Beth and I had a chat about her fabulous book...“Molly’s Affaire de Coeur” 
 
 Hi Beth, thanks for dropping in. What book are you going to tell us about today?  
Molly’s Affaire de Coeur…it’s a menage story that takes place in France. It had been previously published under a different title, but I took back the rights to make it better. I’ve grown as a writer, so I was glad to have the chance to rework some of the parts.
 
How'd you/your muse come up with this story?  
I lived in Paris for 4 months and explored the city every day. It was the adventure of a lifetime. I used all that experience to write Molly’s AdC. That’s why, in some scenes, it’s a lot of detailed exposition.  
 
How much real life do you put into or influences in this book? A lot. Even down to the guy in the shower that Molly watches. When I moved into my apartment in Paris, the living room window looked down into my downstairs neighbour’s bathroom. I accidentally witnessed him showering one night, and that sparked an idea which eventually led to this story.
 
If someone hasn't read any of your work, what book would you recommend they start with and why?  
I would say it depends on the genre you wish to read, because I’ve got a foot in a lot of them. Some of my favourites are Dreamland, When Lightening Strikes, Invincible…this one. Really, everyone should check out my bookography (I just made that word up). (I love it and have made a note—Raven)
 
Name one thing readers would be surprised to know about you. I used to work for a film and tv editing company, who used to do the nomination packages for the Emmy’s and Oscars. I was able to attend the Emmy’s one year, wearing a beautiful dress and walking the red carpet. I got to see a lot of stars, including Jack Lemmon before he died. It was a fun time in my life, going to a few “Hollywood” parties and meeting celebrities. I’m glad I had the experience.
 
BLURB:
Everyone in her hometown knows that Molly Evain is shy.  As a librarian she relates to books better than to humans.  Quiet, reserved, demur...all words people use to describe her, including her boyfriend.  But when he pops the big question, Molly realizes she doesn't want to be those adjectives anymore.  What she doesn't know is if she's able to change since she suffers from panic attacks and agoraphobia.  In order to give herself time before answering, she decides to take an impromptu vacation to Paris.
 
A chance encounter puts her in the path of not one, but two, handsome men.  Regan Rookery is a hockey heartthrob, on vacation to find relaxation and anonymity in Europe.  Shane Gordon is the man she is having a voyeuristic romance with through her hotel window.  When she realizes both men are best friends and she’s whisked to the French countryside, Regan and Shane come to terms that they are both falling for the same girl.
 
But their lives are disrupted by the media attention of their relationship and Molly doesn’t know if she’s strong enough to handle the attention and publicity.  Does she run away, knowing that if she does, she could lose both men she’s come to love?
 
MY SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
 
I began reading my mom’s Harlequin Presents in the fifth grade, and from the first story I knew I wanted to write romance novels. I like writing about the very ordinary girl thrust into extraordinary circumstances, so my heroines will probably never be lawyers, doctors or corporate highrollers.  I try to write characters who aren't cookie cutters and push myself to write complicated situations that I have no idea how to resolve, forcing me to think outside the box.  I love writing characters who are real, complex and full of flaws, heroes and heroines who find redemption through love. You can find me on the web at:
www.writtenbutterfly.com
https://twitter.com/BethDCarter
https://www.facebook.com/bethdcarterauthor
https://www.instagram.com/bethdcarter/
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/beth-d-carter
Amazon author page:  http://www.amazon.com/BethD.Carter/e/B00EOTD1T0/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1385417145&sr=8-1

