Hi everyone! To kick off my special reader guests for June aka birthday month 😉 … I’ve got one of my favorite people, Mary G! I only wish we got to hang out more – and that more of you knew her! I’ll have to be more witty and intelligent so Mary comes out to play more. 😛 Anyway, I met her at Lori Foster (And Dianne Castell now Duffy Brown’s Reader & Author Get Together) but we’d chatted online via blogs before… and it was one of my personal highlights of the conference. Anyway – you can see why she’s fantastic for yourself. (And she brought along Beth Kery as Bethany Kane – and who could ever find fault with that?!)
When Lime invited me to write a guest post, I was thrilled. Now I’m facing a blank page. Yikes!!
I only have two loves in my life (besides family & friends) & those are tennis & books.
My grandfather (who was also a voracious reader before his eyesight deteriorated) bought me my first book for Christmas when I was nine years old. After that I went to the library every Saturday & took home eight books. To this day, I insist that my house would be immaculate if I wasn’t a reader. There are always piles of books, magazines & newspapers around until recycle day eve LOL.
Today I wanted to focus on another life changing moment. That was reading my first Beth Kery book. It was Wicked Burn and it blew me away. I still have the first email I sent her:
“Wicked Burn has to be one of the most amazing books I’ve ever read. It had everything. I could not put it down but I did not want it to end.”
Oh how woefully inadequate that is LOL. It was so deeply emotional, heart rending, sexy hot and had a few spots that made me smile. It raised the bar for me on what I want out of a book whether it be a contemp, romantic suspense, historical, etc. A book can have it all. The other thing that sets Beth apart is her prose. I still chuckle when I remember telling her that no one writes like her. She says she uses the same vocab as everyone else. Whatever. I’ve also complained to her that her books take longer to read because the prose is so beautiful that I reread passages over & over again.
My fave passage ever in a book: Sweet Restraint page 219 –
They both lay on their sides belly to belly, their limbs wrapped fast around the other so that they formed a secure, fleshy knot.
This is what became a book mark moment, putting a book mark in a fave passage. I met Beth at Lori Foster’s last year, a casual, down to earth and at the same time, elegant lady who is just as beautiful on the inside. I can’t wait to see her again this week. Lime, you better be there next year.
Today Beth is here to talk about her latest book, Addicted To You, written under her pen name Bethany Kane. It doesn’t matter what the name is on the cover. You’re assured of a great read.
Beth/Bethany puts her special brand on a friends to lovers story that you will enjoy. She’s done quite a few interviews this week so I have just one question. What was the spark, the impetus that started you on the path to writing?
Thanks to both Lime and Mary for asking me to post! It’s hard for me to convey how grateful and flattered I am by Mary’s words. There is no greater compliment to an author than knowing her story has touched the heart of another. Thank you, Mary. Your words touched me, as well.
What sparked my writing career? Probably a lifetime of reading. Books fill my earliest memories. It was the greatest treat in the world to go to the library with my mother. It was incredible…like Christmas every time we went. I also have a very sharp memory of one event. I was about five or six. My mom was in graduate school at the time, and she’d teamed up with another teacher. Their project was to do something that would get kids excited about reading. They encouraged me to write a story; mine was about mice. I do remember that much. But what I really remember was that they bound it into a little book. I remember being so stunned and so proud. I couldn’t believe I was an author.
I’m sure that’s just one of many events that set me on this path. I’ve come a very long way from the story about mice to my upcoming release from Berkley Heat, Addicted to You. Addicted to You is the first full length erotic romance in a new series called “One Night of Passion.” The theme of this series, written under the pen name Bethany Kane, is that each of the romances starts out with one night of impulsive pleasure. Of course, it will end up with a happily-ever-after, but only after the couples come to terms with whatever led up to them behaving so uncharacteristically on that first night. I make them work for that happily-ever-after, but that’s where the fun happens.
Rill and Katie, the hero and heroine from Addicted to You, have a long history of friendship. Rill came to the U.S. from Ireland to go to film school at UCLA, and as a result, Katie’s family opened their home and hearts to him. Katie carried a torch for him from a young age, halfway knowing nothing will ever come of her infatuation. Rill is brilliant, after all, and possesses an easy charm and raw sexuality that women adore. Years later, Rill begins to date Katie’s college roommate, Eden, and eventually marries her. Katie’s chances of ever having a romantic relationship with Rill fade to nothing. Years pass, and their cherished friendship deepens.
One day, Eden is killed in a car wreck and Rill learns an earth-shattering secret about his dead wife. He’s so devastated by the circumstances that he leaves a brilliant career as a film director and holes up in the tiny, quirky town of Vulture’s Canyon, drinking too much and spinning out of control. Never one to give up on those she loves, Katie blazes into Vulture’s Canyon one night, intent on saving Rill.
