My dear writing friend, Maya Rodale, and I started a little debate on Facebook inspired by one of her recent blog posts. We are comparing the hotness of our heroes-and how undressed they are throughout our books-every Friday. I felt this week’s contemporary guy was a tad too naked for Facebook. What can I say, in my contemporary romances, the clothes come off quickly! Check out Maya’s guy and let us know which you prefer! Leave a comment here or on Facebook🙂
September 17 RomFan Review
September 27 Bestselling Author Tawny Weber’s Blog
October 1 Riverina Romanctics
October 2 Romance Novel News
October 2 Blog Talk Radio– Nice Girls Reading Naughty Books,
Hosted By Bernadette Walsh, Call (347) 539-5579 at 9pm EST to ask a question!
October 3 RomCon Contemporary
October 4 Romance Bandits
October 5 As the Pages Turn
October 7 Satin Sheets Romance
October 8 Romance Reviews Today
Command Performance is a HJ Recommends titles! I love seeing that banner on the cover:)
Below is an excerpt from the Harlequin Junkie’s glowing review:
“I really liked Ms. Stone’s debut novel. Command Performance had just the right combination of romance, conflict and heat to keep my attention without any time-out for breaks. Yes, it is that good. The characters of Maggie and Hunter are well-developed, likeable and engaging. Ms. Stone was able to express their emotions, doubts and fears with palpable realism. The storyline flows effortlessly from beginning to end. I highly recommend this book.” – Harlequin Junkie, to read the full review click here.
One of the things I love about Harlequin novels is the Dear Reader letter in the front of the book. Whenever I pick up a new Harlequin, I flip to this page. With the release of COMMAND PERFORMANCE just around the corner, I thought I would offer a sneak peak at my first Dear Reader letter. Beginning on September 1st, COMMAND PERFORMANCE will be on-sale at Harlequin.com in print and ebook! Print books officially hit stores on September 17th. And the ebook will available wherever ebooks are sold, including Amazon, BN.com and BAM on October 1st. You can pre-order your copy today!
And now for the letter . . . .
Dear Reader,
I’m thrilled to be able to share my debut Harlequin Blaze novel with you! I’ve been a fan of Blaze’s supertalented authors for years and am honored to join their ranks with Command Performance.
Have you ever wanted to set aside all the things you should do and just do something for yourself? Meet Maggie, a woman whose life is defined by responsibility. But for one night she wants to set everything else aside and go after what she wants-a man who can make her fantasies come true. But what happens when Maggie discovers her one-night stand holds the key to her professional success?
U.S. Army Ranger Hunter Cross loves his job. And he’s the perfect man for Maggie’s one night of wild sex. he possesses a drool-worthy body and he excels at taking charge, especially in the bedroom. And as their relationship grows, Hunter becomes the one person in Maggie’s life who takes care of her for a change.
I loved writing about a woman discovering herself and her needs, some emotional and some sexual. I hope you enjoy Maggie’s journey too.
Happy Reading!
Sara Jane Stone
With less than a month until my debut novel releases in print, the reviews are starting to roll in! Here’s an excerpt from the Fresh Fiction review.
“This very hot and sexy book is a steaming read with an excellent story line. A beautiful woman who lacks trust and a soldier who is unable to promise the stability needed in her life because of his family obligations and his love of his risky job keeps them at odds. Sara Jane Stone has completely nailed her vision of what is going on in both of their minds and easily portrayed that to the reader. This author is extremely talented and kept my complete interest throughout the entire story. COMMAND PERFORMANCE is my first by Sara Jane Stone, but not the last!” – Fresh Fiction
To read the full review click here.
And Romanic Times Book Reviews gave COMMAN PERFORMANCE 4 stars! I’ve read RT magazine for years and to see my book listed was thrilling. I’ve included a brief excerpt below:)
“The man with no strings winds up tied up in knots over her (Maggie) and gives her everything she wants and more in this steamy tale with likable characters and well-paced development.” –RT Book Reviews
At the Romance Writer’s national conference in Atlanta, I went to a chat with the one and only Nora Roberts—me and oh, a couple hundred other readers and writers. I left inspired by Nora’s answers to the myriad of questions posed by the audience. But one answer in particular stood out.
Someone asked how Nora handled writing when her children were young. My ears perked up given that a) I write, and b) I have very young children. Her response? The blood and fire rule. When Nora Robert’s children were young, she used this rule to determine when a small child could interrupt her work.