Running on Empty

Teaser Excerpt:
He didn’t bother to hide his displeasure this time, not even minimally. “Don’t go behind my back again. I don’t disrespect contracts. If you and I turned out to be incompatible, it wouldn’t have reflected on our preliminary payout figure.”
Inclining her head, she agreed. “I won’t. I apologize. I forgot my place.”
She ignored his comment about contracts because he was a despicable man even to remind her. The traitorous tinges of arousal hadn’t totally faded before his ire, and she found that far more disconcerting. His hard strength called to her, even as she was wary of it.
“Don’t forget it again. You won’t like the consequences. And no, you won’t be fired. I have other ways of dealing with disloyal employees.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to inquire if he was required to deal with large numbers of them. “I won’t forget, Mr. Redding.”
“Justin or JR.”
“No. You’re my boss.”
“And more, Alanna.” His tone was reasonable if the flaring in his eyes wasn’t.
Feeling her face flush, she lifted her head and stared him down. “Having sex with you doesn’t change facts, Mr. Redding.”
“Let’s get things out in the open, sweetheart. You appear to be carrying a huge chip on your shoulder. You agreed verbally. And you read the contract and agreed to it. You wanted this.”
“I know better than to waste my energy in a futile battle.”
JR barked a huff of laughter. “You could have refused and quit. Found a position elsewhere. One you wouldn’t have found so distasteful.”
“Not an option.”
“Explain.”
Oh, no. She wasn’t going there. “I don’t have to explain myself, Mr. Redding. I agreed to be your PA, and all that entails from your … perspective, for the next six months or until my father is recovered enough to take over. We’ll ensure the viability of the company. What else matters?”
“I don’t force women.”
That bold statement made her head swim. The man was indeed a piece of work. A gorgeous, hot piece of work who appeared to believe that having his personal assistants sign a contract giving him not only their job skills but total access to their bodies with a nondisclosure agreement attached wasn’t forcing women.
But then, the other women before her hadn’t likely felt forced, and he was simply protecting himself from a lawsuit. With a hitch in her chest, she again wondered how many of them moved on or were moved on with their hearts broken. Not that there was any worry for her in that regard. She might be drawn to him physically, but she didn’t like him—or trust him.
“I signed the contract. You won’t be forcing me,” she repeated, suddenly struck with the fear he’d release her and pack it in himself. And the company would fail without his guidance, and her sister would suffer and--
“Jesus, Alanna! What is it with you? Do you have some kind of condition going on that you blank out?”
“What?” She pulled herself out of the anxious spiral. She had to convince him! “No, I’m fine. And you won’t have to force me. I want to do this. I do. I … I’ve found you attractive from the beginning as you probably noticed, and, well, I decided to quit fighting it.”
“Ah… Good. Well, one last thing. If I do anything to you or ask you to do something you absolutely cannot abide, you’re to say the word breakpoint.”
He was talking about a safeword. Holy shit. Oh, God. She tried to breathe evenly but knew the rapid rise and fall of her chest was giving her away.
“Tell me what you’re thinking.” He was obviously brooking no argument and never had he looked so arrogant and determined.
“The contract said submissive. I stroked it out, and you initialed it. I’m not interested in BDSM.”
“And we aren’t entering into such a formal relationship, I assure you. But I am demanding sexually, and I sense something in you that has me believing you’ll meet my needs.” He smiled again, and her belly lurched. “I’m only ensuring you won’t be pushed too far.”
She hardly knew this man. They’d struck sparks each and every time they’d met, and she hadn’t cared to get to know him better, especially when he was taking over and making her uncertain about the future.
And when she’d said she didn’t like him, it was true. He was difficult to like because he embodied every male quality she’d decided to dislike and avoid.
She wanted a kind, gentle man, one who respected her wishes and treated her sweetly. She hadn’t found that fictional individual, and it wasn’t likely she would, considering the cutthroat nature of the business she worked in and its demands on her time, let alone her commitment to Lonnie.
But that didn’t mean she ever wanted to like Justin Redding. So the compatibility he thought he’d picked up on was chemistry, something she’d already acknowledged.
“Suffice it to say I’ll hold up my end of the bargain. You won’t have to force me.”
“I didn’t mean to imply I’d have to force your body, Alanna. I have considerable confidence in my sexual expertise. But I won’t force you to submit to me. You’ll come to that on your own.”
Fat chance. “When would you like to get started? I’ll fetch my laptop.”
“No need. We’ll be brainstorming for now. And we’ll start immediately. Strip.”
Her movement to rise from her chair was arrested. Her brain turned the command over in her head. She cautiously looked his way.
He stared back, waiting, not moving a muscle. She had agreed to this, had willingly consented to his demands. She’d made her choice, no matter how she might want to make it his fault.
“Did you ask me to strip?” She thought she might ask, just in case…
“I told you.”
 