What happens on that starlit night when these two passionate, volatile souls crash together changes their relationship forever. Katie and Rill make the friends-to-lovers journey fun, heart- rending and extremely sexy all at once. After one night of passion, nothing will ever be the same for them again.
All it takes is a moment for your life to change—one night of desire to make you feel alive…
Irish film director Rill Pierce fled to the tiny, backwoods town of Vulture ‘s Canyon, seeking sanctuary and solitude after a devastating tragedy. Once, his raw sex appeal and sultry Irish accent made women across the globe swoon. Now, he’s barely recognizable…
But Katie Hughes, his best friend’s sister, is not the type of woman to give up on a man like Rill. She blazes into Vulture’s Canyon determined to save him from himself. Instead, she finds herself unleashing years of pent-up passion. In a storm of hunger and need, Katie and Rill forget themselves and the world. But will Rill’s insatiable attraction to Katie heal his pain—or will it just feed the darkness within him?
You can read an excerpt of Addicted to You here.
Contest: Leave a reply to one or both of the following questions, and I’ll give a copy of Addicted to You to one commenter.
What were your first memories of books and reading? Have you ever indulged in a night of impulsive passion and had it turn into something more?
Personally, I think you should go for answering both questions – honestly!- heh. So do you have any questions for Mary and or Beth/Bethany? I do want to note that they’re both at the Reader and Author Get Together this year, which is taking place this very weekend. So they won’t be able to check back until they’re home. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t comment, ask Beth and Mary questions, and answer Beth’s question as well!
Mary! *waves!* – Great post!! 🙂 I couldn’t agree more on Beth.
I’m not 100% certain, but I believe my 1st really enjoyable reading memories came from “The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe” – the magic just sucked me right in.
No need to enter me into the contest – I’m @ Lori Foster’s event right now and *fingers-crossed*, I’ll grab an early released copy of “Addicted to You” in just a few hours @ the booksale 😀
-Mahlet
Morning Mary & Beth:
Wonderful post and I can certainly relate to Mary’s memories of Wicked Burn & Sweet Restraint, both are keeper reads for me and Beth’s work has indeed enriched my reading experience. Thank you both so much for sharing your memories of books and reading.
Reading has been a part of my entire life too, be it educational or leisure. My earliest memories of enjoying the romance genre was during the pre-adolescent period and sneaking my mother’s Harlequins from her bedside table to read in secret. lol Naughty stuff don’t you know – I’m talking circa 1960’s here so this is meant in jest.
As for the One Night of Passion question – so not going there! Yikes!!
I hope you are enjoying the Lori Foster Get Together, and thanks to Limecello for hosting, you have a fabulous blog here. 🙂
Please don’t enter me in the Giveaway – I’ve read Addicted To You and it rocks!!
Warm Regards
L
Great post! My first memories of books and reading are of the blue Mickey Mouse book holder and Disney collection of books that I had since a toddler. I’m sure many kids had them. My mom read them to me until I could read them for myself.
I was engaged at the age of 19 and married a couple of years later. I’m not an impulsive person but a planner. I haven’t been single to indulge in one night of passion with a stranger. LOL
Enjoyed the post! My earliest memories about books is a cloth book and Little Golden Books (I remember the golden spine with the distinctive pattern). Sadly I’ve never indulged in impulsive passion that turned into anything more. Ah well, that’s why I have books, right? 🙂
Thanks for hosting the contest!
My first memory of books is the summer reading club at the library. We used to go every saturday, and I would get 7 books – one for each day – to take home for the week. They also had a story time, which was great!
One other fun memory – there was a van from the library that also used to come around in the summer. All us kids would go in the back and take out books! It was a lot of fun – almost as good as the ice cream man!! LOL
susanmik AT gmail DOT com
I come from a family of reader’s, and can remember sitting on my Dad’s lap while he read to me, using different voices for all the characters. I’ve always loved reading, from those first Nancy Drew books, thru my first romance stories by Georgette Heyer and Barbara Cartland, all the way through to Kathleen Woodiwess. No impulsive passion moments for me, I get those through the fabulous romance stories I read.
caity_mack at yahoo dot com
When I think of my earliest books and reading I remember when I discovered the Boxcar Children and I checked every one of them out of the library. I talked my little sister into helping me make a fort outside and we’d pretend to be them.
As for the night of impulsive passion…we are sooooo not going there! lol 🙂
Beth, why the name change?!?!
I can’t wait for ADDICTED TO YOU to come out…but I’ll have to remember new name.
