MIchele Zurlo's First Reader's Conference!

About a year ago, I set a personal goal to attend a reader's conference. This summer, I met that goal by attending the Rust City Book Convention. RustCity17 was close to home, so it was perfect for my first convention. I had a banner and magnets made, I packed up my things, and set off for Troy, Michigan.

I didn't know what to expect, but a friend told me that this would be perfect for my first time because it was a small convention. It was tiny--and perfect. There were panels for readers and authors, where professionals discussed myriad topics, everything from the evolution of heroines to what kinds of books made great movies. I even read an excerpt from Treasure Me.

We had a meet-and-greet with a cocktail party theme. We served wine and played games. The next photo is me pouring wine with Marie Piper and blogger Tamara from Shelf Addiction.

I played a game where you were given a name (like Ryan Reynolds) and you had to name things about them (like movies, roles, etc.) until your partner guessed their name. I gave away magnets, pens, suckers, and chocolate. I'm a big believer in chocolate.

Waiting for the signing to begin

At the book signing, there weren't a ton of readers there, but I met a ton of great authors and made new friends. I ran out of Re/Bound, so my takeaway from this is to bring a lot more of the first book in a series.

I met Jessica Jarman, a fellow BDSM writer. I have 5 of her books on my TBR pile!

I met Jenny Trout/Abigail Barnette and Ava Stone!

Feeling REALLY short between talented and super nice Sara Dobie Bauer and Roselynn Cannes

I met many, many more people, and I want to thank Wayne Bibbs for taking photos because it never occurs to me to take a picture of anything that's not a waterfall.

Verdict: I loved attending a writer's conference! I'm planning to go to one in October sponsored by the Greater Detroit RWA (attending as a reader.) A friend of mine is planning one in 2019, so I'll definitely go to that (probably in Eastern PA.) If you have suggestions for me, leave them in the comments. I have a banner, and I'm not afraid to use it!

~Love, Michele Zurlo

Using My Notebook by Michele Zurlo

For the last month, I’ve been writing in a notebook. In the past, I’ve almost always defaulted to writing directly on my laptop. [Funny sidestory: I started writing because I won a laptop in a contest and it didn’t come with games. We didn’t have the internet at home in 2007 because I’m resistant to change, and so I started writing novels.]

My muse was flowing, but I my words rang hollow. I didn’t feel connected to my characters—characters I loved enough to launch a new series featuring them. One of my writer friends responded to a desperate FB post by recommending that I use a notebook. I’ve always had a writer’s notebook, but I used it for brainstorming, research, character descriptions, and plot notes. Once in a while, I would write out a page or two, but this was a sporadic effort, mostly due to lack of access to my laptop.

It’s well known to people who read research on the teaching of writing that our brains

function differently when we write on a computer versus a piece of paper. As one of those people, I shoved that knowledge to the back of my mind because it’s convenient to compose on a laptop. After all, I’m going to have to type it eventually, right? Why not skip right to that part?

I’ve realized a couple things this past month:

1.   Writing in a notebook is slower.

2.   Writing in a notebook is better.

I can type as fast as I think, but my writing is a tad bit slower—if I want to be able to read what I’ve written later. My handwriting gets worse the quicker I go. Being forced to slow down gives me time to really think about what I’m writing. It allows me time to connect with my characters and the words that create their story. The quality of my writing improves because I have more time to consider details, word choice, and phrasing. Each time I write, I go back a few paragraphs and make revisions. It’s somehow easier to find where I need a word or phrase to clarify and where I need to expand or deepen the level of detail.

Another thing writing in a notebook does is gets me through writer’s block. It takes me away from the distractions of the internet—the place where I look up an image of Mt. Rainier and find myself LOL-ing to the antics of a friend’s child on FB or getting bent out of shape because of an article that came up in my Twitter feed.

Maybe it won’t help me put out books faster—I may have to dial back my goal of putting out 3 this year to 2—but I’m hoping they’ll provide a satisfying reading experience.

Thanks for reading. Love, Michele

Michele Zurlo has a New Series!

Treasure Me (SAFE Security 1)--A New Series by Michele Zurlo

As I was writing Re/Leased (Doms of the FBI 5) I fell in love with David and Autumn, and though their romance was settled by the end, a lot of other things were left up in the air. By the time that story finished, I knew I wanted them to have their own series. So when David went back home to Kansas City, bringing Autumn and all her baggage with him, I decided to set SAFE Security in Missouri. This first book in the new series drops December 1st!

Blurb: Relocating to Kansas City with David and working for SAFE Security was everything Autumn thought she wanted…except that the job isn’t what she thought it would be, and her past seems to have a stranglehold on her emotions.

When Autumn takes a case without informing the rest of SAFE Security, she finds herself in hot water when secret victory blows up in her face. Her impulsive mistake almost costs their lives—and she soon finds herself jobless. Reeling from this failure and the way it’s damaged her relationships with David and the team, she vows to start fresh—with a new name and in a new city. Unfortunately a local crime boss has other ideas.

In the midst of a mission, David must rush back to try to stop Autumn from leaving—only to find that Autumn and her sister have disappeared. Can he find them in time to save them and his relationship with the woman he treasures?

In Treasure Me, Michele Zurlo delivers a sexy, action-packed adventure tale full of emotional twists and turns.

Warnings: Spanking, D/s, Dom who puts his foot in his mouth, bratty sub, fingerpainting

Word Count: 84,600

PG Excerpt/Autumn:

Dean greeted us at the top of the private staircase that connected the third and fourth floors. After our workout, I really wanted to take the elevator, but Frankie did not present that as an option, and I was afraid I’d lose any street cred I’d gained if I asked.

“Good workout?”

Frankie laughed. She had a husky, deep-throated laugh that always sounded genuine. “Not bad. I can still kick your ass later if you want.”

By sheer willpower, I made it up the last step. “She taught me how to get out from under someone who is sitting on my torso and choking me.”

Dean scratched his chin, and I saw a cut I hadn’t noticed before. “Did you know she’s trained in six different fighting disciplines? If she ever decides to become an MMA fighter, I’m betting on her.”

“I’d run the bets because the house always cleans up.” I grabbed his hand, halting the damage he was doing to his cut. “Let me put some antibiotic on that.”

Frankie rolled her eyes. “You should see the other guys.”

I didn’t know they’d been in a fight. I looked Frankie up and down, but I didn’t see a sign of injury. “What happened?”

“As our client feared, thieves attempted to steal the item while we were in transit. They were highly organized and skilled fighters. Six of them hit us while we were loading. Five of them are in the hospital.” With her trademark smile, she glided down the hall and disappeared around the corner.

I led Dean to his office where I knew he kept first-aid supplies. “What happened to the sixth person?”

“He gave up fighting after Frankie introduced his balls to his spine. I’ve never heard a human being make a sound that high in pitch.” He chuckled and sat on the guest chair facing the other side of his desk while I retrieved the first-aid kit from a shelf.

That’s when I noticed his new safe. It was beautiful, a plain, metallic gray strongbox that sat next to another safe. That one, which always sat out on his shelf, was a work of hand-crafted art. However, the new one caught my interest, and I breathed an exclamation. “Oh, Dean.”

“You’re sympathizing with the bad guys?” A note of incredulity crept into his voice, though he mostly sounded like he was teasing.

Though I’d grown up being one of the bad guys, I knew he didn’t honestly believe that I’d sympathize with his adversary. No, I was enthralled with his new safe. It was a Vault, a special edition safe from Vault and Security. They made between ten and fifty of a single design, each with a continuous weld and 6-gauge steel. I’d heard rumors that the locking bolts extended four inches into the frame, and that it contained a secondary set of locking bolts in the body of the safe that extended and twisted to form an even stronger bond. In order to get into that safe without knowing the combination, a thief would have to be a fucking awesome safe cracker, which I was, or they’d have to use an explosive to open it. A pry bar, ax, or sledgehammer wouldn’t work. The idea of getting into that thing made me wet. “I think I’m in love.”

 

Pre-Order/Buy Links

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2dGr16n

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1168495645

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1124986474

KOBO: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/treasure-me-6

Scary Things by Michele Zurlo

Halloween is my favorite holiday. As a child I loved it because: candy. That’s the long and short of it. I didn’t care about dressing up or being creative. In the 80’s, I didn’t mind dressing as someone from the 80’s and calling it a costume. When I went through my goth phase, I dressed as a goth. One year my friend and I dressed as witches to pass out candy. This was probably my most thoughtful costume. I bought a hat, but I wore my own clothes. Back then, I liked scary things. My friend and I watched every horror movie at our local Blockbuster video store. We started at A and worked our way through.

In honor of that tradition, I’ve compiled a top five list of my worst fears.

5. Insomnia: The days are getting shorter, and the nights are getting longer, but I’m not getting more sleep. I could use a nap on the hammock with rays of sun peeking through the leafy trees.

4. Clowns: This has nothing to do with the recent spate of sightings. If a clown jumped out at

me, I’d probably run them over with my car. Someone once got me a large Bozo stuffed toy with a plastic head. My mom thought storing it on top of my armoire was a good idea. I spent years cowering in my bed, staring at that thing until I fell asleep. I was too afraid—even during the day—to touch the thing. My mom used it to practice giving injections when she was going through nursing school. It rotted from the inside and the head fell off. Thank goodness, though I’m not sure a headless clown is less scary. Years later, Mom got Bozo’s autograph for me. I do not still have it.

3. Bug hoards: I’ve had nightmares where I wake myself up because I’m smashing an endless swarm of bugs.

2. People disliking a story into which I poured my heart and soul. I think all authors can relate to this. It’s not your skin that thickens with experience, but rather your heart that learns to heal faster.

 
1.   Anything bad happening to my kids.

Today Halloween is still my favorite holiday, but I love it for different reasons. Now it’s a night when I get to be amused by fake horrors instead of the real ones. As I write this, my daughter just came out wearing an evil jester costume.

Happy Halloween! Love, Michele

Win with the Authors of @RomanceBooks4Us #Giveaway #RB4U #Swag

Have you picked up your copy of Roping the Cowboy yet? 

Would you like to win some exclusive Roping the Cowboy swag? 

Leave a comment below, along with your email address and a winner will be drawn this Wednesday! 

FOLLOW YOUR COWBOY HEART by Janice Seagraves   

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Chili Peppers Rating: 1

Max struggles daily to hide his psychic gift with animals. Being a hired hand at a local dairy probably wasn't his best idea, but his mom needs the money he brings in. And there's the dairy owner's sexy daughter he can't stop thinking about. Will he ever have anything other than himself to offer her?

EXCERPT LINK

COWBOYS ONLY by Nicole Morgan   

Genre: Contemporary romance

Chili Peppers Rating: 2

Terry Reynolds runs his family’s cattle ranch in Antonito, Colorado. Born and raised on the

one-hundred-plus acre property, it’s the only life he knows. Much to his match-making

mother’s dismay, it’s the only thing in his life he truly cares for.

Andie Donahue has just moved to Antonito after inheriting a small two-bedroom cabin from

her late aunt. She wants a new start and decides this is her chance. After discovering a

dating site has matched her to a handsome cowboy in the same town, she wastes no time

sending the hunk a message.

Terry has no clue why some strange woman has shown up at his ranch, or what the heck

she’s talking about. After running the adorable brunette off, he finds out the truth. Now he’s

faced with making amends for his mother’s meddling. But did he just blow the best chance

he had for love right out of the water? And worse…what does he do now?

EXCERPT LINK

LiGHTNING STRIKES TWICE by Rose Anderson writing as Madeline Archer 

Genre: Paranormal

Chili Peppers Rating: 1

In 1919, with soldiers off to war in Europe and influenza taking the heartiest in the homeland,

a small ranch in New Mexico hangs on the edge of foreclosure. After the granddaughter of a

Yaqui medicine man prays to the ancestors for guidance, a stranger arrives seeking work

and he's is unlike any vaquero they've ever known. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers:

for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

EXCERPT LINK

THE SHADOWS IN OUR PAST by Denyse Bridger   

Genre: Historical Western

Chili Peppers Rating: 3

Enroute home to Gold Ridge, Colorado after their honeymoon, David and Hannah Logan are

attacked by a pair of bandits who plunge them back into a past they shared, but never truly

came to terms with together... It’s been almost a year since the nightmare of violence and

assault tore Hannah from David’s side and left him bereft and angry. When she returned to

him, determined to rebuild what they’d lost, the light of love had come with her. Now, a new

torment threatens to destroy everything, and Hannah’s biggest enemy might just be David

himself…

EXCERPT LINK

LOVE, TEXAS STYLE by Gemma Juliana  

Genre: Contemporary

Chili Peppers Rating: 1

Amy Waterstone must return to the family ranch in Glen Creek, Texas because her father had

a serious accident. Then she learns her father compromised the ranch by taking a loan he

can’t repay from Chase Storm, the cowboy next door. He’s the one man she never wants to

see again. Chase has waited seven years for Amy to come home, and for a chance to

redeem himself in her eyes. They’re both older, but are they any wiser?

EXCERPT LINK

BEAR COUNTRY by Michele  Zurlo  

Genre: Paranormal/shifter  

Chili Peppers Rating: 1

Tasked with scattering the ashes of her beloved aunt at the source of the Big Bear River

high in the mountains, Mallory must swallow her pride and ask Gavin, a laconic, sexy ranch

hand, to guide her.

EXCERPT LINK

PLEASURING PANDORA by Tina Donahue   

Genre: Erotic Contemporary

Chili Peppers Rating: 4

This luscious cowboy's been on her radar for years, but he's never noticed her. A speeding

ticket changes everything, leading to a sultry weekend and no-holds-barred romance -

Texas style.

EXCERPT LINK

WHISKEY'S SWEET REVENGE by Krista Ames   

Genre: Western Contemporary Romance

Chili Peppers Rating: 1

Dr. Miranda Chase didn't want to be home but she'd do just about anything for her dad

including temporarily taking over his veterinarian practice. However, once she met her dad's

client Garrett, she wanted to drop everything and run. Cocky cowboys just weren't her thing.

Garrett Jackson cares more about his horse than himself or anyone else and when a tiny bit

of a thing calling herself a vet blows into his life like a tornado, he's literally knocked for a

loop. He doesn't have time for women.

But, when Garrett's horse turns up missing, Miranda isn't going anywhere. Forced to work

together, they'll learn a little bit about each other or die trying.

EXCERPT LINK

THE COWBOY, HIS COUNTESS, AND HER COMPANION by Suz deMello  

Genre:  Historial (Victorian England)

Chili Peppers Rating: 3

(England, 1870) The Honorable Amelia Haddon must marry, or lose the income that supports

her and her "companion."  Averse to men, she is desperate until an American cowboy

proves to be her unlikely rescuer. But will judgmental society drag this happy trio apart?

EXCERPT LINK

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Roping-Cowboy-Romance-Janice-Seagraves-ebook/dp/B01M0V7X71/

B & N http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/roping-the-cowboy-janice-seagraves/1124825022?ean=2940156959105

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GoogleBooks https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Roping_the_Cowboy?id=8QQ_DQAAQBAJ

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