Category Archives: Books

This weeks 56 came from the book Arizona Angel by Phoebe Conn, a book published way back in 1988! It’s in my To Be Read pile. I’ll get around to it one of these days. “Your dress is lovely and so are you.” When MaLou looked more skeptical than pleased, he could only wonder at the fact that she had absolutely no idea what a treasure she was. About the Friday 56 Grab the book nearest you. Right now Turn to page 56. Find the fifth sentence. Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog. Post a link along with your post back to this blog. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST. Play along with me! If you don’t have a blog, just post yours in the comments. (I saw the Friday 56 over at Shiloh Walker’s blog. Be sure to visit and read her 56.) All material &copy2005-2012 to Lily Graison

Although I’m a writer, I was a reader first. I can devour a book a day if I have nothing else to do and I indulge in reading every chance I get so in honor of my love of reading, today’s 13 are the books I return to time and time again. 13 Favorite Books/Series of All Time  (these are in no particular order) 1. Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon. Historical/Time-Travel/Scottish Highlander/Sage LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this series. I’ve read it twice and that is a feat. These books range in the 1,000 page length, the largest so far about 1,400 pages! The heroine, Claire, slips through the standing stones and meets the hero, Jamie Fraser, a Scottish highlander who is larger than life. The trials they overcome are epic. The stories start when they’re young, in their 20’s and the last book (to be released-the series isn’t finished) they were in their 40’s. I can’t get enough of these and because they’re SO huge, it takes the author nearly 4 years to write the next one. Talk about sitting on pins and needles! I’ll wait though. They’re worth it. 2. The Fading Lands Series by C.L. Wilson – Fantasy/Romance This book has it all. A shape-shifting Fae King, an average girl who is more than even ‘she’ knows, evil lords doing evil things and a whole host of amazing characters. Oh, and Romance! *sigh* I love Rain, the hero, in this book. I re-read it just for him. hehe 3. Warprize by Elizabeth Vaughan – Fantasy/Romance I adore this trilogy and wanted to cry when it ended. It’s what sold me on Fantasy Romance. The hero, Keir is the Warlord of an invading race and he takes Lara, the sister of the King, as his prize to stop the war. Their language difference makes … Keep Reading! →

If you haven’t been to my Facebook page (and why not? It’s awesome over there!) you probably don’t know that The Outlaw, book 2 in my Willow Creek series is now complete. I still have a few rewrites and edits to do but the hard part is finished. The book ran longer than my 40K target, ending up at 50,000 words instead. I was beginning to worry I had a novel on my hands and honestly, it could have been. I could have thrown twists and curves galore in there but it had to stop sometime. That Colt Avery (the hero in The Outlaw) just didn’t want to give up the spotlight. And I honestly didn’t want him to. He was Yummy from word one! I can’t wait for you to read his story. I started writing book 3, The Gambler, last week. I haven’t been able to get very far due to circumstances beyond my control and it’s messing up my time schedule. I try to write 3K a day and I’ve missed several writing days now. I still have over a week to finish the story but writing in mad dashes eats my brain. I may not make the ‘official’ deadline but it should be close. I actually plotted this story out, something I ‘never’ do. I’m a panster, not a plotter, but for some reason the notes I usually make to get my ‘key’ plot points on paper escaladed into a full blow outline. It was a bit shocking but it’s actually been useful to some degree. Of course, the muse (Benny) still dances to his own tune and is changing things but that’s okay. I’d be worried if the story wrote exactly the way the outline went. Change is good and so far, the surprises have been pleasant. … Keep Reading! →

It’s Tuesday Teaser time again and this week I have a bit of Wicked: Tempt Me Not, book 1 in my Wicked series! Devin Shaw, front man for the band, Wicked, is forced into seclusion by his manager after his destructive behavior almost destroys the band. Sent to a remote cabin alone isn’t Devin’s idea of fun, but to save his career, he’ll do what it takes. Holly Baker, escaping the hassles of her big city life, arrives in the mountains of Tennessee and awaits the arrival of her friend, Roxy, to start their two-week vacation. Their plans change drastically when Roxy is called away at the last minute, leaving Holly to fend for herself. Devin and Holly’s worlds collide when a mix up strands them in the same cabin. Alone with nothing but each other for companionship, how will Holly react when she realizes she’s trapped with none other than the hottest lead singer the country has seen in years? Will Devin be able to work with a constant distraction the pretty brunette offers? Or will the two discover that sometimes temptation is a wicked dessert best served hot. Excerpt Devin wrote down the next string of notes and tossed his pen down, staring at what he’d written. He played it again, satisfied with the way it sounded. He looked at the page again, shaking his head in disgust before laying his guitar down. Half an hour and he’d written a whole two lines. Every time he got a good rhythm going, thoughts of Holly would sidetrack him and he forgot everything he’d just played. This is exactly why Curt wanted him alone. Any distraction, especially a woman, and his time would be wasted. Curt may be an ass at times, but he knew what he was talking about. … Keep Reading! →

