The Billionaire's Matchmaker Anthology, Interview, Excerpt and Giveaway!

                                   

The Billionaire's Matchmaker Anthology by Shirley Jump, Susan Meier, Jackie Braun and Barbara Wallace is a Contemporary Romance

Interview:
 
I am delighted to have an Interview with Jackie Braun, one of the talented authors who contributed to this anthology

What advice would you give a new writer just starting out?  

Never give up. Very few writers sell their first book or sell it to the first place they submit it or become a best-selling author overnight. In this business, if you have talent, persistence pays off. Also, don’t keep revising those first three chapters. Write the whole book and then go back to polish it. Too many writers get stuck “perfecting” the first few chapters and never go on to finish the book. Finally, develop a thick skin so that you can take criticism without letting it cripple you either emotionally or creatively. You will be criticized and it won’t always be constructive.
 
What comes first, the plot or characters?  

Usually the characters come first when I start working on a book. They “speak” to me.  Once I get to know them, I decide what their story will be. I’m a very organic writer. I hate having to flesh out a synopsis for an editor, because I generally don’t know exactly what will happen in my book and I don’t want to know. It ruins the writing for me. Half of the fun is when my characters take me on a journey I wasn’t anticipating. That’s not to say I don’t write a synopsis. I do. I just don’t tend to follow it. 

Tell us something about your newest release that is NOT in the blurb.  

I was lucky enough to work with three good writing friends--Shirley Jump, Susan Meier and Barbara Wallace--to develop the concept that become The Billionaire’s Matchmaker and then make our four stories mesh into one cohesive book. My heroine, Mia, has major trust issues after being taken away from her drug-addicted parents and growing up in foster care, but sometimes in life the only way to get what you want is to take a leap of faith.  I loved watching Mia develop and grow enough to take that leap.  As an aside, while writing my story, I wound up adopting a dog from a local shelter. I consider Charlie, the “matchmaker” in the book, responsible for my family’s “match” with a puppy mill survivor we named Pip.

What do you like to do when you are not writing?

I love gardening. I have some lovely flowerbeds in my yard, if I do say so myself. (Gee, the heroine in my book has a green thumb, too. Go figure!) Also, I like to walk, especially on a nearby nature trail with my little dog. Finally, my husband and I have two sons, ages 8 and 13, so they keep me pretty busy too. 

How many books have you written? Which is your favorite? 

I have written 33 books and novellas over the past 13 years. Each has a special place in my heart because of where I was in my life when I wrote it. This book was special because I got to work with Shirley, Susan and Barbara. Writing is a pretty solitary profession, so it was fun to brainstorm and chat with other writers during the process.

What's the weirdest thing you've ever done in the name of research? I don’t know that it’s weird necessarily, but I took a watercolor class offered through community education because one of my characters was an artist. (It turns out I can write about an artist, but I am not artistic in the least. LOL)

What are your favorite TV shows? I am totally hooked on NCIS. I love Gibbs and Tony and I am in mourning that Ziva is leaving the show.

What makes you happy? My family, first and foremost. They are my rock.

Tell us about the absolute BEST fan letter you have received. A woman in the UK wrote one time to tell me that she was a full-time caregiver to her bedridden husband and so she really appreciated the escape my book provided. I still feel humbled by that.

Do you have a favorite quote or saying? Life expands in proportion to your courage.  --Anais Nin. That was my mantra while my husband and I were in the process of adopting our younger son. Will was nearly three years old and had cleft lip and palate, and some other (so-called) special needs. Even though we received some medical information on him, a lot was unknown, and, frankly, scary. That was in 2007. Today, he is happy, healthy and thriving. And our lives have been enriched beyond measure. 
 
If you could have one paranormal ability, what would it be? I would be able to read minds so that I could tell what my moody 13-year-old son is thinking. On second thought, maybe it’s just as well I don’t know. LOL

Favorite color? Blue. All shades of it. Which is why my office has beige walls and all of the accents are in varying hues of green. Hmm. What’s up with that?

Favorite non-alcoholic drink. Diet Coke, preferably from a soda fountain and poured over a lot of ice. It tastes better that way than it does from a can or bottle. Mmm. Mouth watering just thinking about it.



BLURB:

Can a feisty four-legged matchmaker help four best friends find the romance of their dreams?

When a handsome man from Gabby’s past agrees to a cross-country road trip, her master plan to re-launch her art career quickly morphs into an unexpected, romantic reunion.

Marney’s 9-1-1 emergency help arrives in the form of a rugged, blue-eyed cop. Now she has the perfect bodyguard to keep her safe during those dark, steamy nights…

The last thing Mia wants is a relationship…yet the headstrong florist can’t keep her hands off her sexy-as-sin ex-boyfriend.  Will she open her heart before he leaves town for good?

Jenny is a woman on a mission – she’ll even resort to dognapping to make her point! But can she teach a reclusive, emotionally-wounded tycoon that love heals all things?

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EXCERPT:
   
Love Unleashed by Jackie Braun in The Billionaire’s Matchmaker anthology

Marney leaned down and patted Charlie’s head. “Bye, boy. Don’t let her do anything I wouldn’t do.” He let out a soft yip, almost as if he understood.

Mia, however, wasn’t sure she did. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. Be good.” Marney pointed a finger at the dog. “Charlie’s going to be on his best behavior for me. Aren’t you?” Mia said.

Was it her imagination or did the little dog wink?

