For those of you who have been kind enough to friend and follow me on Goodreads, I just wanted to give you a heads up that I will be stepping away from Goodreads for a while. Even though I believe GR is a great place for readers to connect and share their love (or hatred) of the books they are reading, I find that as an author, GR has become a place that only feeds the insecurities that are an inherent part of being a writer, especially one such as myself who is still in the early stages of her career.
I am a big believer in people being able to share their thoughts, positive or negative, regarding the books that do or don't move them but I think there are a few people who sometimes forget that there is a real person on the other end of the review - someone who has put a little piece of themselves into each and every character they breathe life into. But the real problem lies with me because I am the one who is allowing these few voices to overpower all the positive ones. So for me, this is the step I need to take to make sure those voices don't take away something that has become very dear to me. I am sure there will be many who will say that if I can't take criticism, I shouldn't be in this business. Maybe that's true...maybe not. I suppose time will tell. But until then, I want to keep sharing my love of romance with you guys. So while I try to grow that thicker skin that is needed to survive in this business where criticism and vitriol tread a fine line, I need to keep myself in a place where I focus only on the story I want to write and not how it will be received or, worse yet, scored by a rating system that is entirely subjective. Thank you so much to those friends who have been so supportive in their reviews (even when you didn't care for one of my books) and feedback. I am hoping you will consider following me on other sites like Facebook or Twitter where I will provide information about upcoming books and release dates. You can also subscribe directly to my blog via my website, www.sloanekennedy.com. And as always, you can email me directly at Sloane@sloanekennedy.com. As always, happy reading! Sloane
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If anyone is interested in signing up to receive an ARC of Finding Peace, please use the following link to sign up. Note that I only have a limited number of copies available in exchange for an honest review being posted on Amazon upon the book's release. I am expecting to release the book sometime in January 2016.
Wow, I am really on top of things - the cover for Finding Peace is done! Now if I could write the book just as easily!
So after taking a little bit of a break for the holiday, I am finally back to work on book 3 in my Finding series (Gray and Luke's story). I went ahead and got the blurb done and wanted to share. I am hoping to release this book, Finding Peace, in January sometime...
Author Gray Hawthorne has it all and he’s on the verge of having even more. His bestselling detective novels are being turned into a movie series that will make him a household name and he’s rubbing a lot more than just elbows with Hollywood’s elite. Money, fame and good looks mean an endless supply of men, both groupies and celebrities alike, which suits Gray just fine. He’s smart enough to know that his 5 minutes in the spotlight will be just that and he plans to enjoy every moment. Until he gets the devastating news that threatens to steal everything away… Army Ranger Luke Monroe lives and breathes the military. They’re the family he never had and a life without his brothers-in-arms is unfathomable. But the ultimate betrayal has Luke on the run and a twist of fate leads him to the small town of Dare, Montana to seek help from the foster brother who saved him once before. Only the brother he’s searching for isn’t the man he finds and he has no choice but to keep running. Until an encounter on the side of the road with a stranger changes everything. The last thing Gray wants when he seeks refuge at his cabin in the secluded Montana mountains is company but a run-in with the mysterious and very straight Luke has Gray offering the damaged soldier a place to regroup. And since a physical relationship isn’t even on the table, Gray finds himself enjoying something he hasn’t had in a long time…a real friend. But what happens when friendship just isn’t enough? When a man who’s only been with women begins to crave more? With one man running from his past and the other running from his future, will finding each other be enough to bring them peace? Hi everyone, I've got a new Facebook group! A wonderful reader (thank you Chloe) set it up for me and came up with the great name, Sloane Kennedy's Soulful Sinners. Be sure and join if you want sneak peaks of upcoming books, opportunities to sign up for ARCs and more!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/982204491818765/ My friend AE (Ali) Ryecart's new book, Loose Connection (Book 1, Urban Love Series) is live! Check out my interview with Ali below... Falling in love was easy, making it work is the hard part… There has never been a time when Rick Taylor hasn’t been out and proud. With his Kylie ringtone and rainbow coloured clothes he’s poster boy gay with a capital G, and determined to live by the mantra bright and loud, stand out in a crowd. When he accidentally outed himself, Matt Connell’s life went into freefall. Estranged from his family and carrying a ton weight of emotional baggage, Matt strives to forge a new life for himself as he comes to terms with the man he truly is. It may be lust at first sight, but Rick and Matt know they crave more from each other than just a one night stand as they tumble, head first, into an all-consuming and passionate love affair. A star-crossed couple, a charismatic city and an irresistible supporting cast, Loose Connection is the first in the Urban Love contemporary gay romance series. The Interview Tell us something about yourself that only you, your nearest and dearest and now the rest of the world knows:
Ha! Too many things to tell… I have to think carefully, as I don’t want to get arrested or blacklisted… Ah, I know. A few years ago I was on a skiing holiday in Switzerland. I was with a friend on top of a mountain but wishing I was on a beach. We were concentrating so hard on trying to get to the bottom without breaking our necks that we took a wrong turn and went off-piste – and found ourselves on a part of the mountain that had been closed due to bad conditions. The piste was churned up and icy and we were on the mountain for so long that the light was starting to fade. It was terrifying. We got down, but it took us hours. We were black and blue from the many falls. And very embarrassed. I’ve not been skiing since. Why have you chosen to set your books in London? I was born and grew up in London and I know parts of the city very well. I now live just outside but I frequently go back, and I always feel a rush of excitement when I do. London is endlessly fascinating. I love that the old and new are cheek by jowl, every area has its own unique character and there’s always something – usually odd and quirky – to discover about the city. Having London as the backdrop to my stories was the obvious choice. The characters in your first book, Imperfect, spent a lot of time in pubs and cafes. Is it fair to say that food and drink are important to you? Yeah! I love everything there is to love about good food and wine. For me, they are as important as the air we breathe – and a whole lot tastier. The boys in Loose Connection have carried on the tradition, as they are constantly tucking into pastries, biscuits (cookies for my US friends!) and cake. The cover art for Loose Connection is very striking. How did you decide on the design? I wanted something very modern and punchy. My books are contemporary stories, so the cover art needed to reflect that. Loose Connection is the first in a series called Urban Love and as all the action takes place in London I wanted to include a visual of the city which will link all the books in the series. The main characters in Loose Connection, Rick and Matt, are so different to each other. Did that make them fun to write? Definitely. Rick is out and proud and lives his a life according to the mantra bright and loud, stand out in a crowd. Matt is his polar opposite as he carries a ton weight of emotional baggage due to his upbringing and… well, I won’t say what else because that would be a spoiler! The fact that they are so different forms the central tension in the book. What’s coming next? More in the Urban Love series, which will hit the electronic book shelves in early 2016. Three key support characters in Loose Connection are Archie and Zack, who are a couple, and Jake. I think I’m going to write Archie and Zack’s story first – they’ve got some tough times ahead of them… The final book in my Barretti Security series, Freeing Zane, is now available on Amazon! Enjoy! Zane doesn’t do relationships and Connor is definitely the kind of guy who does… Criminal defense attorney Zane Devereaux is on the verge of having everything he’s worked his entire life for. He’s on track to become his firm’s youngest managing partner and he has enough money in the bank to ensure he’ll never have to be at the mercy of anyone ever again. He’s left his past exactly where it belongs and refuses to look back. And he sure as hell isn’t going to risk a repeat of his former mistakes by letting someone as sweet, sexy and endearingly vulnerable as Connor Talbot into his life. His bed maybe, but not his life. Connor Talbot has no regrets about serving his country, even if it did cost him more then he’d imagined. Two years after an IED took his leg and left him with permanent brain damage, Connor is still struggling to put his life back together, but he’s managed to find a makeshift family in Seattle that helps ease the pain of losing his own at a young age. Unfortunately, a string of bad relationships and an abusive ex have taken their toll on Connor and he’s given up on finding the lifelong partner he’d always envisioned he’d have. But a chance encounter with a man he has absolutely nothing in common with except for an intense, white-hot chemistry has him thinking that maybe a no strings, physical relationship is exactly what’s called for. What begins as two men meeting each other’s needs between the sheets turns into something neither one was prepared for but the wounds of the past run deep and both men will have to decide if a future together will cost them too much or if what they could have together is worth fighting for. The cover for Freeing Zane is done and it is gorgeous! Still shooting to release the book later this month!
