A – Rachelle Ayala

A

Welcome to the A to Z Blogging Challenge. My name is Sydney Aaliyah Michelle and I will be your blog host for the month. I have a great month of stuff planned for you. And, a #Giveaway every day. Please come back daily to enter.

My theme for A to Z 2016 is Sports Romance. I’ll bring you interviews from some of my favorite authors, free books, excerpts from my own books and an introduction of my upcoming release, Anxious Love.

Since opening day of baseball is this weekend, I thought I’d started with a baseball sports romance. Welcome, Rachelle Ayala.

Five Questions: 

1.     What is it about the sport in your romance that inspired you to write about it?

I’ve always liked baseball as a kid. Baseball has a long season and they play many games, so it’s all about the averages and being consistent. Also, baseball is a summer sport, so it reminds me of long, hot days and relaxing with family and friends. 

2.     Is your sports hero based on a real sports figure? If so, who and why?

Not based on anyone real. I don’t follow real sports figures because the men in my imagination are much more perfect.

3.     What kind of research did you do for the sport in your romance?

I read books by baseball players describing their game. I used to watch baseball on TV as a kid, but have been too busy lately. I did go to the Giants World Series parade and got to cheer on our heroes.

4.     Best advice for other authors who want to write sports romance?

Use fictional team names so you don’t get into any trouble with the franchises.

5.     What sports romance are you working on next?

I’ll work on another baseball romance in time for Spring Training 2017. I like spring training because it is more low-key for the fans and there are more opportunities for the fans to get to know players since everyone is in the same vicinity for a little over a month’s time. I’ve concentrated on Phoenix since I’m in California and more familiar with the west. I’ve been to Phoenix and not Florida.

I’ve also written several football romances, so there’s always a chance I will write another one, maybe for a holiday romance.

Thanks for having me on your blog. I’d like to give away a copy of Playing the Rookie, a humorous and steamy romance between a rookie pitcher and a marketing intern trying to get over her ex-boyfriend.

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To win a copy of Rachelle’s novel, Playing the Rookie, tell me your favorite baseball team or player. Leave the answer in the comments section. 

Dodging Trains by Sunniva Dee – Book Blitz

“Beautiful can never love ugly.” That hurt my heart. This is one is going to be emotional. – Sydney Aaliyah Michelle

Dodging Trains
Sunniva Dee
Publication date: March 29th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

I was twelve when a stranger at a train station taught me the meaning of ugly. He forced himself on me and threatened to kill my family if I told.

I stayed silent and the ugliness grew.

Now, that word rolls in film clips through my mind. All I’ve done since my best friend, Keyon Arias, left town is cement how ugly I am. Ugly on the inside—deep down to my core. On the outside… I am a Vixen. I flash men a smile and make them moan out pleasure I control.

Not them. Never them.

After five years of being away, my beautiful boy has come back to town for his father’s masquerade ball. He’s different. Hard muscle supersedes the skin and bone of his once boyish frame. One thing hasn’t changed though: the murderous look in his eyes when he slaughters his opponents. In the ring, I see the bullied boy, all grown up, dominating in ways he couldn’t in high school.

He’s the mayor’s son. The rising MMA fighter. The beautiful one.

I’m not the Paislee Cain of before, not the sweet girl he once knew, the one who chased away his bullies. I’m the town slut. The dirty girl whose shame will never fade no matter how many men I use. He’d disown what I’ve become.

Because beautiful can never love ugly.

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DT weight cut teaser

EXCERPT:

I’ve been on a one-track rail to landing Paislee in my bed since she got off the plane. Not that it’s been planned, but I convinced her that Pizza Pazza in Tampa is better than Mamma Lucia’s in Calceth. I told her about Simon during dinner, one thing led to another, and here I am unlocking the door to my duplex and letting her enter first.

She hasn’t commented on how we took my car from her hotel, how she’s basically dependent on me and my whims. But hey, I’m fucked too; it wasn’t my choice to have someone fill my head, and I didn’t ask that person to come to Florida.

We haven’t talked about tomorrow’s schedule, but I’m going to the rich dude’s house with her. He could be a total freak for all I know, so she’s not facing him alone.

“Oooh,” she whispers through a reverent puff of air like she’s never seen a cat before. Simon’s playing it up too, slinking around the corner with all the grace in the universe, stroking the doorjamb with a hip before he meanders over to us. “He’s soooo beautiful.”

“He’s just a regular old black street cat,” I say, but by the wink she shoots me, she doesn’t buy it. She read me back when too. “’Kay, fine: Simon’s awesome. Straight up the best pelt ever.”

