Missed a class? Get the textbook and skeds

I've put the lessons from #romanceclass and #steamyreads on Gumroad. Consider these PDF handouts, as if you attended the workshops. Best if you're a self-paced learner. If you feel you need to be writing with a community, do reach out to me and the other authors. We're still doing online discussions about this! (Or we can talk about stuff again if you really really need us to.)

#steamyreads textbook

#romanceclass textbook

PLAYERS sports romance anthology (includes The Harder We Fall)

The PLAYERS Sports Romance Anthology (from Flirt Publishing) is out now, and it includes the following books written during our #flirtsteamyreads class:

Between Heats by Laney Castro
The Princess Finds Her Match by Suzette de Borja
Submission Moves by Camilla Sisco
Tame the Kitten by Bianca Mori
The Harder We Fall by Mina V. Esguerra

The eight-book anthology also features books from bestselling authors Marian Tee, Liliana Rhodes, and Malia Mallory!

Amazon

iTunes

Allromance

From the octagon to the diamond, from bikers in leather jackets to rock-hard MMA fighters to gorgeous swimming champions, there’s just something about bad boy athletes that makes you swoon, knowing they’re the kind of alpha male to fight for the women they love.

  

This EIGHT STANDALONE SPORTS ROMANCE BOXED SET can be yours for only $.99 for a very limited time. 

Curl up on the couch with this hot collection of novels and novellas where athletes bring the steam both in and out of the locker room. And best of all, these stories have no cliffhangers! 

Includes three never released stories by NYT and USA Today Bestselling Authors Liliana Rhodes, Marian Tee, and Malia Mallory! 

  

Play With Me by Marian Tee: This is no ordinary love triangle: the ex-bad-boy who had his heart stolen, the foul-mouthed girl who has more Nikes than him, and basketball: the third party. 

Playing Games by Liliana Rhodes: Curvy Cassie Monroe moves to Canyon Cove with only one thing in mind--finding a job. But after a close encounter with a sexy MMA fighter in the locker room, maybe she’ll find love too. 

  

Strike to the Heart by Malia Mallory: Tennis star Jo meets MMA fighter Zane at a US Open party, not knowing who he is. Throwing her usual caution to the wind, Jo allows herself one hot night with a stranger… 

  

The Harder We Fall by Mina V. Esguerra: A fast fling is all what media student Daria and rugby player Nicholas have time for. Wanting different things from life means they don’t get to stay together, but it doesn’t mean they can’t have fun – as long as they don’t fall hard. 

Between Heats by Laney Castro: Madison never expected for all-American swimming champ Aaron to try getting her fired on her first day. But Madison’s not the type to back down from a challenge, and Aaron has a hard time pretending he’s not attracted to the aspiring model. 

The Princess Finds Her Match by Suzette de Borja: When their affair becomes tabloid headlines, proper Princess Lexie and sexy polo player Nic are forced into a pretend relationship and things get awfully complicated from there. 

Tame the Kitten by Bianca Mori: Kit Torres' near-collision with a speeding biker sets off a chain reaction that's a bigger rush than anything she's ever experienced before. 

Submission Moves by Camilla Sisco: MMA fighter Nick Rossi has never had to work hard for a woman before until a snarky feminist with a huge chip on her shoulder came along. But despite one hot night together, Rose spurns Nick at every turn. Nick may be undefeated in the cage but, in a battle of wills, he will find that Rose can more than hold her own. 

  

Eight sexy, gorgeous alpha male athletes are just waiting to make you theirs so tackle this hot sports romance collection now for only $.99c!

Excerpt and ARC signup: The Harder We Fall

This is an excerpt from a book that I just finished writing. It's the first in my new series Spotlight, and it'll be out in a few months.

Read on for an excerpt! Hope it gets you interested. :)

====

At first it was a simple job. Could I clean him up a bit, use the water and the towel to rub at the places he couldn't reach? Of course. And why not. He straddled a bench, bent over, and only the telltale twitching of those corded muscles let on that this was stinging a bit. I had no experience cleaning up wounds and apologized every time.