I came home from Atlanta determined to implement this rule with the hopes that I could write a few pages while the kids were awake. The three-year-old is generally pretty easy. He wants to play trains. Unless his little sister bothers him, it is safe to say I can write a few paragraphs before I need to help rebuild a bridge or put a crane back together. But the 19-month-old? She will play with her toys for a minute, maybe two before deciding to climb the couch.
Thus, I spent most of last couple of weeks asking myself: what would Nora Roberts do? Where does standing on the top of the couch fall within the blood and fire rule? Nothing is burning. Yet. And she’s not bleeding. Yet. And what about balancing on one foot on top of her toy piano? At one point, I made the mistake of telling my daughter: “You’re not on fire.” She gave me a bright, devilish smile that said, “just you wait, mommy.”
I decided (without consulting the fabulous Nora Roberts of course, who is probably writing as I type this) that Nora would stop and remove the toddler from the top of the sofa and then she would go back to work. She would weather interruption, prevent blood from spilling and small children from lighting fires, but above all she would get her work done. Thank you Nora for your inspiration. Let’s hope I can do the same 🙂
I couldn’t wait to get my hands on print copies of my debut novel, COMMAND PERFORMANCE. Then the wonderful team at Harlequin sent me a whole box! I was so excited I decided to share. Three lucky winners will receive an autographed copy of COMMAND PERFORMANCE before it hits shelves on September 17th, 2013! Click here for your chance to win. Click here for your chance to win.
Not one of the luck three? COMMAND PERFORMANCE is currently available for pre-order on Amazon and B&N.com, in print and ebook.
Library Journal featured COMMAND PERFORMANCE in the First Look at New Books column, calling it ” a red-hot debut!” To read the full review click here.
For many romance writers (myself included), the road from aspiring writer to published author was a long one. I know I am in good company when I admit it took me a number of years and more than one completed manuscript before I finally received “the call.” How did I get from hopeful to contract-in-hand? Well, I won’t bore you with the hours/days/years I spent learning the craft. I’ll begin with when I started writing COMMAND PERFORMANCE.
In May 2011, I received a call from an agent who had read one of my manuscripts. She politely told me it was unlikely to sell, but that she liked my writing and would be interested in signing me. I said yes. She suggested I start working on a new manuscript. Before I broke out the bubbly (every step in a writing career should be celebrated), I confirmed what I’d suspected for a few days—my husband and I were expected our second child. When my husband came home, I shared my news: “I have an agent! Oh and we’re having another baby.”
A few days later, I pitched my idea for a Blaze novel featuring a hero from the U.S. Army Ranger team who rode horses through Afghanistan and a heroine looking for a one-night stand. My agent asked to see pages. A few weeks later (after morning sickness had firmly set in), I had the first fifty pages of COMMAND PERFORMANCE.
I think I will always remember my agent’s words after she read the partial. Standing in the lobby to the Marriott hotel in Times Square surrounded by hundred of other romance writers at the RWA National conference, I nearly jumped up and down when she said: “I don’t know if this is it, but you’re going to sell something.”
Later that day, with a new-found confidence, I went to my editor appointment with Brenda Chin, the senior editor at Harlequin Blaze. I can attest to the fact that the worst place to be when you’re suffering from all-day “morning” sickness is in a ballroom surrounded by other aspiring authors all trying to pitch their work in ten minutes or less to an agent/editor. It’s terrifying, but somehow I came away from the experience with a request to see pages and a much better idea of what Brenda was looking for in a Blaze submission.
A week later, my agent sent Brenda the partial. I spent the next few months writing and getting bigger and bigger. In late October, I received the request for the full along with notes for proposed changes. Writing fast and furiously, I sent the full off to my agent on December 12, 201l. That evening my daughter arrived seven weeks ahead of schedule.
Thankfully, it took Brenda many months to read my full. Right around the time my six-month-old daughter was finally starting to sleep instead of cry all night, Brenda called. She asked if I would be interested in submitting a revised version. I said yes!
About two months after I submitted the revised full (and about a year since the first draft was sent off), my agent called with the good news. Brenda wanted to buy my manuscript! It was the call every aspiring author waits for (at least I’m assuming that is what they are after) and I wish I could say we celebrated with champagne and chocolate. Instead my children, who were probably tired of listening to me say “I sold a book” all afternoon, came down with the stomach flu. And as soon as we recovered, I started work on the revisions 🙂
On a cold winter day, Sara Jane Stone received what many in the writing community refer to as “the call.” Sara Jane’s agent informed her that Brenda Chin at Harlequin Blaze wanted to buy her book!
To learn more about what happened when Sara Jane received “the call”, check out this blog post.
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