier to write when I get to my computer.

Share your favorites:

Favorite color –It changes between blue and green, depending on my mood

Favorite dessert/snack –cupcakes

Favorite Season –Fall

Favorite sad song –Fix You by Coldplay

Favorite Romantic movie –When Harry Met Sally…

Favorite Actor –Robert Downey, Jr.

Favorite Actress –Jessica Chastain

Favorite way to relax –Reading

What is your ideal romantic vacation?  Exploring anywhere with history as long as my husband is with me.

Where can our readers find you

Email:  valerie@valerieullmer.com

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/valerieullmer

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/valerieullmer.author

Website/blog:  http://www.valerieullmer.com

Amazon author page:  https://www.amazon.com/Valerie-Ullmer/e/B01FSWMI9A

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15293708.Valerie_Ullmer

Bookbub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/valerie-ullmer

Is there an upcoming or current release you would like to share with us today and where can we find it?

My story, Fall for You, a New Adult M/M Romance, is featured in the All You Need is Love Romance Collection.

Ethan Sutton had come to the stunning revelation that he’d fallen in love with his best friend, Sebastian Young.  Although friends since childhood, Ethan vowed to keep his feelings for Sebastian under wraps and live the rest of his life with this one secret between them rather than risk a lifelong connection and never see him again.  But when they move into their own apartment at the start of their third year of college, can Ethan keep his feelings from showing when they live so close together?

Sebastian Young had an epiphany about Ethan at the end of last year and arranged for the shared apartment he’d found over the summer to be closer to Ethan and see if a relationship could develop between them.  But as they settle into their lives in a new place with such close quarters, ex-girlfriends, nosy downstairs neighbors, and Sebastian’s own doubts, their relationship could be in jeopardy before it even begins.


Can two best friends admit their feelings and fall in love?

Buy Links:   

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078PZR8HY

Kobo:  https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/all-you-need-is-love-27

iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/all-you-need-is-love/id1330261438?mt=11

B&N:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/all-you-need-is-love/id1330261438?mt=11

THANK YOU FOR THE CHARACTERS! BOX OF YUMMY DELIGHTS AHEAD!

Release Party! December 10

Just finished my new novella, Nashville SEAL, for our December boxed set, Holding Out For A Hero. Just so happens I've been writing short pieces for anthologies, and then publishing the print and audio versions while the anthology is out. These novellas get pregnant and birth bigger books several months later. Well, I've got 3 very pregnant series going on right now. Somehow, it is a perfect fit for me. I never get bored, and I can bedroom hop.

My contribution to Anthology

I love the variety of my characters. With a shorter book, you date them, sleep with them, and then can leave them (I'm such a fickle lover) quicker. My younger years were never like that: lots of drama and BIG DEALS, so I find this type of writing refreshing, enlivens my spirit and is just plain fun. I get to do something I never did in real life. I think that's why I love to write so much!

Nashville SEAL (novella) begins in a bar, with my hero, Jameson Daniels, crooning on stage to a crowd of mostly women, and loving every part of his life. From the quickies in the dressing room to the steady flow of "10s" that come knocking on his hotel room door, Jameson gets to play all night, and then literally play all night. He might get up and write some tunes, but his life is pretty perfect and the envy of many.

I used real Nashville performers as my basis for this book, which is FICTION, by the way. But part of writing I love the best is hearing the stories. I've always been fascinated with the whole rock star phenomenon but didn't think I could write one. I met an author at a signing this summer who said she wrote rock stars, and that the rock band was coming to her signing! I was impressed! And then when they showed up, they looked about 16 and skinny, and didn't fit the mold I expected.

Available now

But it doesn't take much imagination to create a fantasy hero as a muscled, handsome man of about 25 in a cowboy hat and boots (which is the closest thing I'll have to cowboys), tall, jeans he fills out nicely in, has a raspy, sexy singing voice and bright blue eyes. You throw in about 1000 females removing all manner of intimate garb and throwing it at the young singer, a bar owner who is in lust with his biker gal bouncer, an old crooner at 45 still looking for his first record deal, and a bunch of Navy SEALs, and we have a party!

I've learned a lot about the way the music business works. If we think we have it tough as writers, getting a big producer to buy your music or sign you to a label isn't as easy as they make it seem on Nashville. You have to be seen, which means you have to play. But if you play too much in bars and clubs, you are playing for whisky and not fans. The rejection is horrible, and the temptations everywhere, so if a person wasn't the strongest of character, they could be brought down by the whole scene before they had the strength to leave it behind.

My Jameson is a very good man, one that nearly every woman could imagine spending a wonderful evening with. He's like the Love Doctor. He can't help it if those handsome blue eyes make women forget their names. I wanted to write him such that women could walk away from a brief, intimate encounter with him, feeling cherished, have a smile on their face and a memory to last a lifetime. He was such a fun character to spend time with. I can't wait until I tell his longer story next year.

Sharon Hamilton is a NYT and USA/Today bestselling author most known for her SEAL Brotherhood series. She also writes a Golden Vampire and Guardian Angel series.

A lifelong organic gardener, Sharon lives with her husband in the Wine Country of Northern California, where most of her stories take place. When she’s not writing, she’s getting verra verra dirty in the mud, or wandering Farmer’s Markets looking for new Heirloom varieties of vegetables and flowers.

Sharon Hamilton

Life is one fool thing after another.

Love is two fool things after each other.

Author Page ** Sharon's Blog ** Sharon's Website ** Facebook**Twitter

Sharon’s Newsletter

Thanks for Anthologies!

