THE ROAD TO WRITING

My guest is paranormal romance author Nancy Northcott. Her road to writing a book and publication was a winding road. 

Nancy is a sucker for fast action and wrenching emotion, she combines the romance and high stakes she loves in the adventures of her Light Mages. 

Some writers always knew that was what they’d be.  They never wanted to be anything else.  I’m not one of them.  I sort of edged into writing a little bit at a time.

My grandfather and I used to make up stories and illustrate them with stick people.  From there, I progressed to writing in crayon, starting in about second grade.  The stories were sort of fairy tale-ish or else primitive space opera.  They also weren't the kinds teachers encouraged kids to write.  They weren't “serious.”  So I drifted away from writing, but I never stopped reading.  I sampled pretty much every kind of fiction, finally gravitating toward romance, science fiction/fantasy, and mysteries.  Those genres influence pretty much everything I write.

From the time I was about seven, I also read comic books.  The monthly adventures of the characters let me get to know them better than the characters in the books I read, even the series.  At some point, I found myself thinking about what happened to the characters off-page.  That led writing fan fiction involving my favorite characters, the Legion of Super-Heroes.

I’d also written part of what I now realize was a fantasy romance set in a preindustrial society, but I hadn't finished it.  At the time, I didn't know how to plot anything long.  But my fan fiction kept getting longer and longer.  By the time I left active fandom, around 1996, I was writing sagas.  I’d also written about half of a traditional fantasy novel, but I’d gotten stuck in the middle and abandoned it.

My fan fiction was written for amateur press alliances (APAs) I belonged to.  APAs are groups of fans who send multiple copies, one for every member, to a central mailer at regular intervals.  The central mailer then collates the contributions into sets and mails them to the membership.  The positive feedback my APAs gave me for the fan fiction encouraged me to try again at creating my own worlds.  But I was still worried about that middle-of-the-book roadblock.

One day, my husband stopped beside the desk and picked up a page of fanfic.  To save copy costs, we printed long stories in Times 8-pt., two columns to a page (yes, ouch!).  That particular story was part of a lengthy Batman series I was doing.

He picked up a page.  “How long do you think this would be if you put it in standard manuscript format?”

“Hmm.  Four manuscript pages to one of these…a hundred and twenty pages or so.”

“Okay.  If you put all the parts of this whole story arc together in that format, how long would it run?”

Silence while I did mental math, not a history major’s strong suit.  Finally, I ventured, “Four hundred pages.  Maybe more.”

He nodded.  “So tell me again why you think you can’t write a whole book?”

I had nothing to say.  So I dug in, went to the library and read plot books (which I should’ve done in the first place), and finished that traditional fantasy.  And revised it.  And revised it again.  It never sold, but I learned a lot from writing it.  A few years ago, I pulled it out and looked at it. I still love the story, but I don’t write that way anymore.  Maybe someday I’ll pull it out again and clean it up.

Meanwhile, I’m writing mages (think wizard if that term isn't familiar to you) who owe a lot to the dashing super-heroes of my childhood.  And I’m having a blast.  I hope readers will, too.

• What about you?  Is there something you've always wanted to try but haven’t gotten to yet?

                                                                                                                             

More on Nancy's Book Page

SENTINEL

Release: Wednesday, March 26th

He’s on a Quest for Justice 

 When mage investigative reporter Rick Moore gets the chance to clear his father’s name, it’s a dream come true. But there’s a price. He must first uncover the truth about the mage world’s most wanted fugitive.

 Her Secrets are His Only Hope

Caroline Dare knows her beloved brother had a reason for killing a prominent mage. Heroes don’t go rogue on a whim. Burned by shady reporters, she pours her devastating worry for him into her fabric art career and avoids all questions. But when her art is panned as a fraud because she’s blind, she’s forced to seek help from Rick, a man she knows only as a sexy arts writer.

Helping beautiful, determined Caroline prove herself gets Rick inside her well tended walls. But as he wins her trust, he finds he’s losing his heart. Now he has a choice–give up his dream or betray the woman he loves.

BOOK ONE

She follows the rules

He breaks everyone of them

Now they are each other's only hope

Excerpt

  

AMAZON, B&N, iBOOKS, INDIEBOUND

                                                                                                                    

Nancy Northcott’s childhood ambition was to grow up and become Wonder Woman.  Around fourth grade, she realized it was too late to acquire Amazon genes, but she still loved comic books, science fiction, fantasy and YA romance.  A sucker for fast action and wrenching emotion, Nancy combines the romance and high stakes she loves in the adventures of her Light Mages.