His skin felt so warm.

“No one else is concerned about you?” Not that I was complaining, but his buddies didn't even call for a break.

“Nah,” he said. “This happens a lot.”

When the water ran out I pressed the damp towel one last time against the very edge of the injury, already clean, and even he probably figured out that I was stalling. “Do you have bandages or something?”

“How bad is it?”

“You probably don't want it infected.”

“Is it bleeding?”

“No.” The worst of the gashes looked bad, but had started to clot. “But I'm not the expert.”

“There's a first aid kit in the bag. If it'll make you feel better.”

Did he say that with a smirk? I didn't see it but sensed it was there, and threw one of my own toward the back of his head. Indeed there was a small bag in there with Band-Aids that looked tiny and inadequate when held up against the expanse of his back...but as cover-up for the wounds, they'd do.

“I avoided majoring in investigative journalism because of this,” I couldn’t help but say, because the silence was stretching out for too long. “But blood keeps pulling me back in.”

He laughed a little, making his back muscles ripple and I had to pause. “Should I apologize?”

“Oh no, not all. I guess I can’t help it if my destiny is this.”

“You’re doing fine.”

“Am I?”

“You have very talented hands.”

Oh seriously. He couldn’t possibly…

“Good strategy,” I said, “kissing up to the person who has her hands on your blood and guts.”

“I’m not kidding. I bet you’d be a better full-back than Wilson.”

“I’m sorry for Wilson, but thank you.”

“What were you supposed to be doing? Before my injury rudely interrupted you?”

But this wasn’t a rude interruption at all, I thought. If anything it would be my Monday highlight. “I thought I’d be reading up on travel guides to Switzerland, Turkey, maybe Vietnam this week, to be honest. And maybe extra light reading on malnutrition and school food programs.”

“And yet she’s found watching boys chase a ball.”

“I know. But it’s important too, by the way. This is still my ticket to the multi-country trip. I need you boys and your balls.”

He snickered again, and I had to lift my hands up entirely, regrettably breaking contact. But that laugh made me feel good, in other places.

“Your name is?” he said.

“Oh god. Daria. Kramer. Sorry.”

“Just so I can thank you properly, Daria.”

It took three Band-Aids to adequately patch him up, and I applied each one nice and slow. “Do you go here?”

“I used to. Graduated last year. I guess you really don't follow our team then.”

“Yeah but don't take it personally. I stayed away from all kinds of sports.”

Should I have been more into it? Sports attracted guys with gorgeous, strong backs like this one. Without realizing it I had strayed from the injured part of him and pressed my fingertips against his spine. It tensed along with his sudden intake of breath, and I didn’t move them again, higher, until he relaxed. Higher up this bridge that held together this wall of muscle, higher up toward faint marks of other bad days on the field.

He was otherwise clear, no tattoos. I could tell, from the touching. And looking.
“So is everyone banged up like you, or are you just lucky?” I said, close enough to hear the new laugh he suppressed in his throat. 

The Harder We Fall will be available worldwide in 2014. Sign up to get a digital ARC for review.

Follow Mina's board Daria and Nicholas on Pinterest.

#flirtsteamyreads in June

I will be running a new romance-writing class in June! It will be sponsored by Flirt Publishing (the people behind the Rock Gods of Romance boxed set I was part of last year) and we will be writing sports-centric adult/steamy romance novellas until the end of July.

Participants who are able to finish a novella that follows the class guidelines will get:

The satisfaction of having finished a book (yay!)

A possible international distribution deal with Flirt Publishing

The class will be primarily email-based, and you can join by signing up for my Steamy Reads mailing list. Books written for this class must be in English, and feature international characters and settings.

Even if you aren't seriously participating in the class, we appreciate any help and inspiration you might provide. Follow the #flirtsteamyreads hashtag on Twitter! We will be sharing our pics and posts there, usually anything to help motivate the other writers. 

Writing starts on June 1. Let's do this!