Hi everyone, my good friend AE (Ali) Ryecart has a new book coming out later this month and she’s agreed to stop by my blog to talk about herself and her book, Loose Connection, which is Book 1 in her new Urban Love series.
I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Ali as she and I work through the trials and tribulations of being independent authors. Make sure to check out her first book, Imperfect, which is available now! Subscribe to my blog feed to get all the latest including the blurb and cover reveal for Loose Connection and of course, the interview!! I'm at about the halfway mark for Freeing Zane so I thought I would share an excerpt of one of the many scenes I had a lot of fun writing (subject to editing)...
A trickle of hesitation went through Zane as it occurred to him how truly young Connor looked. Instead of asking Connor his age, Zane held out his hand for the paper that Connor had crumpled between his fingers. It took Connor a moment to catch up and then he was handing it over. Zane’s relief was palpable as he scanned the page and found Connor’s age. 29 – old enough. He wasn’t surprised to see that Connor was clean and he quickly placed the document on the table and pulled out his own test results and passed them to Connor. He didn’t miss the slight tremor of Connor’s fingers as they gripped each side of the paper and he watched Connor’s eyes shift up as he nodded his head before handing the paper back. “I brought condoms,” Connor suddenly blurted out as his hands began rifling through the front pocket of his hoodie. “I didn’t know if you were going to or if I was supposed to,” Connor mumbled as he continued searching. “I got different sizes since I wasn’t sure how big you were…I mean, I kind of have an idea because of the other night. You seemed pretty big so I got large and extra-large. I don’t know if they make a jumbo size but I’m really hoping you aren’t that big because I’m not sure I could handle that.” Zane was caught off guard by the smile that threatened to overtake him as he watched Connor pull out a pack of tissues, what looked to be some type of wet wipe, the motel room key, another set of keys, his cell phone and then finally a plastic baggie. But Connor’s eyes went wide as he glanced at the bag in his hand. “Shit, sorry,” he said in a horrified tone. “Mrs. Finney’s fudge…she usually gives it to me in a plastic container but she didn’t have any clean ones and I was in a hurry to catch the bus so I told her a plastic bag would be fine but she didn’t have any left so I gave her the one I had the condoms in-” Connor’s words dropped off suddenly as he dropped the bag on the table and began frantically searching his pocket once more. Then he was looking through all his pockets. His mouth opened into a wide O. “Oh God, I left them there. I went into her bathroom to take them out of the bag and I put them on the counter for a second…” Zane did finally smile but Connor didn’t seem to notice as he snapped his mouth closed and then dropped down to sit on the bed. It wasn’t until he saw Connor’s hands sift through his hair that he realized the other man wasn’t amused by the situation. “I knew I’d fuck this up,” Connor whispered. “I thought I could be that guy…” “What guy?” Zane couldn’t stop himself from asking. Connor had yet to look at him. “That guy from the garage. The one who could pretend he knew what the hell he was doing.” Zane stood and moved to the bed. He forced his hands to remain at his sides even though what he really wanted to do was to reach out to Connor and make him release the death grip he had on his own hair. So he settled for pressing one of his legs between Connor’s to urge them open and the second they did, Zane stepped between them. That got Connor’s attention and he finally looked up. “Is the guy who couldn’t wait to get his mouth on me still here?” he asked. |
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