Her debut novel, Renegade, received a starred review from Library Journal.  The reviewer called it “genre writing at its best.”  Nancy is a three-time RWA Golden Heart finalist and has won the Maggie, the Molly, the Emerald City Opener, and Put Your Heart in a Book. 

Married since 1987, Nancy and her husband have one son, a bossy dog, and a house full of books.

FINDING THE MAGIC KEY

Romance author, Anna Sugden, is my guest today. She visits the blog on various occasions but I'm thrilled to have her visiting today with her debut novel, A Perfect Distraction. Yay Anna! 

Writing is Anna's third career, the first was working as a Marketing executive for a multi-national corporation, then as a primary teacher (we call them elementary teachers here), and now a published author. She started getting serious about writing shortly after 9-11. I'd like to tell you she was an overnight success but...well, I'll let her tell you about that and what it took to get to this point.

Thanks so much, Sia for letting me visit today. Your blog has always been a great place to hang out, so it’s especially nice to be able to visit as a published author, to celebrate the release of my first book, A Perfect Distraction! (Happy squee!)
Like many authors, I took a long time to sell my first book. Nine years, eight full manuscripts and four partial-and-synopsis proposals to be precise. That doesn't include all the revisions I did on most of those. As for rejections, let’s just say I could wallpaper my office quite nicely ;). During that time, I also had a lot of success -- I finalled in or won almost every prestigious writing contest for unpublished authors, including three Golden Heart finals. My manuscripts were passed up and across, but for a variety of reasons always failed at the final hurdle.

No-one ever said writing was an easy profession, and they were right!

One of the things you think, as you go round and round in that holding pattern of ‘nearly there’, is that you must be missing something -- a magic key that would unlock the door to that first sale. If you could just find that elusive magic key, you would finally get The Call.

You’re all expecting me to tell you that there is no such thing. Actually, there is. J In fact, there are several. The trick isn't finding a magic key, it’s figuring out which one will work for you. That’s part of the writer’s journey - trying out those keys until you find the right one.

So what are these magic keys?

1.    Perseverance. Writing is hard work. Fact. It’s hard for everyone, from Nora Roberts to the newbie starting their first manuscript. There are numerous inspirational talks from famous authors telling you about their journey to success. They will also tell you how they still have to battle every day for every book. Yes, you need a little bit of luck to succeed - the right book, landing on the right editor’s desk at the right time - but, to paraphrase Samuel Goldwyn the harder you work, the luckier you’ll get. Those who succeed are the ones who don’t give up. Obvious? Perhaps. But as my lovely husband always says - the only way to guarantee you won’t be published is to give up.

2.    Keep on learning. It’s not enough to work hard if you keep making the same mistakes. No-one writes a perfect book. There are many ways to learn - craft books, workshops, critique partners. Yes, even those of us who think we've seen, heard and read it all can learn something new from an expert. One of the ways I was able to make the necessary changes to my work was through expert advice - I bought a critique from a well known author in a charity auction. I also managed to get a fantastic agent, who provided me with excellent insight into what I needed to fix.

3.    Be prepared to change. Sometimes, as the saying goes, a change is as good as a rest. It may be that you should try writing something different - I learned a lot by writing romantic suspense and still hope to get some of those books published J. It could be that you need to try writing for a different line/editor/publisher. I started off targeting Special Edition, but switched to Super Romance because that line was a better fit for my writing. It may be that your strategy for getting your work to the right people has to change. I had more success through contests and editor agent pitches than direct submission or queries.

4.    It’s okay to take a break. Sometimes we just need to stop and rest. That’s not a bad thing, especially if you use that time to refill your creative well and re-energize your muse. After all, we are all chasing our dream. What is the point of hating every minute of it? Take some time off and read, watch movies, go for long walks, whatever it takes to recharge your writing batteries. Trust me, you’ll be back writing sooner than you think.

