Monday, March 1, 2021

*Book Tour & Giveaway* The Bourbon Books by Allison Martine-GUEST POST

 


Dibs
The Bourbon Books #1
by Allison Martine
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Now a 2020 Kindle Book Awards FINALIST-Romance.

Not tonight, Olivia.

Olivia’s ex-husband shut her down so many times before the cheating bastard left her that Olivia lost count. She didn’t realize she’d also lost the ability to banter, interpret body language, or accept that a man could find her desirable. None of that should matter when she leaves for a two-week training for her new job with the Ranchers, an outdoorsy nonprofit, but when her co-worker adds ‘halter top’ and ‘bikini’ to the official pack list, she has no idea what to expect on this trip.

It certainly wasn’t a perky blonde roommate who thinks their training is like spring break, but with a paycheck. It wasn’t the after-hours hot tub. It absolutely wasn’t the man with a rumble for a laugh who shows up on her flight and introduces himself as the colleague she didn’t know would be her companion for the next two weeks.

When blondie calls dibs on that same colleague, Olivia just wants to stay out of her way, but her colleague has ideas of his own. Ideas which involve Olivia, the hot tub, and shared sips of bourbon.








Since September
The Bourbon Books #2



Most brides dream of planning every last detail of their wedding. Not Olivia Markham. She’d been down the aisle once already and regretted that decision, along with every other judgment call connected with her unfaithful ex. But she also never planned on falling for Adam Burkhardt, who proposed sooner than anyone could have guessed.
So when Adam suggests letting their mothers suss out the particulars for their big day, Olivia agrees, hoping it will assuage their mothers’ trepidation towards their upcoming union. She even relents to having a bachelorette weekend, for the sake of her friends.
Olivia shall endure more nuptial nonsense and play bride once again.
They should have eloped.





Move On, Melinda
The Bourbon Books #3


There are worse things than being a bridesmaid at your best friend’s wedding. Hitting on the groom? Ancient history. Hitting on the best man? Regrettable but forgettable. Getting pawned off on some random guy who came as his mom’s date? Could be worse. But more happened the night of the Burkhardt wedding than Melinda is ready to admit.

Now, Melinda is determined to move forward and leave all that behind.

She just has to survive the Ranchers’ All Staff Retreat, carpooling with her meddling boss, the fresh-from-their honeymoon newlyweds, and a certain unexpected passenger she’d hoped to avoid for the weekend—and the memories he stirs up.






Allison Martine is a multi-genre novelist, focusing on literary science fiction, contemporary romance, and women’s fiction. Her debut novel, dibs, was declared a Finalist for Romance in the 2020 Kindle Book Awards, and Readers' Choice: Category Leader for Romance.
She also writes literary science fiction under the pen name A.M. Hubbard.



GUEST POST

How to Break a Heart Without Breaking Quarantine

(This blog originally appeared on Breaking Rules Publishing's Website)

Welcome to my brief tutorial on how to write a romance novel (or two) while surviving being trapped in a duplex with three children under the age of ten. Normally, writing a romance should be done in a glamorous setting: a Swiss chalet, cozied up under a faux fur throw; digging your toes into the sand while the waves crash in the background; anywhere you can sip a Manhattan. (Including Manhattan.) Social distancing means you will need to bring the romance to you. You will not have the luxury of being inspired by your scenery unless piles of dirty laundry make you swoon.

Step One: Gather your weapons

You’ll need a computer. Don’t kid yourself. This isn’t the time for a leather-bound journal and calligraphy pen. You will not have a spare moment to copy down what you write from paper to screen. You’ve got one shot before someone needs you to wipe their butt. Don’t blow it.

Coffee is not mandatory but strongly suggested. You haven’t slept well since before Obama was president. Wine is fine. You aren’t driving. Nobody’s driving.

Keep a bowl of snacks nearby. Star Wars fruit snacks, Funyuns, and squeezable apple sauce are recommended. Obviously these are not for you but to hand to anyone who inevitably starts whining that they’re hungry. Toss them as necessary, like you’d throw meat to a lion.

Step Two: Train your senses:

You’ll need to learn to tune out the following noises: the bing-bing-bing of a railroad crossing gate, forty minutes straight, since your four-year-old is still obsessed with watching trains and he can only do that now on YouTube. The sound of an entire Lego bin getting dumped all over the wooden floor—you will step on them later, barefoot. Brace yourself. Rustling in the kitchen—foraging is encouraged because it means they’re not bothering you.

But not these noises: water running—it might be someone washing their hands. It is probably someone peeing on the floor. It is definitely not the dishwasher because only you know what the buttons do or how to run it. The bing-bing-bing that the refrigerator is open. (It is a different pitch than the bing-bing-bing of the railroad crossing; learn to distinguish the two.) Screaming. There will be a lot of screaming. You’ll need to separate the brawlers.

Step Three: Set the Mood

Unless you have a partner willing to watch your munchkins while you lock yourself away in your writing dungeon or what have you—and if so, well done!—you will have to be able to accept the cognitive dissonance of watching your children WHILE trying to simultaneously visualize your characters gazing deeply into each other’s eyes. You’ll have to change a training potty but still envision a hot tub, or stir Spaghetti-Os but summon up the smell of filet minon or crème brulee. You can’t very well light a soft candle because someone will inevitably burn off an eyebrow or set their sister’s doll’s hair on fire.

Vision boards are great for this, so scour the internet for pictures that remind you of the people or places that you want to include in your novel. Obviously this is all a thinly veiled excuse to look up thousands of pictures that you base the love interest on, but it’s for your novel, so it’s okay, and you definitely aren’t a stalker.

Step Four: Write, Maybe
You’ve got your equipment and hopefully some inspiration and you are ready to write that novel. The perfect scene will descent into your brain, as if gifted by Cupid himself. The moment you go to type that out, someone will have found the xylophone and begin to plonk out what might be Three Blind Mice but all you know is the muse has left you and so has your patience.

Repeat as often as necessary until novel is complete.



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$30 Amazon


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