Many thanks to Virginia Kelly, who invited me on this blog hop. And now for a little about my writing process.

What am I working on?
I’m writing a Romantic Suspense for Entangled Publishing that will be due out later this year. It’s book two of a continuity that I’ve set up with two other authors. The series starts off at The Great Exhibition of London 1851 and centres around the company Steel Hawk—who are asked to bring their secure locking device so that famous diamond - The Pasha Star of Zarrenburg, can be safely exhibited. 

What happens at the exhibition sends ripples through Steel Hawk and the Royal family of Zarrenburg—entwining their destinies forever. 

My book is set in present day, in a world of high-tech security, a royal coronation, a missing diamond and a man who threatens to destroy Steel Hawk’s reputation. It features alpha-geek Head of Research and Development for Steel Hawk, Adam Steel, and his reformed-rebel personal assistant, Honeysuckle Hawk. 

There’s a tremendous amount of plotting involved across the three books but writing Adam and Honeysuckle’s story is delicious fun.

I’ve also just turned in book two for HarperImpulse – working title: The Love List. This contemporary romance is the second in a series of three and focuses on the story of Nora King (sister of Jared King – the hero of Her Best Laid Plans, which came out last week!).

How does my work differ from others in its
genre?
With my romantic suspense I love writing some of the story from the villain’s POV. It’s very important to write believable characters—not
everyone is one hundred per cent evil! Or if they are for the purposes of fiction, then any “bwahahaha” needs to be balanced by relatable flaws and multiple layers to their character.

With my contemporary romance I use a little more humour and get to focus completely on the relationship between the H/H. 

Why do I write what I do? 
It makes me happy. I love storytelling, and, in a world where it’s far too easy to settle back, opt out, and be cynical, I like to feel that reading romance can redress the balance a little. And because people sometimes struggle when the
world does turn serious, I like feeling I might be able to offer some entertainment and escape.

How does my writing process work?
I think I’m part plotter, part pantser! I’m definitely learning that some books I have to plan to the nth degree and some seem to simply unfold.

I always start out with a scene which pops into my head and just refuses to let go so that I end up mulling over “what if” scenarios as the
characters start telling me things about themselves. I tend to write a loose outline because I like to leave myself a little wiggle-room for the plot to breathe and take unexpected turns.

Next comes the choosing of the notebook! Finding the right one is a ritual that requires considerable thought and…a lovely shopping trip. The notebook must be both beautiful and practical and contain four sections for:
Characterisation, Research, Plotting Journal and Edits.

I take this notebook everywhere with me when I’m writing the book and by the time I press “send” on the manuscript, it has about three different colours of ink in it, neat writing,
illegible writing and post-it notes stuck in it and to it which never seem to mean a thing to me when I get around to reading them!

I use my plotting journal section to write the number of words I’ve written that day, a VERY loose plan for what I want to write the next day
and any light-bulb moments that come to me that feed into the main characters’ motivation. Yes – I really do use an actual “lightbulb” symbol!

The plotting CHART makes an appearance when I’m about a third of the way through the first draft and all the different threads are starting to come together and I want to make sure I don’t leave any loose ends.

At the end of it all—somehow – through much pondering, problem-solving, writing, charting, spreadsheeting, procrastinating, angsting  and yet more writing, my book is born!

And now I’m going to let you in on who I’ve tagged to share their Writing Process with you all next week….

It’s the uber talented author Charlotte Phillips

Charlotte Phillips writes funny, sassy, sexy stories for Harlequin KISS/Mills & Boon ModernTempted, and HarperImpulse. She is also mum to three kids and a mad dachshund and terrible housewife to a heroic husband who doesn't notice he is living in a hovel. She lives in Wiltshire, England.

Follow her post on the 17th March on her website here: 
www.charlotte-phillips.blogspot.com

The clack, clack, clacks of her heels slowed against the sidewalk even as her heart rate sped up. Jared’s SOS text meant he needed help ousting his Latest Limpet back to The Real World where it was clearly understood her time with the millionaire corporate property investor was up.

She should ignore it. Concentrate on “The Plan” instead and fill out a few more job applications.

Still. He was a friend in need …

Sending a quick response, she hailed a cab. Destination: The Thai Lounge. Jared’s preferred venue for dealing with “Code Reds”. Not that there were many. Mostly women knew the score and enjoyed their time with him for what it was: a
mutually enjoyable interlude. It was only occasionally a woman morphed into full-on Limpet mode.

That was where she came in. An arranged ‘chance meeting’ between her and Jared with some subtle flirting was usually enough to leave the impression that he had effectively moved on.