“Pelt? You ass,” she giggles as she pets him from the top of his head and down the length of his body to his tail. Simon lifts it, happy. Any minute now, he’ll crank the volume on his purr-machine.

“Wow, he purrs loud.”

And there. For a cat, he’s being unexpectedly predictable.

“He loves the ladies,” I say, which makes her giggle more. I love to make her giggle. When she stands up again, I pull her in with one arm, fingers splayed across her spine. Firm breasts press against me, and I groan a little.

She puffs another laugh, all Simon’s fault. He’s gotten to the part of the agenda where he’s going to cramp my style. His purrs reach us from the floor, and he’s scissoring in and out between both of our legs.

“Never mind him. Look at me,” I whisper. Let my thumb and forefinger slide over her chin. The amusement recedes from her eyes when she sees that I mean business. I’m hardening. She yelps. Then she laughs out loud.

“Simon, quit it!” I say, exasperated, and bend to unhook his claws from the fabric over her knees. “I’m sorry. You see how it is now, right?

Simon’s the ass in this house. I should sell him to the highest bidder. Fifty cents flat will do. Come to think of it—I’ve got fifty cents in my pocket,” I say, kissing her down the corridor. “I could pay someone to take him. ‘Perfectly good cat with a year’s worth of free cat food.’”

Obviously, I’m digging my own grave here. There’s no hot lovemaking when your girl’s laughing so hard she’s about to pee herself.

DT blitz teaser 1

 

Author Bio:

Between studies, teaching, and advising, Sunniva has spent her entire adult life in a college environment. Most of her novels are new adult romance geared toward smart, passionate readers with a love for eclectic language and engaging their brain as well as their heart while reading.

Born in the Land of the Midnight Sun, the author spent her early twenties making the world her playground. Southern Europe: Spain, Italy, Greece–Argentina: Buenos Aires, in particular. The United States finally kept her interest, and after half a decade in Los Angeles, she now lounges in the beautiful city of Savannah.

Sometimes, Sunniva writes with a paranormal twist (Shattering Halos, Stargazer, and Cat Love). At other times, it’s contemporary (Pandora Wild Child, Leon’s Way, Adrenaline Crush, Walking Heartbreak, and Dodging Trains, coming in late March 2016).

This author is the happiest when her characters let their emotions run off with them, shaping her stories in ways she never foresaw. She loves bad-boys and good-boys run amok, and like in real life, her goal is to keep the reader on her toes until the end of each story.

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Marrying a stranger – that’s a great hook. – Sydney Aaliyah Michelle

Maybe Yes
Ella Miles
(Maybe, #1)
Publication date: March 18th 2016
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

Her future is already set, all she has to do is marry a complete stranger.

Kinsley Felton has everything. Money, a loving family, and a modeling career. She graduates from Yale in just days, but unlike a typical college student she doesn’t have to spend hours looking for a job when she graduates. Kinsley will inherit the multi-billion dollar gaming and hospitality company her great-grandfather started. The only problem is she has to do everything her family asks for in order to get that money. That includes marrying a man of her family’s choosing. That’s not a problem since Kinsley has been following her family’s orders all her life. Until a phone call from her grandfather changes everything.

Will she marry the man her family chooses or will she decide her own future?

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**FREE on March 24 & 25 only!**

EXCERPT:

I just don’t know what I want.

I think of everything I’ve been told I want—money, clothes, a modeling career, an acting career, and an intelligent husband who will run the company in order to give me even more money. But not one of those things has ever made me happy. I try to think about things that have made me happy—my family and Scarlett. But that leaves me with fewer answers.

I know what I don’t want.

I don’t want a modeling career.

I don’t want an acting career.

I don’t want to marry a complete stranger.

I try to think of my happiest memory with my dad. It was on my eighteenth birthday. It coincided with my high school graduation. He took me to a casino in California, one I could legally gamble at. He taught me how to play blackjack and how to count cards. We won—a lot. It wasn’t the winning that made it fun. It was learning something from my father. It was the confidence he displayed in me when he gave me high amounts of money to place a bet that I would win because I was capable. It was one of the only times I felt he was proud of me for something other than my looks.

The line I will never forget my father saying to me is, “No one would ever suspect you of counting cards. You’re too pretty.”

It was that day that I learned that my beauty was a weapon that could be used to my advantage. I just have never learned how to harness it.

I head to my room to grab my shoes and purse to head to a casino, to find a happy memory…because, tomorrow, I’ll meet the man I’m going to marry. Tomorrow, I’ll have to face the fact that I don’t get to decide my own future, but I don’t have to today. I still have a chance to make today better. I was wrong. Today isn’t the worst day of my life. Tomorrow probably will be, so I’m going to make the most of my last night of freedom.

