Sexy Saturday: A Cover Reveal

Hi all! This is kind of a special Sexy Saturday. Why? It is the first cover for many of the people involved.

Last Sunday my friend and goddess of photography Jenn LeBlanc, shot a new model, Karl Biermann and he is a natural. Well, KARL is actually going to be on another cover of mine later, but I wanted to reveal this, his and model Jaci Nudell's first cover.

This is actually a first in many ways. I am lucky that one of my best friends in the world is my PA. Not everyone can say that, but I can. So, when Brandy expressed interest in doing covers, I had to give her a shot. Since Southern Sins is a brand new series for me, we decided to go for this one.  Kendra Egert's talent is stamped all of my other series, so I didn't want to change that of course. I think for Brandy's first cover, she did a FANTASTIC job. I am really rather proud of her and can't wait to see what else she does after this. BEHOLD THE COVER!

This is an unproofed blurb. It is the series I was researching for when I went to Savannah last fall. I love that city and have always wanted to do a series set there. All the books will be romantic suspense, sensual to erotic.

Southern Sins: A Savannah Heat Novel

A woman with a past.

Raised by her maternal grandmother, Raelynn Hill has been a part of Savannah history for as long as she can remember. While most residents still whisper about her mother’s unsolved murder, Raelynn has moved on. Her bakery and bookstore Sweet Reads is so successful, she can barely keep up. The only thing she is missing is an active love life and she thinks new Savannah resident Nikolai Papas might be the guy for the job.

A man searching for a new future.

Needing a change of pace after two tours in Iraq and a divorce, Nik moved to Savannah after accepting a job on the police force. His sweet tooth led him to the popular bakery…and he has been in lust with the pretty bakery owner Raelynn since he first saw her. She bakes the most amazing treats, loves everything vintage, and has that slow southern accent. When a little flirtation turns into a date and that little date turns into more, Nik finds himself completely enthralled.

For the first time in her life, Raelynn finds herself more than just a little in love. Nik is hot, romantic, and everything a girl could want. But someone from Raelynn’s past isn’t happy with the situation, and he will do anything to stop the new love from blossoming into something more--even murder.

Talk about it Tuesday: Southern Sins

I have a new series I am starting in October that is straight romantic suspense(probably sensual to erotic)  and set in Savannah. It is one of my favorite cities in the country and if they actually had seasons, it would be on the list of places to retire. The atmosphere, the history...it just can't be beat.
I haven't nailed down everything in the series yet, but I do know the heroine of the first book pretty well. Raelynn Hill is a fixture in Savannah society. Add in the fact her mother is one of the most famous unsolved murders, and you have her as part of the atmosphere that drapes the city.
Raelynn (who is here on the left modeled so wonderfully by Jaci Nudell)has lost her mother and been estranged from her father for years, but she has turned out okay. In fact, she has one of the most popular place for locals and tourists to visit on the Riverfront: Sweet Reads Bakery. It is a combo bakery and bookstore. I am still working out the details of what it will look like, but I am quite excited. I have written chefs before: Jocelyn and Chris Dupree, and of course Cynthia Myers Dupree, all from Harmless. But because this place is going to be so important to the book I need to know more about what goes on behind the scenes at Sweet Reads. That is why there are going to be some pretty cool things to go along with it. First, there is already a CAFE PRESS store for things. Secondly, I feel I need to know more about her character because in a lot of ways, she is my exact opposite. She is even tempered and never, ever goes out without makeup on. There she is in jeans and no shoes, but more than likely you will find her in heels and vintage dresses. She loves to dress up and she is so, well, girlie.
So, while I am probably never going to be a girlie girl, I want to know a little more about the inner workings of the current love of her life, baking. She learned everything she knows at the side of the grandmother who raised her. She comes from old Savannah money, but her grandmother instilled in her a work ethic that has served her family well. And, she took the one thing she loved most in life, besides her family, and turned it into a place people love.
I bought the cookbooks, with some recommends from my niece who loves to bake, and I now have one of those silly cupcake makers.  My girls and I are going to have a lot of baking sessions this summer as I write the book so it should be fun!

Savannah and beyond

Well, we had a heck of a weekend, let me tell you! We survived a trip down a dead end street with a speed bump, a possible crime in progress, and a dinner cruise with a singer that was worse than Jon Lovitz in The Wedding Singer.

I wanted to share some pics with you from the trip. But I also wanted to share some stuff rom our time down at the Civil Rights Memorial here in Montgomery. Joy missed her train on Monday, so we got to spend more time together, yay!

Talmage Memorial Bridge

Very haunted bar.

Waving Girl Statue in Savannah

Fort Sumter

Kris Cook being silly at the Waving Girl Statue

Random street on our trolly tour

Kris and Joy in the Visitor's Center

Ali and Joy on the Dinner Cruise from HELL

Front of the Civil Rights Memorial

the top of this has people who died for the cause

Civil Rights Memorial Center 

Joy 

My girls reading Martin Luther King's quote.

Still Harmless in Savannah

Well, as much as we sin. We are going to hit the Pankake Palace while we are here and probably try and hit all the infamous areas of the downtown area or as many as we can. One of my favorite versions of Skylark from Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, sung by KD Lang.