Inspiration – Amy Vastine

Cover Reveal – THE BETTER MAN

Posted on July 12, 2014July 12, 2014 by vastine7

I am so excited for my next novel to come out. The Better Man is the first in a three-book series that introduces us to the Everhart sisters, Kendall, Emma, and Lucy. Kendall is the heart of The Better Man. But it’s Max, the hero, who takes center stage here. Without further ado, here’s my September Heartwarming cover!

Back of the book blurb:

Kendall Montgomery’s six-year-old son has barely spoken in the past year, locked in his world of silent grief. Then one day, he spots his dead father across a crowded street.

Max Jordan moved to Chicago to be closer to his own son and prove he can be a better father than his deadbeat dad. His striking resemblance to Kendall’s husband and his track record with fatherhood make her determined to keep her distance…until Max helps her little boy come out of his shell. But can she trust him with their future? How can she be sure he won’t take off just when they need him most?

I’m in love with this cover. Max looks great and the little boy is precious. If your interested, I have a Pinterest board full of inspiration for this story. You can see what I think Max and Simon look like by clicking HERE.

Best of all, The Better Man is available for preorder on Amazon – HERE!

Lastly, the Heartwarming team is gearing up to attend the RWA National Conference in San Antonio at the end of the month.

As part of our celebration, we’re giving away bracelets to readers, reviewers, and other authors who tell us they love Sweet and Heartwarming Romance!

You have two ways to win:

1. Tell us via social media how much you love Sweet and Heartwarming Romance! Post a comment here. Post a comment on our Facebook page under our Sweet and Heartwarming Posts (and like us!). Share our post on Facebook with the #GoHeartwarming hashtag. Tweet about our giveaway: I love Sweet and Heartwarming Romance! #GoHeartwarming. Spread the word on Goodreads. Every comment/post/share/like/tweet/hashtag is an entry. We’ll track entries each week! We’re giving away 50 bracelets to our social media supporters during the month of July!

2. To our sweet romance fans and our writing sisters who’ll be attending either the RWA Literacy Booksigning July 23rd in San Antonio at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter OR attending the RWA conference July 23-26, if you come across a Harlequin Heartwarming Author wearing a pin like the one shown below (green beads and the distinctive “H”), all you have to do is say: I love Sweet and Heartwarming Romance! And you’re an instant winner!

I will be wearing these lovely pins made by fellow author Anna J Stewart. I love the sun for The Weather Girl, and yes, those are tiny little books with actual pages! So, come say hello if you are at the conference. I would love to hand out bracelets to everyone!

Romance Weekly – #lovechatwrite

Posted on June 10, 2014June 10, 2014 by vastine7

Do you like to read romance novels? Wouldn’t you like to know more about your favorite authors? Well you came to the right place! Join the writers of Romance Weekly as we go behind the scenes of our books and tell all….. About our writing of course! Every week we’ll answer questions and after you’ve enjoyed the blog on this site we’ll direct you to another. So come back often for a thrilling ride!

I’m emerging from the dark depths of a writing deadline to join this week’s blog hop. Thanks to Susan Peterson Wisnewski for sending some of you my way. Today’s questions come from the lovely Kim Handysides.

1.What’s your ideal: alpha or beta and why?

Well, I’m not sure what anyone would find appealing about a beta. I need my hero to have some charisma and physical presence. That doesn’t mean they can’t be sweet guys. Men with personality and charm win me over every time. Good looks don’t hurt, but attitude and confidence play a big part in attraction. I tend to write about guys who have hearts of gold and don’t hide it. On the flip side, I like to read about guys who seem a little heartless until the love of their life shows the world there’s more to him than a face and some ego. I guess I like to write about those alphas as well, they just haven’t been published … yet.

2.Do you have a male buddy or mate you use for confirmation or inspiration when crafting your heroes?

I have a husband, but I do not usually consult him when it comes to my heroes because he would say something outrageous just to be funny. I do steal things from him without him knowing. His sense of humor is his greatest strength and I have used some of his lines in my writing. I figure if he cracks me up, he’ll make others laugh as well.

3.What does any hero have to do to win your heart?