 

Author Bio:

Ella Miles writes sexy romance with strong females that could kick your butt if you piss them off, which they often do to the men that fall for them. She’s currently living her own happily ever after near the Rocky Mountains with her high school sweetheart husband. Her heart is also taken by her goofy two year old black lab that is scared of everything, including her own shadow. Ella is the author of the Aligned series. Get a free book by visiting her website. Or by stalking her on Twitter or Facebook.

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Shopping for a Billionaire’s Wife by Julia Kent – Book Blitz

I love the shopping series. So much fun. – Sydney Aaliyah Michelle

Shopping for a Billionaire’s Wife
Julia Kent
(Shopping for a Billionaire #8)
Publication date: March 23rd 2016
Genres: Comedy, New Adult, Romance

Who needs a SWAT team to escape from their own wedding? Me.

My Momzilla turned us into hostages at our own ceremony, so Declan and I are getting married the good old-fashioned way, just like everybody else.

By calling in his private security team, stealing away before the ceremony by helicopter, connecting to his corporate jet and heading for Las Vegas.

The Boston wedding of the year is about to become a trashy Elvis drive-thru ceremony.

Until the best man spills the beans and Mom, Dad, my sisters, his brothers, my maid of honor, my friend Josh, and even my cat, Chuckles, all come along for the ride.

I can’t win, can I?

Oh. Yeah. I already did.

Love conquers all.

Even my crazy family.

Shopping for a Billionaire’s Wife is the 8th book in the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Shopping for a Billionaire series. After Declan convinces Shannon to escape from their own wedding minutes before the ceremony begins, the madcap adventures are just getting started. When the mother of the bride pries their location out of the tortured best man, the whole crazy crew follows the bride and groom to Las Vegas in this romantic comedy from Julia Kent.

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EXCERPT:

We are at a private airport I’ve never seen before. The sky is that glorious shade of blue that seems to deepen as you look up, with a smattering of clouds that draw the eye to them. It’s a perfect, idyllic July day in Massachusetts.

A great day for an outdoor wedding.

Declan and the helicopter pilot, whose name I never caught, exchange a few words in Russian before I rib my soon-to-be husband and whisper, “Would you please speak in English?”

“Why?”

“Why?”

He just stares at me with that intimidatingly blank face.

“That doesn’t work, you know,” I tell him with a pointed sneer. Or, at least, I try to sneer. I’m not so good at the sneering thing. That’s more Jessica Coffin’s area of expertise.

He doesn’t twitch a muscle. For whatever reason, he doesn’t want me to know what he and the pilot are talking about. Fine. Fine!

But this alpha-male dominant crap – you know, the stuff I fell in love with him for – is getting on my nerves.

“Declan, please,” I concede.

No change.

The exasperated hiss that comes out of me makes my body flush with fury. “It’s our wedding day. I am supposed to be kissing you at the altar right now while the minister pronounces us husband and wife. Instead, I listened to you and went along with this crazy scheme to run off to Las Vegas and leave everyone – everyone! — behind.”

Side note: I know that’s not true. The decision to ditch my mother was mutual. But right now, I have zero leverage, and he’s giving me that granite look like he’s an Easter Island statue, so I have to find some kind of vulnerability in him.

I’m saving sex for the nuclear option.

 

Author Bio:

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Julia Kent writes romantic comedy with an edge, and new adult books that push contemporary boundaries. From billionaires to BBWs to rock stars, Julia finds a sensual, goofy joy in every book she writes, but unlike Trevor from Random Acts of Crazy, she has never kissed a chicken.

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Give Us a Chance by Allie Everhart – Book Blitz

I am a long time fan of Allie. Do a search on my site and see how many times I talk about her. – Sydney Aaliyah Michelle

Give Us a Chance
Allie Everhart
(The Wheeler Brothers, #2)
Publication date: March 12th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Jake Wheeler doesn’t date. He has a one and done rule. Some would say he’s a player but he disagrees. He’s always upfront with a girl, letting her know he’s not interested in a relationship. That is until he meets Ivy.

A talented carpenter who can hold her own on a construction site, Ivy worked for Jake last summer. He asked her out but she turned him down. Now, months later, Jake is ready to try again. He can’t get this girl out of his head and he needs to figure out why. When he asks her out he assumes she’ll say no again, so he’s shocked when she actually says yes.