5.    Write the book of your heart. We all have the book we dream of writing. In fact, most of us have several. But, we also all have an excuse for not writing that book - the market isn't right, you need more writing experience, everyone is writing that kind of book, no-one is buying that kind of book etc. The truth is that you don’t need to write the book of your heart for anyone but yourself. Write it, enjoy it. You never know, things change all the time in publishing, so maybe one day, the book of your heart will be the book that sells. Mine was. Everyone told me that I’d never sell a sports romance, let alone one featuring a hockey player. J

• Have you found a magic key that worked for you, either for writing or something else? 
• Or, tell us about something you've worked hard at and succeeded in.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

BUY: AMAZON, B&N, iTUNES,THE BOOK DEPOSITORY 

A PERFECT DISTRACTION

Anna Sugden

A face-off—head vs. heart 

For Jake Badoletti, this year is all about his career. He has a rare second chance to make the most of being a pro hockey player, so no parties, no scandals. Too bad he's met a woman who could sideline those plans. Maggie Goodman is not his usual type—right down to being a single mom. Still, the sizzling connection with this gorgeous brunette can't be ignored. 

With a little juggling and a lot of focus, Jake manages to have the game and Maggie. Then his performance on the ice suffers and a scandal erupts. Now he can't afford the distraction of Maggie…even if she is perfect for him. 

EXCERPT

Romance Times – 4 stars!

                                                                                                                          

Anna Sugden, is a three-time Golden Heart finalist who loves reading and writing happy endings as much as hockey! When not reading or watching hockey, she loves football, good food and wine, making simple cross-stitch projects and collecting memorabilia, penguins, and fab shoes.

Anna lives in Cambridge, England, with her husband and two bossy cats. 

You can find Anna: Website, Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, Romance Bandits

Looking Ahead.

Sorry I'm late. My scheduled guest was unable to make it today due to sickness. We've rescheduled for another day.

Up coming events:

Tomorrow, Thursday, March 14th, I'm being interviewed by romance author Tawny Weber. She's blogs at The Romance Bandits. That's a switch for me. Nice surprise to be asked. If you get the chance, stop by and say hi.

For those of you who love Elisabeth Naughton's books, she'll be visiting on the 20th, with the latest in her Eternal Guardians Series. I'm thrilled to see her contemporary, Wait For Me (I featured it on a hot reads), has made both the NYT and USA bestsellers list. Loved the story.

Do you like romance and time travel stories? I'll be having Gina Lamm visiting the 27th pitting a woman of today, a geek and gamer who loves wi-fi with a peer of the realm. Cover makes me smile.

April brings spring showers and A-Z Challenge. I'll be contributing some articles, quasi McKye style. I'm also Diane Wolf's minion which is a first for me. I can't always participate in the A-Z fully but I like being a part of it. Those that know me won't be at all surprised to be reading about dogs with my contributions. For example, did you know that dogs experience a runner's high? Did you know that there are marathons for dogs and their owners? How does one train a dog and owner to participate? 

Dog's are a man's best friend, but choosing the right dog isn't always easy and there are a lot breeds of dogs out there, and while they are gorgeous they don't always match up with a family's environment. How do you choose?  

Now that we've done the spring ahead with time I think I'm finally getting the hang of it. No, I still don't like the jarring to the inner time clock, but I'm functioning without murdering anyone. 

• How's it going for you?
• • Any news you'd like to share?

A LESSON IN TRUST

There are days we need tougher coffee!

My guest is romance author, Diane Kelly. She's a sassy Texan, and a Bandita, who writes laugh out loud adventures of an IRS Special Agent, Tara. I think she and Diane grew up together, lol! But I do appreciate her topic on trust and especially learning to trust yourself and your instincts. It came at just the right time for me and the whole trust issue resonated with me. I hope you enjoy it as well.

            My road to publication has been a long lesson in trust.  I’ve learned that trust can be misplaced, that learning to trust again after a breach can be hard, and that finding people whom you trust and who trust you back is essential.

            As a girl, I ventured into bookstores and saw those beautiful, cloth-bound journals on the racks.  But I was just a flat-chested adolescent with acne and braces who lived in a cookie-cutter suburb.  Who was I to think I had anything worthy of writing in such a pretty journal?  Instead, I went to Eckerd’s and bought cheap spiral notebooks to write in.  They were less intimidating.  If I messed up, I could just rip the page out.  Though I loved writing and my teachers often complimented me on my talents, I was too insecure then to trust in myself.  So when it came time to pick a major for college, I took the safe route and chose accounting.  I enjoyed my undergraduate government class and decided why not go to law school?