Hi, Mary and Beth/any!! GREAT posts–thank you for sharing! As for the questions, I’m super thankful my parents are readers and nurtured that love of reading in us, too. I remember frequent visits to the public library, where I pestered the children’s librarians for recommendations and then pestered my siblings to let me check out additional books on their cards (after I’d hit the limit on mine–seriously, only 8 books at a time?! Ludicrous!) My mom would be annoyed when she had to step over me on the stairs where I couldn’t even make it all the way into the house before I started to read whatever new books we’d hauled home that week.
And no, I haven’t had the impulsive passionate night to speak of yet 😉
Hi Beth and Mary G 🙂
So nice to see two of my favorite people here! Hope you’re enjoying Lori Foster’s weekend– I’m jealous! And Mary, I had one of those reactions to the first Beth Kery book I ever read, which was Daring Time.
Hi Mary, thanks so much for guesting with Limecello! That’s wonderful you’ve built up a friendship with one of your favorite authors. I’d love to have something like that happen.
Hi Beth(any), that new series sounds great. I definitely want to read it! I’m going to check out your books next time I head to the bookstore.
Oops I’m such an idiot. My first memory of reading (knew I forgot something!) I remember leaning against the car port and suddenly the kid book, some Dr. Seuss type (not not a Dr. Seuss), and off I went.
I loved going to the library and checking out as many books as possible and doing the summer reading challenges.
As to the other question, nope – but maybe some day 😉
My first memories of books that I absolutely HAD to read (and in order) were Sweet Valley High. I was maybe 9 yrs old?? and I thought those Wakefield twins would be me and my BFF in high school – Boy was I wrong!!! I would go to the library every weekend and check out as many books as I could!
Next question: night of daring impulsive passion . . . unless you count with my husband when the kids are gone – nope. I really do lead a dull life!
I remember going to the library when I was little, and at the age of 6, I checked out Little Women. I remember I had to renew it, but I read it and loved it and was so proud to have finished such a big, grown-up book!
Hi Mary! You are a girl after my own heart. I LOVE tennis – playing and watching. I’ve been enjoying all the coverage of the French Open the last two weeks and can’t wait to watch the Men’s final tomorrow. Books are my second love and I’m a big Beth Kery fan. Love that she has a new release under another name and I would love to win Addicted to You.
I have no early memory of reading – just that I’ve been doing it all my life from the early days when my parents would buy the Little Golden books and read them to me over and over again. I seriously cannot imagine my life without books in it.
boomer21(at)rogers(dot)com
i have to say my first love of books was the little golden books too. My granny would reward me with them when I was good .
My night of implusive passion turned into the love of my life 10 yrs later we are married with 3 kids guess one of us was happy they knew their way around a bedroom 😉
Great post.I can’t wait to read Addicted to You.
My first memory of books..was my dad bring home these fairy tale books that had records in them and a small record player..You could either read the books or set the record player up and listen along to them.I listened to those books for hours over and over again.I actually recently just found a few I still had.
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Hi All
Wonderful comments. Missed you at Lori’s this year Lime!!
Shiloh was awesome as usual.
It was great to see Mahlet there with the rest of Beth’s crew. I’ve met some wonderful people through being a Beth fan, speaking of which – Hi Lea!! I met Lea through Beth’s Chat group & she’s become a very dear friend. I got lots of goodies for you girl!! Can’t wait to see you.
Hi Tracy Wolff!!
Another of my fave writers. Nice of you to drop in.
I’m glad everyone enjoyed reminiscing about books.
BTW Judi L. Everytime I went back to my room, tennis wasn’t on. My timing stunk. I got my son to text me with updates. I did see the the same highlights over & over though LOL. I have to say Lori’s is worth missing the tennis for.
I just have to say – I love this post! Thank you so much, Mary and Bethany! And so many great comments and questions too!
I also didn’t know the release date your new series, Bethany :X but I’m so excited it’s available tomorrow! Whee!
Addicted to You sounds great. I love the cover.
My first memory of books and reading was my mom reading Richard Scary and Berenstain Bears books to me. I could sit for hours with a book.
In 4th grade my teacher read us the book Where the Red Fern Grows. I remember I loved that book SO MUCH. I cried at the end. I checked out Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory from the school library and after that I was addicted. I read as many books as they would let me.
The first book I remember picking out was Judy Blume’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret because it had my name in the title. I was way too young for it at the time, but I later went on to devour all of the Judy Blume books.
As for passionate encounters, I tried to have a wild fling while across country on a business trip. It didn’t quite work out the way I planned, but we’ll be xelebrating our 10th anniversay later this month.
I had a fantastic time at RAGT11 too! Fabulous post, ladies.
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