“You just keep telling yourself that. Well, I’d love to stay and chat, but I have to run.” Marney was halfway out the open front door when she called over her shoulder, “Oh, by the way, Charlie has a checkup with the vet at five-thirty today. Don’t be late.”

The door closed on Mia’s shocked expression. By the time she made it to the porch, Marney was already in her car driving away. Tires actually squealed. Mia scowled. The only veterinarian in Chandler’s Cove was Gideon Roth, hence Marney’s speedy getaway.

Gideon was a prime specimen of a man with a muscular build, thick sandy hair, rich brown eyes that could undress a woman with a glance, and a mouth that could turn her most wanton fantasies into reality. Mia knew all of this firsthand.

Gideon Roth was her ex-boyfriend.

She’d broken up with him six months earlier. Marney and Gabby, as well as Jenny Travolini—the other woman who formed their close quartet of friends—had been surprised. And no wonder. Gideon was a prize. Not only gorgeous and gainfully employed, but smart, funny, and abundantly decent.

Mia’s reason for dumping him? He’d said, “I love you.”

Three little words that most women longed to hear. Not Mia. Especially when Gid had gotten down on one knee on Christmas Day and backed them up with a diamond engagement ring large enough to have its own ZIP code.

Panic had bubbled up, burning her like lava. God help her, for one foolish moment, hope had as well—a geyser’s worth of it had shot up and then rained down on the old, painful memories. But
nothing could wash away the past, which was why Mia had come to her senses.

Why did Gid have to go and ruin a really good thing with a declaration of love and a proposal of marriage?

Mia trusted neither.
The Billionaire's Matchmaker (Amazon link)

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About the authors:




About Shirley Jump

The Billionaire’s Matchmaker:  Driving Mr. Wrong Home


New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shirley Jump spends her days writing romance and women’s fiction to feed her shoe addiction and avoid cleaning the toilets. She cleverly finds writing time by feeding her kids junk food, allowing them to dress in the clothes they find on the floor and encouraging the dogs to double as vacuum cleaners. Look for her Sweet and Savory Romance series, including the USA Today bestselling book, THE BRIDE WORE CHOCOLATE, on Amazon and Nook, and the debut of her Sweetheart Club series for Berkley, starting with THE SWEETHEART BARGAIN in September 2013.

Visit her website at www.shirleyjump.com or read recipes and life adventures at www.shirleyjump.blogspot.com.


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About Jackie Braun

The Billionaire’s Matchmaker: Love Unleashed
 
Jackie Braun is the author of more than 30 contemporary romance novels.  She is a three-time RITA Award finalist, a four-time National Readers’ Choice Award finalist and was nominated for Series Storyteller of the Year by RT Book Club in 2008. She lives in Michigan with her husband, their two sons and a former shelter dog named Pip.

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Blogging 2 Tuesdays each month on The Chocolate Box: www.chocolateboxwriters.com


About Susan Meier

The Billionaire’s Matchmaker:  The Sheriff's Secret

In 2013 Susan Meier lived one of her career-long dreams. Her book, THE TYCOON’S SECRET DAUGHTER was a finalist for RWA’s highest honor, the Rita! The same year NANNY FOR THE MILLIONAIRE’S TWINS was a Book Buyer’s Best Award finalist and National Reader’s Choice finalist.  (congrats Susan!)

Susan is the author of over 50 books for Harlequin and Silhouette, Entangled Indulgence and one of Guideposts' Grace Chapel Inn series books, THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS.

One of eleven kids, Susan never lacks for entertainment or amusement from her over thirty nieces and nephews. Her family’s Wednesday Morning Breakfasts are the highlight of her summer. And with lots of her nieces and nephews now in their twenties, wedding season is in full swing!

Susan lives in west central Pennsylvania with her husband, son and two crazy cats.


Connect with Susan at

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About Barbara Wallace

Barbara Wallace has been a life-long romantic and daydreamer so it’s not surprising she decided to become a writer at age eight.  However, it wasn’t until a co-worker handed her a romance novel that she knew where her stories belonged.  Her first Harlequin Romance debuted in November 2010.

Barbara loves writing sweet, smart, ‘it-could-happen-to-you’ style romances.  She lives in Massachusetts with her other loves – her husband, their teenage son, and three very spoiled pets (as if there could be any other kind).  She also loves hearing from readers. 

You can find her at her website, on Twitter and on Facebook.

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GIVEAWAY!


The authors will award a $25 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour.  (Please remember to leave a valid e-mail address).
Please visit other stops on the tour for more entries.


October 28: My Written Romance
October 29: Reading In Twilight
October 30: Lisa Haselton's Reviews and Interviews
October 30: Ever After Romance Book Blog
October 31: Musings and Ramblings
November 1: Enjoying the Unique Flavors of Life
November 4: INTERVIEW with Barbara Wallace: Long and Short Reviews
November 4: Simply Ali
November 5: fundinmental
November 6: Reviews by Crystal
November 7: Aly's Miscellany
November 8: Jenna Allen
November 11: INTERVIEW with Shirley Jump: It's Raining Books
November 11: The Revolving Bookcase
November 12: All I Want and More
November 13: Literary Confessions of a Mom with Frizzy Hair
November 14: Book Reviews by Lexi
November 15: Rookie Romance
November 15: Wild Wordy Women
November 18: INTERVIEW with Barbara Wallace: Straight From the Library
November 18: Books and Other Spells
November 19: Sarah Ballance
November 20: Queen of the Night Reviews
November 21: Renee Entress's Blog
November 22: As the Pages Turn
November 22: Snarky Mom Reads...