My first job was working as an assistant state attorney general.  What a naïve thing I was back then!  Fifteen pounds lighter, too, but let’s not go there.  Because of my accounting background, my boss assigned me to represent the board of accountancy in disciplinary actions against CPAs.  What an eye opener it was to face CPAs who had assisted clients in defrauding investors, lenders, or the IRS.  My innocence was already in jeopardy when the attorney general was arrested for illegally diverting settlement funds from the tobacco company lawsuits to his cronies’ law firms.  The person who was supposed to be the ultimate symbol of justice for the state couldn’t be trusted.  Sheesh!  I then took a job with an international accounting firm and worked with a partner who appeared squeaky clean on the surface.  To my shock, he was arrested for tax shelter fraud.

 

If I didn’t learn to better choose employers, I feared I’d get swept up in a scandal and end up in an orange jumpsuit awaiting a conjugal visit.  Self employment seemed like a good idea.  At the same time, my muse kept nagging me to get my butt in a chair and write something, dammit!  My brushes with white-collar crime had not only led me to be intrigued by these complicated offenses and the untrustworthy people who commit them, but also provided perfect fodder for a novel.  I’d matured by this point, had some successes that gave me confidence, and figured what did I have to lose?

            When I finished the manuscript, I was thrilled when an agent presented me with a contract for representation.  Some of the revisions the agent suggested didn’t ring true to me, but I figured she knew better than me so I did everything she asked rather than trusting my instincts.  After two rounds of revisions, she said my manuscript still needed more work than she had time for.  I’d been dumped!  I later worked with another agent who led me through a round of helpful revisions but didn’t offer representation because she didn’t believe my work was marketable yet.

 

As difficult as these experiences were, they taught me a valuable lesson – that I needed to trust myself more.  Frankly, at that point, the only person I still trusted was myself.  I hustled, entering contests, attending conferences, anything to get my work in front of editors.  It paid off.  I sold to a major publisher on my own, a coup that is pretty much unheard of. 

            Now?  Things are awesome!  I have wonderful people on my team, whom I trust completely.  My critique partners have my back, catching unintended blunders in my drafts and offering valuable suggestions.  My agent is a straight shooter and works incredibly hard for me.  I couldn’t ask for a better editor, either.  She believes in my work.  There’s no better feeling than that!   In return, my agent and editor trust me to work diligently and write the best books I can.

 

• Has someone you trusted let you down?  
• Have you had an experience when you should have trusted yourself more? 
  

  Share your thoughts!
  
  

Death, Taxes, and a Skinny No-Whip Latte AVAILABLE IN PRINT AND EBOOK.

IRS Special Agent Tara Holloway is at work again.  This time, she and her partner, Eddie, are after Marcos Mendoza, a financial expert and suspected loan shark with cross-border ties to questionable businesses and people in Mexico. Mendoza hasn’t just cheated the U.S and Mexican governments, he may have left a trail of bodies, too. Neither the Texas Rangers nor the FBI could prove a link between Mendoza and the suspicious deaths of his employees and associates, but the sheer number of bodies indicates the deaths aren’t mere coincidence.  What’s more, Mendoza bought off Special Agent Nick Pratt, who’d earlier been assigned to the investigation, and set the traitor up in a luxury condominium in Cancún, Mexico.

He must be stopped.

Unfortunately, Mendoza is as elusive as his activities are illegal. Tracking down this tax cheat proves much more difficult, and more dangerous, than Tara anticipated.  Given the highly sensitive nature of the case, Tara is forbidden to disclose the details to anyone, including her boyfriend, Brett Ellington. Secrets nearly tore the two apart in the past and history seems destined to repeat itself.

As Tara and Eddie delve deeper into Mendoza’s business enterprises, they realize his illegal activities extend far beyond high-interest finance. They also learn Mendoza will do anything to protect the profitable illegal empire he has created.

When Tara receives an unexpected call from a surprising source, she must decide whether to follow orders or follow through. Tara must risk it all—her relationship with Brett, her job, and her life itself—to put Mendoza out of business for good. Excerpt 

“PREPARE TO LAUGH YOUR ASSETS OFF.”—Jana DeLeon, author of the Ghost-in-Law mysteries 

BUY: AMAZON. BARNES and NOBLE, BOOKS A MILLION

A CPA and tax attorney, Diane spent several years at an international accounting firm where she had the pleasure of working with a partner later indicted for tax shelter fraud. She also served a stint as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Texas under an AG who pled guilty to criminal charges related to the tobacco company lawsuits. Given this work history, Diane decided self-employment might be a good idea. She also realized her experiences with white-collar crime made excellent fodder for a novel. Her fingers hit the keyboard and thus began her "Death and Taxes" mystery series.