Buy Links:
https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/running-on-empty-50
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/running-on-empty-allyson-young/1139337569?ean=2940164884482
https://www.bookstrand.com/book/running-on-empty-mf
https://www.amazon.com//dp/B09354KCNM
https://www.evernightpublishing.com/running-on-empty-by-allyson-young/
 

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A wee introduction about me before I share news of my latest release with you. My name is Karin Baine and I write medical romance for Harlequin Mills & Boon. Words I thought I’d never be able to say but which fill me with pride every time I do. I’ve wanted to write for Mills & Boon for as long as I can remember. 

My dream finally came true six years ago when they launched their ‘So You Think You Can Write?’, competition. I was shortlisted in the top ten and though I didn’t win, I got to work with a wonderful editor to polish my manuscript until it was ready for publication.
 
Since then I’ve written seventeen medical romances. I’m perhaps not your typical medical author in that most of my stories take place outside of the traditional hospital setting. I’ve written about ice hockey players, princesses and burlesque dancers and taken my stories all around the world.
 
I’m constantly asked about what makes Mills & Boon romances so popular and I think it’s because they offer such escapism and of course, that all-important happy ending. Something we need now more than ever.
 
My latest release, ‘One Night with Her Italian Doc’, takes place on a cruise around the Mediterranean. I was concerned about how it would be received in the current climate but readers have told me how much they’ve loved travelling with my characters to sunnier climes. It’s definitely an escape from real life at the minute!
 
Blurb

One hot summer night together…
… that just isn’t enough!
A Mediterranean cruise is exactly what nurse Sophie Blythe needs. It’s the perfect opportunity to re-discover the free-spirited woman she once was, before she met her cheating ex. And ship doctor Luciano Montavano could be the perfect fling…Gorgeous yet guarded, the irresistible Italian isn’t interested in settling down any more than she is. Until one night of passionate abandon forces them to acknowledge that they might both want more…
 
AmazonUK
AmazonUS
Mills&Boon
 
Excerpt
Hand in hand, Luciano and Sophie stood by the shore as the crystal-clear waves lapped gently nearby.
‘I’ve had a lovely day, Luciano.’ Sophie’s tender voice drew his gaze from their intertwined fingers to her soft lips.
‘Me too.’ Standing here with her, nothing else existed. It was a memory no one else would ever share. There was only one more thing that would make it perfect. Something he’d thought he’d never want to do again. Yet the adoration he saw in her eyes, and the slight tilt of her chin, was everything he needed to be sure what he was feeling was right and real.
With a dip of his head he was able to meet her lips with his. He closed his eyes, sighing into the blissful sensation of the kiss—soft and tender, yet filled with so much potential for more. Kissing Sophie was a release from the tension he’d been holding inside for days, trying not to act on his natural instinct to do this. He’d found the peace for which his soul had been searching for so long.
With that, his whole body opened up to the possibility of loving again. She’d awakened the passion inside him he’d thought had died long ago.
He wanted her closer and placed his free hand at her waist, drawing her deeper into the kiss.
Sophie wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling their bodies close enough that her body heat was burning him up. Her mouth was scorching against his. That desire they’d mistaken for battling egos was burning fiercely. The need to immerse himself in her and block out the pain that had tormented him for so long was stronger than the need to breathe.
 

Happy Reading,

Love, Raven xx