Leaning back against the cab’s fading leather, Amanda admitted to a tiny, miniscule really, loss of perspective where Jared and their sporadic
role-playing Limpet-dispensing exercises was concerned. Because for all that was up-front, solid, responsible, and in- control about Jared— there was, lurking just beneath the surface, a hint of danger and a dark sensuousness that any
woman would be inclined to want to try and entice out to play. Add in the six-feet-two, exquisitely muscled, chiselled cheek-boned, full-lipped, green-eyed, raven-haired wrapping and well …

Amanda squirmed. Darn it, was she going to have to get out “The Plan” again?

She chewed on her bottom lip. Maybe these days the camaraderie between them had been replaced with something far less easy to label— he still needed her help didn’t he?

Don't miss the last day to enter the GIVEAWAYS on the Her Best Four Letter Day Blog Hop.
Check here: http://www.evascottromance.com/apps/blog/
or here:
http://carmelharrington.com/

I love stationery.
 
Guess that’s nothing new. A writer who loves stationery. Big whoop. That’s like announcing cops like donuts or judges like early tee times.
It’s not exactly breaking news.
 
But that doesn’t make it any less true. I love post-its and note cards. Legal pads and note pads. Spiral notebooks and journals. If it has paper and it’s bound, I’m all over it. 
 
Recently, with the release and promotion of my debut novel, The Tycoon’s Socialite Bride, and trying to keep up with my family, I realized I needed better help with organization. My digital organizers weren’t cutting it; I needed my old friends pen and paper. I went on Amazon and looked at the daily planners, but they were all so… plain. I was reading reviews on one
planner and I saw “DIY.”
 
Was it possible?
 
I could make my own daily planner?!
 
Heart pounding, I typed “DIY daily planner” into Google and smiled in bliss at the list of blogs and articles that appeared on my screen. I do not exaggerate when I say I spent hours looking at the articles, reading reviews, weighing the pros and cons until I found exactly what I was looking for on the I Heart Organizing blog. It was perfect. It was colorful, inclusive, organized… and expensive. Between the binder and accessories and the custom print out pages, it was going to cost more than a regular daily planner. But
like I am with my purses (Have I mentioned my purse addiction? No. Okay, good.) when the right one calls to me, price isn’t an object. 

What do you think? Do you use a daily planner? Paper or digital? What do you like best about it?

A  big hug and thank you to Eve, for hosting me today.

Bio: Tracey Livesay wrote her first romance novel at the age of eleven, called “The Healing Power of Love.” With a detour through college and law school--where she met her husband on the very first day--she’s finally achieved her dream of being a published author. She lives in Virginia with said husband and three kids. Her debut novel, The Tycoon’s Socialite Bride, is available now from Entangled Publishing. For info on her upcoming releases or to chat about TV, movies and/or purses you can
check out her
WEBSITE   FACEBOOK   TWITTER

Blurb:  To avenge his mother’s mistreatment at the hands of her upper-crust employer, self-made real estate tycoon Marcus Pearson needs
entree into their exclusive world. When D.C. socialite Pamela Harrington comes to him for help, Marcus realizes the golden admission ticket he’s been seeking has suddenly fallen into his lap.

Pamela will do anything to save her favorite
cause, even agree to a marriage of convenience. The altruistic “it-girl” isn’t worried about the pretend passion with Marcus turning real; she’s sworn off powerful, driven men who use her for her family’s connections.

So  she’ll deny the way her pulse races with one look from his crystalline blue eyes. And he’ll ignore the way his body throbs with each kiss from her full lips. Because there’s no way he’ll lose his blue-collar heart to the blue-blooded beauty.
 
Buy Links: 
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Tycoons-Socialite-Bride-Entangled-Indulgence-ebook/dp/B00HY09X52/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top 
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-tycoons-socialite-bride-tracey-livesay/1118473344 
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-tycoons-socialite-bride/id802779899?mt=11
All Romance ebooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thetycoon039ssocialitebride-1406153-237.html

Today it’s my turn to offer you all another chance to win on the Her Best Four Letter Word Blog Hop, celebrating the publication of two HarperImpulse titles:  Eve Devon’s ‘Her Best Laid Plans’ (contemporary romance) and Zara Stoneley’s ‘Love is a Four Letter Word’ (erotic romance).

Look out for the deets for TWO GIVEAWAYS via Rafflecopter and using the comments section on this blog at the end of the post.  
 
ABOUT ‘HER BEST LAID PLANS’
by Eve Devon
Blurb: Love is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans…

The Totally Perfect Life Plan of Amanda Gray

Step 1 – Take total control of own destiny and avoid getting too wrapped up in the details.
Step 2 – Definitely do NOT kiss gorgeous bad-boy businessman who doesn't know how to live life without scheduling it six months in advance, even if he is absolutely irresistible.
Step 3 – Don't even THINK of accompanying him to London as his PA to enjoy steamy encounters in a metropolitan paradise.
Step 4 – Absolutely, positively, whatever you do- do NOT fall in love with him…

Available from AMAZON or click here for other retailers.

ABOUT EVE DEVON: I love connecting with readers. Find out more about me or stop by for a chat:  Website     Facebook    Twitter 

ABOUT ‘LOVE IS A FOUR LETTER WORD’ by Zara Stoneley

Take one rich girl who has a thing for the bad boys.
Take one tough guy who thinks possession is nine-tenths of the misery law.
Mix generously with a land dispute and a whole lotta lust…. And what have you got?
Sometimes being bad can be just too good to
miss.

Available from:  AMAZON or click here for other retailers.

ABOUT ZARA STONELEY: To find out more about Zara and her books, please follow the links:  Website      Facebook       Twitter  

Goodie Bag Contents: All the perfect ingredients for a girlie reading experience…

10.00£/$ Amazon Gift Voucher (to purchase delicious ebooks)
Her Best Laid Plans Beaded Bookmark (for a touch of book bling)
Love is a Four Letter Word Beaded Bookmark (for a touch of book bling)
Her Best Laid Plans/Love is a Four Letter Word Linen Bag (to keep all your reading experience ingredients together and handy for those urgent
date night clothes shopping trips)
Bottle of Bubbly (for if you don’t like hot
chocolate/tea)
Hot Chocolate/Tea Drinking Goodies (for if you don’t like bubbly)
Chocolates (no explanation required!)
Nail Varnish/Nail Files (for that break between reading books!)

And it’s all inside a lovely HarperImpulse bag!

Due to the content of the prizes, all entrants must be over 18. If the winner does not reside in the UK, some items may be substituted with others of an equal or greater value due to individual country restrictions

No purchase is necessary, all answers will be available on the publisher’s blog, retailer sites, or the authors’ blogs, websites or Facebook Pages.

Answer Eve and Zara’s questions using the
Rafflecopter: To be in with a chance of winning the Goodie Bag you need to answer the two questions below. 

Question 1: What is Amanda’s brother (Jared’s best friend) called?

Question 2: What is Georgie’s step-mother
called?

Don't know the answer? Check out Eve and Zara’s facebook pages or their websites for snippets from their books                   
 
All correct entries will be put into the grand draw for the Goodie Bag. Winners will be announced on March 6th HERE

To gain extra entries in the Rafflecopter follow us on our blog hop and answer each new set of questions – you can find a full listing of where we’ll be on our websites or:  HERE

Win an iBook Voucher every day of the hop by taking part in: Her Best Four Letter Word…to describe reading contemporary
romance 
Leave your best four letter word (no profanity, please) to describe reading contemporary romance in the comments section and a winner will be chosen to receive an iBooks Voucher
for a HarperImpulse title (please note if your first choice is not available you may have to pick another!). The winner of today’s competition will be posted at the end of the blog hop on 6th March. Only ONE iBooks voucher is available each day, if the Blog Hop is visiting more than one blog then ALL entries for the day,
from all participating blogs, will be entered into the daily competition.

Good Luck and we hope you enjoy Her Best Laid Plans and Love is a Four Letter Word

Stepping from the stream of traffic, she rooted around in her bag for her phone. Dragging it to the surface, she clicked on the memo function to bring up “The Plan”. She’d written it six weeks ago at brand-spanking-ly-New-Year’s-Day
o’clock, boosted by several large cocktails in celebration of her brother’s new job with a firm of lawyers. That Mikey had challenged the hand he’d been dealt, and secured himself a fulfilling future had filled her with pride. But celebrating Mikey’s success as they welcomed in the New Year with all of their friends, it had suddenly dawned on her that if she didn’t make some changes to her own life, she was going to be left behind. While everyone had started counting down the seconds, she’d started thinking.

Mikey had already spent his late teenage years practically raising her. On the cusp of starting his new life, there was no way she wanted to be responsible for holding him back. With alcohol making her brave she’d whipped out her phone
and set about typing a three point plan.
1) Get a better, more challenging job that could turn into a career.
2) Move out into own place.
3) Do something with your photography.

The next day, faced with a familiar fear of change, she’d gone to delete her fledgling plan, only to thankfully remember that Mikey didn’t deserve to start worrying his sister was in danger of turning into a bit of a flake.

So, okay, she was a novice at changing the course of her life. And maybe the plan read a bit like a list. But for Amanda it was more of a resolution anyway. A New Year’s resolution to participate in her own life story. Scary as that
felt. Unsafe as that felt. Tempting fate as that felt. She had to try.

Now, scanning her eyes over the plan’s contents it was as she’d suspected. Nowhere on her new life plan did it say anything about Jared King.

Or acknowledging rushes of heat brought about by Jared King.

Her eyes flicked to the last entry: Do something with your photography. There was a reason it was at the bottom of the list, she conceded, noticing a text had come through whilst she’d been in the interview.

Pacing to keep warm she opened it and read: CODE RED. WHERE R U? J