Continuing with Gemma's post from yesterday, this fall has been anthology season for me as well! This Thanksgiving, I'll be grateful for the opportunities I was offered. Here are the three anthologies I hope you'll take a look at!

First, if you haven't taken a look at RB4U's incredible bundle, Entice Me, you're really missing out! I loved getting to revisit a favorite medieval story and revamp it for this anthology. Find it here, or at you favorite e-tailer.

 

Next up: Hopefully, Nov. 16: The very first anthology from the authors at HERE BE MAGIC! More details coming soon! I'm so excited to be part of this project with some of my own favorites authors! My story, Devil of Bourbon Street, is a fun paranormal romance with a dash of suspense. Or is it romantic suspense with a dash of paranormal? Either way, I hope you'll all be looking for this coming in the very near future!

Blurb: Here be eight wonderful stories of magic and the paranormal, brought to you by eight outstanding authors, headed by New York Times and USA Today best seller Rebecca York. You’ll thrill to high adventure, deep emotion, and that all important happy ever after. Travel from the eastern shore of Maryland through magic realms that will stir your imagination and your senses.  From sweet and sexy to high drama and heart-warming, the stories will leave you wanting more from these masters of the fantasy genre.

 

 

 

 Finally, I was priviliged to work with some fantastic authors on a really HOT anthology--not just the romance, but the stories themselves which all feature firefighters. 

 

Blurb: Firefighters. The word ignites bold images of heroes in dust covered helmets and ash stained turnouts who defy the odds and press on in the presence of danger.

Men and Women of Valor. A dedicated brotherhood of first responders whose honor, strength, and courage overcome obstacles to save lives.

Into The Flames. Eight NYT, USA Today, bestselling and award-winning authors offer romantic suspense, contemporary, historical, and paranormal tales of tough, iconic heroes who risk it all for their communities—but at the end of the day, seek the tender embrace of the one they love.

 

Check it out here or at your favorite e-book seller.

 Wishing everyone a warm and happy Thanksgiving!

 

Anthologies Galore!

We wish and dream of things we’d love to do. As an author, I long dreamed of participating in an anthology with other authors. The concept of everyone bringing something to the table in addition to their novellas, and pooling together to create a successful project, is very appealing. 

My story, Riviera Rendezvous, is in the first RB4U anthology, Entice Me: Luscious Love Stories, along with eight other delightful stories. 

Entice Me: Luscious Love Stories is available on Amazon at this link: 

http://amzn.com/B015YEHP9U

I had so much fun writing my story, a new series called Riviera Romances was born.

RIVIERA RENDEZVOUS

Amalie Pallas flees when she runs into danger on the cruise ship she calls home, but soon realizes she can’t afford to buy an airline ticket home from Italy.

Xandros Xenakis is more than the shipping agent everybody thinks he is—he owns the cruise ship and many more. He’s had his eyes on Amalie for months, so when she suddenly becomes a stranded damsel in distress, he is quick to offer her a solution.

Can Amalie be his pretend fiancée without losing her heart to him? After all, their contract is only for a weekend. What could possibly go wrong at a family event on the French Riviera?

~*~*~

This year marks my third story in the Exquisite Quills Winter Anthology, and the 2015 release will be a splendid project. Not only will it contain most of the stories from the earlier volumes, there will be new stories and a fine selection of scrumptious recipes. It will be available in paperback, too. Guess what my friends and family are getting for Christmas this year?

Here's a sneak peek of the stunning cover, but our Exquisite Magician-In-Chief, Rose Anderson, is likely to tweak it further before the release date.

My new short story, Midnight Sleigh Ride, features two characters from Riviera Rendezvous. Decades after they met, they are finally able to acknowledge their love for each other. Set in the exquisite ski resort Cortina d'Ampezzo in the Italian Alps, this short story reminds us that love, like fine wine, grows richer with age.

Exquisite Christmas should be available for pre-order around November 23^rd. You can stay tuned by visiting: http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/

~*~*~

Another worthy and wonderful anthology that just went live is We'd Rather Be Writing, a non-fiction collection of tips and recipes from no less than 88 authors. Lois Winston is the Magician-In-Chief, and she has arranged for a donation to No Kid Hungry from the sales. This book is also available in paperback, so guess what else my friends and family are being gifted this year?

If you are interested, you can check it out at this Amazon link. It is also available on other platforms.

http://amzn.com/1940795346

As November is the month of gratitude, I wish to thank my fellow authors and readers for all the sharing, support, and enjoyment that is always to be found in this community. The leaves are finally turning ruby and gold in my neck of the woods, and as the days grow shorter, a time of reflection is prompted within me. On a personal level, I'm most thankful for a long overdue reunion with my brother and his family this year. 

What are you most thankful for in 2015?

GEMMA JULIANA is a multi-published author who writes love stories of all kinds, from contemporary to paranormal. She has a penchant for romantic international settings, whether real and fictional. Gemma lives in a cozy cottage in Texas with her very own hero, teen son, and a dog who rules them all. Chocolate and coffee nourish her muse and fuel her creativity. She enjoys traveling for research and spending time with family and friends. Gemma loves hearing from readers and making new friends.

AUTHOR WEBSITE & BLOG:

www.gemmajuliana.com

http://www.gemmajuliana.com/blog/

www.twitter.com/gemma_juliana

www.facebook.com/gemma.juliana

https://www.pinterest.com/gemmajuliana/