Diane won the prestigious Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® Award in 2009 and has earned over two dozen RWA chapter awards.

Diane lives in Texas with her very own sexy leading man, two talented teenage kids,  and enough cats and dogs to violate several city ordinances.

Diane loves to hear from readers! Visit Diane at www.dianekelly.com. While you're there, sign up for her quarterly newsletter. 

You can find Diane: Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Website.  

JEANNE ADAMS: The Dream Writing Space

It's my pleasure to have romantic suspense author, Jeanne Adams, visiting with us Over Coffee. You may have read her Deadly Little Secrets, nominated for Best Suspense of 2010 and today I'm featuring another RT Top Pick and the follow up, Deadly Little Lies. 


I was curious about her writing area where she creates these fun romances and you know me, if I'm curious, I ask.
Describe your writing space—what would be your DREAM writing space?




You know, Sia, when you asked me about writing spaces, I thought, “How can I answer that, I have a great writing space!?” 

But the more I thought about it, the more I decided it would be SUCH a fun topic.  I can talk about this topic for hours of course (and have, because I teach a class about it) and it got me thinking.  What would I want to have that I don’t already have?

I have a great room, all to myself.  It’s the size of a closet, but hey, it’s got a door that shuts, and bookcases, and a desk and chair.  I’m good.

I have a really big monitor that keeps me from straining my eyes – and what a god-send THAT is, let me tell you! 

There’s floor space enough for the dogs to hang out with me all day, which they usually do.  And two windows, which let in natural light, and which if I’m really bored or trying to think of something to do next, allow me to see the world passing by and get some ideas.

Granted, my ideas usually run to blowing things up – one of my favorite pastimes – so I’m not so sure the FedEx guy would appreciate knowing what I’ve contemplated doing to his truck.  Snork!  But it helps to have that visual distraction sometimes.

I’m very visual, so I have a lot of pictures and inspiration pieces around.  Clutter, according to my DH.  And I have toys.  Things to toss and play with, as I’m very kinesthetic as well. 

But a dream space….where would that be?  What would that look like?  Well, it would have to be bigger, maybe 12 by 20 feet.  BIG windows, looking out on the street. 

The street, you say?  Yep.  I know some people like the quiet pastoral view, but I’m an extrovert.  Seeing the people moving and driving and going and doing helps me concentrate.  Too much quiet makes me jumpy.  Which is why a dream workspace would also have to have a rockin’ sound system.  A Bose sound dock for my iPod would work, maybe some auxiliary speakers to that so the bass can really reverb.  Grins. 

That would mean soundproofing too, I guess, since I like to work late at night as well.  So good lighting too – lights in the ceiling (currently missing in my office) as well as task lighting on the desk.

A mini-fridge would be good...or maybe not.  As it is, I need to move around more, having a fridge in the room would be toooo convenient and contribute to writerly “spread” from so much sitting.  Ha!

Color.  It would have to have color.  I might paint a neutral and do pops of color that I could change.  Yeah, I think that would be it.  And have huge bulletin boards where I can collage stories and hang idea things, and then take it all down when I needed some peace.

More than anything else it would have to have bookcases.  Lots and lots of bookcases.  I have some now, but my research books spill out into other rooms, not to mention all the books from “keeper” authors.

And I think it’s time for a new chair.

That’s kind of the dream – big, spacious, well-lit, bookcase-lined, music-blasting, big-monitored space.  Room for the dogs, room for me, room to spread out the research and rock and roll the writing (and the music.)

• What about you?  Whatever work you do, where do you like to do it?  Do you need quiet, or can you concentrate better with a lot of noise around you?  (I like to work at a busy Starbucks)  Do you want to see a pastoral, quiet scene of nature, or the bustle of the city, or at least your street?

• And if you could change one thing about where you work now – even if it’s your boss – what would it be?

