#MFRWauthor Heating It Up: Where @romanzwrter_grl Elizabeth Harmon Gets Her Story Ideas

Contemporary romance author Elizabeth Harmon loves to read and write romances with a dash of different. A graduate of the University of Illinois, she has worked in advertising, community journalism and as a freelance magazine writer. She feels incredibly blessed to have a career that allows her to spend her days imagining “what if?” and a loving family that keeps her grounded in the real world.  Her debut novel, Pairing Off, the first book in her Red Hot Russians sports romance series, is a 2016 RITA Award Finalist.

Here she talks about where her story idea for her newest book came from...

Heating It Up: A Red Hot Russians Novella, was inspired by a line in Getting It Back, book three in my Red Hot Russians sports romance series.  When heroine Amy asks hero Misha about his family, he tells her that his brother Alexei lives in Antarctica. It was meant to underscore Misha’s loneliness, but the line stuck with me. A few months later, when I needed an idea for a novella, I thought of Alexei, and Heating It Up was born!
The adventure of writing an Antarctic romance meant creating a lovable, relatable couple whose rocky road to HEA could happen anywhere.  Alexei’s been hurt by a previous girlfriend’s secrets, and immerses himself in his work as head of the aging Amity Bay research station.  Architect Nora wants to spend the winter alone in the state of the art guesthouse she designed.  When Alexei discovers the beautiful stowaway, attraction sparks.  But will Nora’s secret that she created the building meant to replace his beloved outpost doom their romance?
It also meant bringing warmth and romance to an isolated setting known for the world’s most extreme climate.  For inspiration, I turned to some of my favorite small-town romances, and to a favorite 1990s TV series, “Northern Exposure.”  Amity Bay has a town watering hole, a fire station, a possibly haunted cabin, and a beautiful bay that’s home to a mysterious sea creature. There’s also a cast of quirky residents, many with fascinating stories of their own.
Writing about a place that few have visited, and portraying it as accurately was a challenge and I’m grateful to the two Ice veterans who fact-checked my manuscript. I hope readers enjoy Nora and Alexei’s story, and their visit to Amity Bay. Cold nights, but warm hearts. What could be better than that?

Heating It Up: A Red Hot Russians Novella
Red Hot Russian Alexei is king of the Ice…Antarctic style

Alexei  Zaikov loves his life in remote Amity Bay, Antarctica, until a new luxury guesthouse threatens the community’s future.  As head of Amity Bay, he’s driven to save it, but first must discover who is hiding out in the supposedly deserted lodge…and why.

Nora Bradford has lost everything; a promising career and the man she loved.  Glacier Ridge Lodge, the architectural masterpiece she designed but was denied credit for, seems like the perfect place to grieve her loss, until a ruggedly handsome Russian arrives on her doorstep, determined to bring her in from the cold.

Desire sparks, leaving them hungry for more. But will the truth about Nora’s role in Amity Bay’s demise, doom their romance?

Praise for Previous Series Titles
RT Book Reviews  |  Library Journal Reviews

EXCERPT
The first thing she noticed was that yesterday's sad vulnerability was gone. Now his ice-blue eyes were flinty and determined as he strode inside. Sending him away wasn't going to be so easy this time.
""You're too late,"" he said. ""Fifteen years ago some New Zealander became first woman to winter-over solo. Maybe you already know that. Or maybe you don't care, because we both know that's not the real reason you're holed up in here.""
He knew she wasn't being honest, but not to what extent. Guilty, and too deflated for battle, she leaned against the door. ""You’re right it isn't.""
""Nora..,” the gentleness in his voice felt like a caress. ""Staying here alone only hurts you. And it hurts me too.""
""How's that?""
""Because to keep you secret, I have to lie, not just to IFAR, but to the people who work for me.  People whose trust I don't take lightly.  Staying up here not only puts you in danger, but also them. Down here, people survive because they depend on each other. If one of the systems failed in bad weather, or you had an accident, someone would have to put themselves at risk, and come to help.""
Most likely, that someone would be him. Even with blizz lines strung, making such a trip could be life-threatening. Fear tightened her throat as she considered how it would feel to mourn another man she cared about.
""I know you’ve lost much,"" he said. ""And while I know losing a fiancé is different, I understand the hurt of missing a person I loved dearly.""
“That woman who lied to you?” she demanded, shocked and angry.
“No,” he said. “Not Natalia. I’m talking about my mother.  For a long time, I felt like she was the only person who understood me. But when I came here to Antarctica, I found a place to belong. In time, the pain was not so bad. Up here all alone, you don't have that.""
""No,"" she whispered.
""Ask yourself if this is what he’d want for you. I don't think it is. I know that if I was gone... and the woman I loved was left behind, this isn’t what I’d want for her.""
Her fingers twitched on the doorknob, and she thought of ordering him out, but in her heart, she knew he was right. Even if she weren't drifting through darkened rooms in a ruined wedding gown, she was teetering dangerously close to Miss Havisham territory. In the process, she was putting others in danger.  The weather was turning, and soon the months of darkness would come.  It was time to decide where she would spend them.

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CONNECT with the Author
Website: http://www.romancewriter-girl.com
Blog: https://elizabethharmonauthor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabethharmonauthor?ref=hl
Google +: https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/110498452269248625447/110498452269248625447/posts
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23440537-elizabeth-harmon
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/elizabeth-harmon
BookLikes: http://elizabethharmon.booklikes.com
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00RY9SY0S

Interested in Reviewing?
Will be posted to NetGalley after February 1st. Otherwise, reach author directly here.

Book Bundle Spotlight: SCANDALOUSLY YOURS by #MFRWauthors

Scandalously Yours

Through the ages, where there has been society there have always been norms and, conversely, scandals when love gets in the way of propriety, and love prevails over social mores of the times.

From the ancient Celts to medieval Cornwall, from Regency and Victorian England to the American west after the War Between the States, eight stories by multi-published, bestselling authors explore the triumphs of love between a man and a woman—even scandalous love—over what’s considered “proper” in their time. " "Through the ages, where there has been society there have always been norms and, conversely, scandals when love gets in the way of propriety, and love prevails over social mores of the times.

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EXCERPT
Chapter One
Early October 1866, Central Missouri
Rachel Conroy’s hand trembled as she shoved the gunnysack across the bank counter. She jerked a quick glance at the big clock on the wall. The Diamond Bluff bank closed in one minute. Nightfall had finally approached. Thank goodness the cobblestone streets of the German settlement were quiet now—the reason she’d chosen this time of day to execute her plan.
Still, she was literally risking her blasted neck. But sakes alive, what other choice had there been?
She gripped the cold gun, peered over the cloth stretched across her nose and cheeks, and drew in a shaky breath. “Everything in the drawer, mister. Coins, gold, silver, paper. Whatever you’ve got. And do it pronto or you’ll be seein’ your maker before you can holler howdy.”
She held her gaze steady and studied the teller. He stiffened behind the counter, his head lowered beneath a wide-brimmed felt hat. Honey-toned hair fell in a thick, straight mass to his brawny shoulders. By golly, she had to admit they were nice shoulders. The kind a woman could hang on to in the throes of passion, the kind that would bunch beneath her fingers when he thrust into her center. Her palms started to itch. She suddenly imagined reaching through the iron bars and tipping up his chin so she could see his face. She wanted to look into his eyes and have him tell her everything was going to be all right, that he would—
She shook her head to rid her mind of the stupid thoughts.
Hellfire and damnation, Rachel. Have you lost your cotton-pickin’ mind?
Well, she was robbing a bank. That certainly qualified her as barmy. But dang it all to hell, she couldn’t afford to slip into the coddling arms of her wild imagination, not in the middle of a cussed hold-up of all things.
He continued to keep his head downcast—or maybe if he was smart he stood motionless with fear, aware a burglary ensued. Her attention moved to the book he had his nose buried in. She took one step closer. A quick glance at the fancy script across the top of the page read, “Winemaking.”
Winemaking? Now that’s one convoluted banker to be reading about grapes of all things, and while piles of loot surrounded him.
She gave a mental shrug and blinked. Pay attention, you idiot. Rachel wagged the gun back and forth, nearly clanking it against the bars. “Did you hear me, pal? I said everything. Now.”
The clock ticked mockingly.
Gaddurn it, she wished he’d raise his head.
She waited for what seemed like danged eons, longing to glimpse the eyes and peer into the soul of her victim, to see that he paid for his association with the bank owner, that bastard Heinrich Finster.
When he continued to disregard her, she cleared her throat. “You keep ignorin’ me, you swine, that book’ll be blown to smithereens right along with your skull.”
At last his gaze rose slowly. Ah, here we go. She swallowed a lump and planted her feet apart, steadying the weapon for the action to come.
With an arrogant jerk of his head, he swung the longer strands of hair behind his broad shoulders. A familiar straight nose and strong, square jaw became visible. Rachel sucked in a faint breath, making the kerchief quiver over her mouth. Drat. It was the newcomer in town. She didn’t know his name, but she was certain it was him due to his usual conceit—he’d never seemed to notice her, moving in that swagger of his from the livery to the general store to the locksmith as if he owned this entire hellhole excuse for a town. As if everyone, and most especially Rachel, were beneath him.
Or didn’t exist at all.
Hmph. Yeah that was probably what he’d thoughtuntil now, until her weapon looked as real to him as a rattler staring him right in that handsome face of his.
She released a breath of relief. It was really a good thing. Since he’d never laid eyes on her before now, he wouldn’t recognize her. Feeling secure behind her disguise for the first time since donning it fifteen minutes ago, she allowed her gaze to scan his face, noting how it fit with his burly body. Lordy, but she’d never seen him this close up before. Her stomach did a flip as she studied the well-put-together features and big presence that made her feel dwarfed. No, make that womanly. Her face warmed at that surprising thought, but she didn’t have time to examine her silly-girl reactions. The visual path of his gaze traveled up the length of the gun, then along her arm and briefly settled on her chest. She stiffened, shivered. Though she’d bound her breasts flat, her nipples tingled at that quick brush, and she became starkly aware of her femininity beneath the lad’s garb.

