Introducing my latest release

On Sunday, I'm excited to say, my first release with Amber Quill is coming out, and today starts my informal blog tour to promote it. I say informal because it's something I put together myself with people I know, and a few very nice reviewers. I hope you'll love my book as much as I do, so I'm going to tell you a little about it. You might have seen snippets of it here and there. This book is very close to my heart, I must admit.

The name of the book is When Will I See You Again. If the title sounds familiar, that's because it's the name of a song by the Three Degrees, and yes, I was influenced by it when I wrote this. Here is the video, so you can listen to it, too.  http://youtu.be/T6fVDAjs9f0

Now, here is my inspiration for Raoul Marchand.

This is what Raoul looks like in my mind. And yes, this is Gerard Butler, the way he looks in Attila.

When Will I See You Again takes place in a time when the presence of werewolves and vampires among the general populace is known and accepted, largely because of drugs that control any baser animal instincts. SL57 is the werewolf wonder drug, short for SomnioLupus, otherwise known as Wolf Trank. In the small seaside town of Crescent Bay, people come to the famous nightclub Charisma, mostly because of the charismatic man who is one of the best-known supes in the area: Raoul Marchand. Raoul is a regular party animal, one who lives but to have a good time, and who cares for no one and nothing. But he hasn’t always been this way...

Let me share the blurb with you.

 Raoul Marchand is the crown prince of Charisma, the infamous night club in Crescent Bay, renowned for its supernatural clientele. He has the pick of any and all men, but he cares for none. He uses them and throws them away again, and has done so for some twenty years, in the aftermath of a tragedy that robbed him of what he loved most in the world.

Alexx Jameson is an idealistic young would-be reporter with the Crescent Bay Chronicle. Presented with an opportunity to write a story on the Marchands, he eagerly grasps the chance to be a real reporter. His friend, Chronicle receptionist Miller Fenwick, suggests they go to Charisma to do a little research. Alexx isn’t sure that’s such a great idea. After all, he’s still under age, being only twenty. No problem, Miller can fix that! Added bonus, there’s a full moon tonight.

When Alexx first encounters Raoul, it isn’t exactly in the way he dreamed of, and he’s sure he made a terrible first impression. But Fate throws them together under unforeseen circumstances, and the attraction between them can’t be denied. Can Raoul let go of the past long enough to find his future with Alexx, or is he doomed to repeat past mistakes?

And now for an excerpt:

Alexx drew in his breath in dismay. This wasn’t going well. Even so, he could not stop staring at Raoul. His eyes met the other man’s. Raoul’s were very golden; he wasn’t aware such colors even existed in the spectrum of the human eye. But then again, he didn’t have any friends that were werewolves either. He wondered if this was a sign that perhaps this man was about to change, right here and now?

The thought was both exhilarating and frightening.

Alexx’s vision telescoped until he wasn’t aware of anything but this gorgeous man in front of him. Blood pounded in his ears and his mouth felt suddenly dry. Having lost all sense of the others in the room, he was surprised when he felt his chair yanked out from under him. Before he could fall, a hand grabbed the scruff of his neck, propelling him to his feet. He glanced at his companion; Miller was being subjected to the same surly treatment.

“You waste my time for this?” Raoul’s upper lip curled back in a snarl. Alexx found himself wildly attracted to him. “I have somewhere I need to be. Paolo, please show these gentlemen out.” Sarcastic much? He turned and reached for the door, but it opened before he touched it.

A shaggy blond with hazel eyes and a cheerful countenance stuck his head inside. “Hey Paolo—” He interrupted himself at the sight of the occupants of the room.

Alexx heard Miller’s sigh of relief, even as he too recognized the newcomer. He’d seen him around the Chronicle often enough, although he’d never really spoken to him. Foster Levine, son of the Chronicle’s owner—heir apparent and future newspaper magnate.

Alexx’s relief quickly changed to anxiety. What if Foster knew how old he really was? He couldn’t be sure one way or the other, but for the sake of argument, he had to assume he did. Would he out him to Raoul Marchand and his burly minion? Had they simply jumped from the frying pan to be scorched by the fire?

And this is how I pictured Foster, for the record. Get your drool bibs ready for this one too lol

I always hoped that I would find a publisher for WWISYA, but the road wasn't an easy one. Luckily for me, I have the support of my wonderful kids and some very great friends.  First I was rejected, and then I was ignored (the publisher was interested but forgot to get back to me). I had always wanted to sub to Amber Quill, but they were, until recently, by invitation only. So I took a chance, and found my book accepted in six days, and published three months later.

So now here I am, excited and thrilled to bring this to you. I don't want to give away too much of the story, because that's what reading is for, right? Discovery, exploration, sharing... and I hope you get to experience them all. So I am going to have a giveaway. Two readers will win a copy of When Will I See You Again.

What do you have to do? Well, I would like it if you followed me, but I won't demand it. What I am asking for is that you comment and tell me whatever comes to mind. What you think of the song, the blurb, the excerpt - how you're feeling today, anything. Be sure to leave an email address, so I can contact you if you win.

I will pick the winners before my Valentine's Day Blog Hop, and post them. You can comment on any of my stops on my tour. I'll put all the  names into a hat and draw from them.

I hope you enjoy the tour. Most of all, I hope you enjoy the book. I put my heart in it.  Thanks for listening.

The first stop on my tour is The Novel Approach. Go there and enjoy! There'll be a giveaway there too!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie