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Showing posts with label Stephanie Taylor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stephanie Taylor. Show all posts

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Book Blast: Tinseltown


A-list actress Deb Atkins hasn’t allowed her glamorous lifestyle to go to her head. She owes this to her wonderful family, who keeps her grounded. So, for Deb, not just any man will do, especially if he’s part of the Hollywood elite. Most actors have one thing on their mind, and happily ever after isn’t it. Until she meets Zach Sparks, her new co-star. Zach Sparks is famous not just for his acting skills, but his quick wit and good looks. One glance at Deb, and he's smitten. After a drunken night at a Vegas premiere after-party, one thing leads to another. The result: marriage. Deb is appalled by her actions. So much so, she and Zach can't get along on the set. Their producer demands they spend Christmas holidays together to work out their differences or they're both fired. Driven by selfish motivations, they don't expect to fall in love over Christmas or for their marriage to turn into a real one. But can their tenuous relationship withstand a bigger test than either of them ever imagined?

Excerpt:
“It doesn’t have to end,” she said, stepping into his embrace. “Hold me,” she demanded and looked as his full lips curled into a satisfied smile.

“What…” He cleared his throat. “What are you doing?”

“I’m saying the photographers don’t exist. I want you to kiss me.”

Zach’s eyes narrowed, although she detected a hint of a smile in their depths. She could feel the evidence against her stomach that he, indeed, wanted her. But photographs were being taken too rapidly at this point to think clearly. “You think they don’t already have a juicy story just by the way we’re standing and looking at each other, wearing our wedding rings?”

“Probably.” But he still didn’t move to kiss her.

“Then let’s give ’em a show,” she said

Zach cracked one of those disbelieving smiles and glanced toward the cameras. “You guys want us to give you what you’re after?”

A chorus of “yeahs” erupted and Zach smiled, twirling her around so the majority of the crowd could get a good view. Deb grinned up at him, loving this fun side.

“Hey, you!” Zach said as he pointed to a particular photographer. “What kind of shot will get you the most money?”

“Kiss her!” The others chimed in.

“Feel her up!” the photographer called with a grin.

Zach looked down at her, pure mischief dancing in the depths of his eyes. “You’re giving me permission to do this?”

She shrugged. “Why not? We can always claim later it was a set up.”

He frowned. “Why? No reason for us to be ashamed. I’ve felt you up plenty before. And we are married.” Winking, he pulled her flush against him. “Everybody ready?” he called without taking his eyes off her.

“I’m ready,” Deb whispered. Her body throbbed for his touch.

With cameras perched, Zach kissed her. His tongue danced, mocking his mood, and she tried to catch him. Each time she thought he would settle in for a melting kiss, he withdrew and started all over again. The crowd voiced their displeasure. Silently, Deb booed too.

Tearing away, Zach held his hand up. “Hold on, guys. We’re just getting warmed up.”

Deb grinned and shook her head. Zach’s mouth settled over hers quietly. The photographers melted away. His hands were at the base of her spine, holding her close. Without much effort, she rubbed discreetly against him and he responded accordingly. His kiss turned hot and fervent.

When each breath came quicker than the last and she felt out of control, the cheering brought her back to the present. Since Zach appeared to be more engrossed in other matters — like making her knees go weak — she reached around him and squeezed his butt. The crowd called out loudly and flashes were like strobe lights behind her lids.

Zach pulled away, throwing his head back and laughing heartily. “You amaze me, Deb. That’s what I love about you.”

Deb smiled back at him as he kissed her once more before they waved to the crowd and left.

**Special Note** Tinseltown was previously released through another publisher. Astraea Press is re-releasing it in July 2013. Tinseltown will be exclusively available on Amazon. Purchase Link: AMAZON
STEPHANIE TAYLOR is a freelance editor, author and business owner. She spends her time making other authors’ dreams come true at Astraea Press as Editor in Chief and Owner. Stephanie opened Astraea Press because of the lack of non-erotic book publishers and has finally found a home for her books. Stephanie has a doctorate in multi-tasking and can actually walk a tightrope while balancing a dinner plate on her head and typing her next novel with the other. She lives in Alabama with her three children and her wonderful husband of eleven years.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

There's A New Publisher In Town


Hey, ya’ll. There’s a new publisher in town! The inspiration for Astraea Press was born in 2010 when two friends Stephanie Taylor and Jane Paxson saw the need for a quality, non-erotic publisher who’d offer quality mainstream fiction. They put their heads together and came up with Astraea Press. Then, they persuaded Elaina Lee to be their cover artist and Jane Alice Bennett to be their marketing director. Elise McCallister is their reader. I’ve seen Elaina’s first covers on the Astraea website (www.astraeapress.com), and they’re gorgeous. The woman is so talented.

Authors, why should you consider Astraea? I copied this directly from the website.

• Working one on one with our cover artist to develop a cover you can be proud to display
• 50% royalties on AstraeaPress.com site sales
• Individual, customized marketing plan for each author to help your sales that combine with our own marketing efforts for your book
• Direct communication lines between owner, editors, cover artist, and authors. No middle man here!


They’re looking for :
• Any genre of romance or sub-genre of romance
• Young Adult
• Fiction of all shapes and sizes
• Clean manuscripts with no language and no graphic sex

Submissions are easy too. They don’t give you a thousand hoops to jump through. Here’s the link to the submissions page: http://www.astraeapress.com/submissions.html

I do have a special reason for promoting Astraea. They just happened to offer me a contract for my manuscript A New Dream. They won my heart when they told me how much they liked it. You’ll see more about A New Dream in the near future.

Readers, why should you consider Astraea? If you like clean romance this is the place to go because that’s what they offer: clean stuff full of romance, intrigue, and happy ever afters.

February 1 is Astraea’s opening day, so drop by to see what they have ready for you. You can also check out their blog at http://www.astraeapress.blogspot.com/