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: A Dream Called Marilyn @Mercedes_King_ #MFRWauthor

MFRW Author Mercedes King released A Dream Called Marilyn, a Historical Romance, with Triumph Productions on March 23, 2015.

BLURB
Nothing could prepare Dr. Charles Campbell for his new client, Marilyn Monroe. Instructed to 'subdue the actress, no matter what it takes', he soon realizes that helping her means crossing boundaries and might cost him his life.

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ABOUT Mercedes King
A founding member of Sisters in Crime Columbus, Ohio (affectionately dubbed SiCCO), Mercedes King can be found elbow-deep in research, reading, or enjoying the local bike path. Combining her love of pop culture with history, she created A Dream Called Marilyn, a novella focusing on the last weeks of Marilyn's life.

website  |  blog  |  facebook  |  google+

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Clay's Quest @WriterChristi Christi Williams #MFRWauthor

MFRW Author Christi Williams has released Clay’s Quest, a sensual contemporary western romance novella, on January 15, 2014 with Whiskey Creek Press LLC.

She’ll do anything to get her way. Tall, elegant and beautiful, Emma Thorpe has wanted a baby for years. The yearning for a child occupies all her thoughts, her time, her effort, and any money she and her husband can scrape up for medical intervention. After trying and failing to conceive, the solution that finally comes to her is to leave her husband and hope to find a man—any man—capable of fulfilling her deepest desire. Big, handsome Clay Thorpe isn’t the kind of man to let his wife just wander away. It takes a few months of Emma’s absence from his bed to devise a plan, but he’s determined. Eventually, Clay lures Emma home with a convoluted strategy only he could concoct, involving an antique diamond ring, sex three times a day, and...a turkey baster?

Warning:  Explicit Sex

Heat Level: R

  

What Reviewers Say...

"Clay and Emma are not your typical married couple. They have a love for each other that is meant to last a life time and a blazing inferno in the bedroom." - Shanean Read for Just One More Romance

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Meet the Author

AuthorWebsite  |  AuthorBlog  |  Facebook  |  Twitter

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: To The One I Never Forgot @WriterChristi #MFRWauthor

MFRW Author Christi Williams released To the One I Never Forgot, a sensual contemporary romance short story, on February 7, 2014.

Blurb
First love. Lost love. There has only ever been one love for Gianna. Zack was the boy she fell in love with, the boy who went away and—without an explanation—never came back. When Zack went into the military soon after high school, he thought he was making the first move toward a decent future with Gianna. Six years after it all fell apart, Gianna is still looking for the one she never forgot.

Warnings: Explicit Sex  |  Heat Level: R

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Smashwords  |  Amazon  |  BN