After the first date, Jake knows he’s in trouble. Ivy is actually someone he could see himself being with, for a lot longer than a night. But what Jake doesn’t know is that Ivy’s only going out with him to prove she’s not the girl for him. She’s dated his type before and doesn’t want to do it again. But is Jake really the player she thinks he is? And if not, is she willing to trust him with her heart?

Author’s Note: Give Us a Chance is a standalone and book two of The Wheeler Brothers, a series of standalone novels that each feature a different brother. Next to Me, featuring Jake’s older brother, Nash, is book one.

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EXCERPT:

Jake

I haven’t even said a word to her and my heart’s already beating faster. I feel nervous, and I’m never nervous. Even when I was doing all those interviews on TV last fall, I never got nervous.

“Hey, Ivy,” I say, trying to sound cool and relaxed.

“No,” she says, keeping her head down as she picks up a piece of sandpaper.

“No what?”

“No, I’m not going out with you.”

Shit. How did she know that’s why I came over here?

“I didn’t ask,” I say.

“No, but you were about to.” She leans down more, lightly sanding the edge of the book in her picture, creating the look of pages. Damn, that’s incredible. I’m seriously amazed by her talent.

“I was just coming over to say hello,” I tell her. “We haven’t talked since the Victorian. How have you been?”

“Good.” She flips her ponytail to her other shoulder, exposing her neck. I’d love to run my lips down that neck. Down that smooth, perfect skin. My eyes shift down to her shirt, a black v-neck t-shirt that fits close to her body.

“Was that it?” She catches me staring at her breasts and stands up, looking annoyed with me. That’s just great. I’ve been here less than a minute and already screwed this up.

“Good? That’s all you have to say?”

She sets the sandpaper down and crosses her arms over her chest. “What do you want to know?”

“How was your Christmas?”

She’s staring at me like that’s the lamest question ever asked. Considering Christmas was weeks ago, it is a lame question, but it’s the first thing that popped in my head.

“Let me guess,” I say, since she hasn’t answered. “It was good.”

She starts to smile, but then quickly shuts it down. “Yeah.” She shrugs. “Actually, that’s a lie. It sucked. But it’s like that every year so…” Her voice trails off and when she sees the questioning look on my face, she explains, “My mom died at Christmas. It was years ago, but still.”

“Shit, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.” I rake my hand through my hair, which I tend to do when I’m nervous or uncomfortable.

“It’s okay. You didn’t know.” She smiles slightly, but then it disappears again. “Well, I need to get back to work.”

Why is she always telling me to get lost? I know she doesn’t have a boyfriend. I need to try this again, using a different approach. Nash and Callie are right. My usual techniques aren’t going to work this time.

“So do you like to eat?” I ask.

It’s such a strange question that she laughs a little. “Yeah. Why?”

“Let’s go out tonight. It’s on me.”

“I told you I’m not going out with you.”

“It’s not a date. It’s just two people eating dinner. You said you like to eat, right?”

“And if I were to say yes, which I’m not, where would you take me?”

I pause to think. “A little place just down the street from here.”

“Titiana’s? The Mexican place?”

“No.”

“Marco’s Italian?”

I shake my head. “No. This place serves American food.”

“Just tell me.”

“It’s a little place called…” I pause for dramatic effect. “Burger King.”

She bursts out laughing, which is what I was hoping for. I wanted to hear her laugh. I like her laugh. “Burger King? That’s where you’d take a girl on a date?”

“It’s not a date, remember? And what’s wrong with Burger King? Flame-broiled burgers. And you get to have it your way. Extra pickles. No mustard. Whatever you want.”

She laughs again. I’ve decided this is my approach with her. Humor. And saying the unexpected. It seems to be working.

“I can’t go there,” she says. “I’m vegan.”

“Really? I didn’t know that. So we’ll go somewhere else. Where do vegans eat?”

“I’m not going out with you, Jake.”

“Is it because of the jacket?” I glance down at it. “Because I have other jackets if this one offends you.”

She gives me a funny look like she doesn’t know what I mean.

“It’s leather,” I say. “I assumed if you’re vegan you don’t like leather?”

“Oh, um, yeah.” She nods. “That’s right. No leather.”

I smile. “So I’ll switch coats and meet you there at six.”

“Sorry, but it’s not happening.” She turns back to her project.

I’ll have to try again later. At least I’m getting somewhere with her. I got her to laugh, so that was a start.

 

Author Bio:

Allie Everhart is a hopeless romantic who writes books about love. Allie has authored fifteen novels, including The Jade Series, a college romance that follows the story of Jade and Garret as they deal with numerous obstacles trying to tear them apart. Her other series, The Kensingtons, is a romantic suspense series. Her standalone romance novels include Next to Me, and her latest book, Give Us a Chance.

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