I like my heroes confident on the outside and just a little bit vulnerable on the inside. I need a hero who shows up like he owns the place but worries the heroine is going to figure him out any minute (which she usually does!) I need someone with a sense of humor, especially about himself. I can’t be all ego – he needs to be intent on doing somethings for others. There needs to be that part of him that wants to better the world he’s in, even if it’s only for the woman he loves. I like a man to be capable of being selfless.

There you have it. That’s what I look for in my heroes. Follow the link to see how J.J. Devine answered these questions.

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo,
Amy

Countdown to P-Day (Publishing Day!)

Posted on November 29, 2013 by vastine7

Sunday is December 1. This may mean several things to many of you. For my brother, it means two more days until his birthday (Happy early birthday, Adam!) For lots and lots of good little boys and girls it means 23 more days until Santa comes to visit late at night. For me, it means ONE MONTH until my debut novel is published.

I may be feeling a little bit like this …

To say I’m excited may be a bit of an understatement.

So, I feel the need to spread the excitement around. Someone suggested I start posting once a week until the book is released. I decided that is a fantastic idea. I can introduce you to some of the characters, give away some prizes, and share some fun little bits from the story.

Sound like a good plan?

Rob says yes. And really, that’s all I need to proceed.

This week, I have decided to introduce you to some of the characters from THE WEATHER GIRL. If you have ventured onto my Pinterest board for the book, you have seen some of the things that have inspired me. But WHO inspired some of the characters in the story? Let’s see…

This is my Summer. She’s beautiful but doesn’t really have a clue how beautiful she is because her looks are the least of her worries. She’s usually more focused on what’s going on in the world of weather. Summer grew up chasing storms with her parents. She’s been all over the country and didn’t have a very traditional upbringing. She’s socially awkward and besides being able to feel when it’s going to rain, she also tends to rattle off random weather facts when she’s nervous. Luckily, Travis Lockwood finds that kind of adorable.

This is Travis. Yeah. He’s also adorable. You know, if adorable means the same thing as totally hot.

Travis was the star quarterback for the Miami Dolphins until he was permanently sidelined by a shoulder injury. The worst part is that he has no idea what else to do with his life. Football is all he knows, all he was allowed to ever know. His dad was a little … intense. He takes the job at the station because he’s got no other options. It doesn’t help that he totally sucks at his new job and the Weather Girl hates him.

The story may be named after Summer’s character, but I think this novel is about Travis’s journey of self-discovery even more than it’s about Summer’s search for something more in her life.

Excerpt you say? Okay, here’s a little snippet of Summer and Travis:

“Do y’all say break a leg or something before you go on?”

“Um, no. No one says that,” Summer replied, trying not to laugh. The sound assistant adjusted her mic while Pete, one of the engineering techs, made sure the lighting was right.

“Well, good luck, then, Weather Girl.” Travis started to walk toward the news desk but stopped. “You should wear blue every day.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Huh?”

“It looks nice. Makes your eyes stand out.” He pointed at her face as though she’d forgotten where her eyes were located. “You have amazing eyes.”

Summer was momentarily speechless. She looked over at a scowling Rachel, who practically had smoke blowing out her ears. “Funny. I was actually encouraged not to wear blue today. It kills bears in Chicago or something.”

Rachel pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. Travis’s brow furrowed. “The color blue kills bears? For real?”

“I think. Maybe not. I heard that somewhere, but that person was probably wrong because why in the world would blue have anything to do with bears? I mean, that makes no sense, right? I’m sure bears like blue,” Summer rambled. How she wished she’d remained speechless.

Her nerves took over. “Did you know that even though Chicago is called the Windy City, it doesn’t even rank in the top ten windiest cities in the U.S.?”

“Really?”

“Really. Blue Hill, Massachusetts, is actually the windiest city.”

“Blue Hill?” Travis smiled. “Are you messin’ with me?”

“I never mess around about the weather.”

*********************

2014 is set to be one of the best years yet. I’ve just been offered a contract from Harlequin Heartwarming for THREE more books. Yep, not one, not two, but THREE more books. Cue that overexcited baby gif one more time! My youngest son and I did jump up and down in the driveway after I got off the phone with my editor. I cannot wait to have a whole bookcase filled with books that have my name on them.

For now, I am anxiously awaiting the first of January and the very first book with my name on it. I hope you are too!

xoxo,

Amy