This week’s Six Sentences comes from my Contemporary Romance, Destined Hearts, a story that tells of a love that transcends time and reunites a couple who were denied their hearts desire a hundred years before. “Do you believe in love at first sight?” Caitlyn grinned. “I guess it depends on what you’re looking at.” William’s gaze never faltered. The serious expression on his face caused her breath to catch in her throat before he gave her another kiss. “Well, I’m looking at you.” To read an excerpt from this book, visit the Destined Heart’s book page on my website. Check out the other Six Sentence Sunday participants or follow the #sixsunday hashtag on Twitter. All material &copy2005-2012 to Lily Graison

I saw this over on Shiloh Walker’s blog and it looked like fun so I’m going to play along. This week my “56” is from Gena Showalter’s The Darkest Lie When he had strode into his fortress’s dungeon and she’d seen his beautiful face, the only thing she’d truly felt at the time was awe. He was alive. About the Friday 56 Grab the book nearest you. Right now Turn to page 56. Find the fifth sentence. Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog. Post a link along with your post back to this blog. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST. Play along with me! If you don’t have a blog, just post yours in the comments. All material &copy2005-2012 to Lily Graison

I’ve been keeping a secret from my readers. One that will knock your socks off! Author Candy Nicks and I have been planning a brand new paranormal series and I can’t wait to tell you about it. Coming this summer, we’ll debut Cirque Demonica, a series of novellas featuring preternatural creatures who’ve been cursed, doomed to roam the world inside the confines of a circus that plays on people’s fear. Enter if you dare… I love saying that last part. hehe And I also love this idea so much its been a battle to keep it to myself! I’ve had to bite my tongue to keep from blurting prematurely about it and I just can’t hold it in any longer. I’ll bust if I do. LOL The way the series is designed, Candy will have her own characters/novellas and I’ll have mine. We each have four books we want to write and I’m so excited about the characters I’ve chosen, some of which are going to be a challenge. I’ll not say too much about “who” the characters are, but I will be writing about a werewolf, which will be the easiest as I’ve written them before. The other three characters are uncharted territory and I can’t wait to introduce them to you. As for Candy, one of her stories will feature a vampire. I’ll let her tell you about her other characters when she’s ready. I don’t want to steal her thunder! I hope you’re all as excited about this new series as we are. When we have a release date for the first story, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, get your ticket to the Cirque Demonica. They won’t last! All material &copy2005-2012 to Lily Graison

Today’s Tuesday Teaser comes from my brand new Historical Western Romance, The Lawman, book 1 in the Willow Creek series. On the run from her ex-lover, jilted by a no-show husband and now mistaken for a whore in the Diamond Back saloon, Abigail Thornton doesn’t think things can get any worse. That is until a single slap to a man’s face starts a barroom brawl that lands her in the last place she expected to be. Town Marshal Morgan Avery wants nothing more than to wash away the trail-dust and sleep for a week, preferably with a soft, willing woman by his side. Instead, he gets Abigail Thornton – all one hundred pounds of her thrust at him seconds before a fist connects with his face. Breaking up the fight takes more effort than he wants to admit and when the last man falls he finds Abigail still standing and not looking the least bit contrite. Throwing her into the town jail for the night would salve his wounded pride and then he will let her go. Or that was the plan. When morning comes he finds himself oddly reluctant to do so. Miss Thornton is hiding something and he aims to find out what, even if he has to bed her to do so. But will one night in her bed be enough? genre: historical western romancelength: 36,500 wordsReleased: Nov. 2011 Rating: SultryPrice: $2.99 BUY THE EBOOK FROM:» Buy at Amazon Kindle» Buy at Amazon Kindle UK» Buy at Amazon Kindle DE» Buy at Amazon Kindle FR» Buy at Amazon Kindle IT» Buy at Amazon Kindle ES» Buy at Barnes & Noble» Buy at Smashwords» Buy at Sony» Buy at Diesel» Buy at Kobo Excerpt Abigail refused to speak to him all the way back to the house. She … Keep Reading! →