~*~*~

Caught In A Game

Secrets are what drive billionaire security expert Davros Gianakopulos to succeed. And no one intrigues him more than striking art gallery owner Carrie McCray. But when a vengeful enemy traps Dav and Carrie in a ruthless battle of wits, the only thing he can trust is desire…

Carrie has faced down trouble before—betrayal taught her how. But staying one step ahead of those hunting her and Dav is as dangerous as her urgent feelings for him. Each move brings them closer to disaster, just as Dav’s every searching kiss challenges Carrie’s hard-won reserve. And he’ll do whatever it takes to protect her…even putting their last chance at love on the line…Excerpt

Buy: AMAZON, BARNES AND NOBLE, BOOKS A MILLION

Jeanne Adams lives near Washington, D.C., with her handsome husband, two charming sons, and her Dalmatians. Formerly in the dark and dangerous world of business marketing, she's also worked in bookstores, for a cemetery, and several funeral homes. A member and frequent speaker for Romance Writers of America and its various chapters and a proud member of Washington Romance Writers. Jeanne loves to connect with readers and other writers. 

twitter.com/JeanneAdams 
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JeanneAdams8 
Blog: www.RomanceBandits.blogspot.com
Website: www.JeanneAdams.com

Patricia Sargeant introducing Regina Hart

How often do you listen to your subconscious mind when writing? It pushes through with references and ideas but perhaps you rein it in too tightly perhaps out of fear or thinking readers wouldn't find it interesting.

My guest, Patricia Sergeant talks about finally listening to her subconscious mind and the roller-coaster ride it's taken her on.  

Sia, thank you so very much for allowing me back to chat with your community at Thoughts Over Coffee. It’s an honor and a pleasure to be here. There are few things I enjoy more than chatting about the business and the craft of writing.

This visit with old friends also gives me the opportunity to introduce my new alter ego, Regina Hart. Regina Hart’s debut coincides with the release of the first book in my contemporary romance trilogy featuring the Brooklyn Monarchs, a fictitious National Basketball Association team based in Brooklyn, New York, where I grew up. Fast Break introduces the Monarchs’ franchise owner, Jaclyn Jones, and the team’s rookie head coach DeMarcus Guinn. 


This trilogy is a good example of writing about what you know. I'm not by any stretch of the imagination and expert on basketball, but I do love the sport. I love the excitement, emotion, and suspense of a good competition. The roller-coaster ride of the game. Doesn't that also describe a good read? Excitement, emotion, suspense--a roller-coaster ride.

The birth of the Brooklyn Monarchs stories also is an example of my subconscious talking to me and of me finally listening. You see, I love basketball but I’m more of a football fan. If my New York Jets were on television at the same time as my New York Knicks, I’d watch the Jets game – and record the Knicks. But I’d noticed that I’d managed to put a basketball reference in all of my books. In You Belong to Me, my heroine, a Knicks fan, resents my hero because he’s a Lakers fan. In On Fire, my heroine watches basketball games with her mother. There’s a passing reference to a basketball jersey in Sweet Deception. Finally, my subconscious hit me over the head by making my Heated Rivalry a former NBA superstar. 


That’s when I developed the Monarchs trilogy.

As an author or aspiring author, have you managed to work any of your hobbies into your stories? As a reader, do you look for stories that include hobbies that interest you, whether sports, cooking, needlepoint or other hobbies?

Before I step away for a coffee refill, I’d like to thank everyone for stopping by to chat with me. If you have a moment, check out my Fast Break book video on my Regina Hart website, www.AuthorReginaHart.com.

FAST BREAK –Available now at your favorite bookstore.

It’s 24/7 money, fame, and game on-and off-the court. But the real action is behind the scenes in Regina Hart’s sizzling new pro b-ball series, where the stakes are everything and winning means playing for keeps…

He’s a two-time MVP and three-time championship winner. He lives to be the best. And now that he’s a first-time coach, DeMarcus Guinn will lead the NBA’s worst team to the top his way-or no way at all. But the team’s fiery franchise owner, Jaclyn Jones, is fighting him at every turn. And their unexpectedly seductive one-on-one is the kind of game time he can’t resist…

Turning her family’s team into winners is Jaclyn’s only hope of saving them and her community. She’s used to being in control, but DeMarcus’ determination-and the way he makes her feel-are like no moves she’s ever seen. And with everything they care about on the line, they’ll have to play to win … or lose their hearts. Excerpt

BUY: Amazon, Barnes and Noble Books-A-Million, Indiebound, Powells 

Patricia Sargeant writes romantic suspense under her own name and contemporary romance as Regina Hart. Patricia’s suspense puts ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. Regina’s contemporary romances feature the franchise members and friends of the Brooklyn Monarchs, a fictitious National Basketball Association team set in Brooklyn, New York. You can learn more about Patricia’s books at www.PatriciaSargeant.com. Visit Regina and her Monarchs at www.AuthorReginaHart.com. Patricia and Regina love chatting with readers. You can contact both at BooksByPatricia@yahoo.com.


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