INFAMOUS is on e-shelves now!

What happens when a Hollywood socialite falls for a conservative soccer dad?

Everyone knows Jessica Sinclair. She's that girl on the cover of all the tabloids. As a Hollywood insider, Jessica has spent her life partying with A-list celebrities, shopping on Rodeo Drive, and living through scandal after scandal. When her estranged husband offers her a second chance at the 'All American' lifestyle she can't pass up a shot at real happiness. Back in suburbia, Jessica spends her nights in sexy role-play hoping Morgan will overlook her deficiencies as a homemaker. She spends her days attending P.T.A. meetings, burning cookies, and asking herself 'What would June Cleaver do?' More to the point, what will Morgan do when she winds up back in the tabloids--with his teenage daughter right next to her?
Read the first chapter of Infamous FREE!

Praise for Infamous

"Simply fantastic! Infamous has everything I love in a romance: witty dialogue, steamy sex, and great characters. Preston has crafted a fun and flirty book that I couldn't put down!"

Emily McKay - Bestselling author of All He Ever Wanted and The Farm

"A deliciously fun and sexy tale, brimming with Hollywood glamour and a hero that is to die for."

Farrah Rochon - 2012 RITA finalist - Author of I'll Catch You

"Lots of delightful one-liners, but I won't spoil it for you. Lovely romance. Top-notch writing. Nonstop entertainment. Don't miss Irene Preston's Infamous."

Moriah Densley - 2012 Golden Heart finalist - author of Song for Sophia

"Don't judge a book by its cover. Don't even judge it by the opening scene. If you do that with Infamous, you will be wrong....the book is just crammed with all-wrong assumptions that paint a deep, clever portrait of Jessica. They also make the conflict just delicious."

Author Vivien Jackson

"I read Infamous in an afternoon. And then read it again a few days later because I just couldn't get Jessica and Morgan out of my head. Irene Preston starts this book off hot and it just gets hotter .... If you're a fan of the Hollywood lifestyle, you'll love Infamous."

Kristina Knight - Author of What a Texas Girl Wants

"A breathtaking debut."

Jane Myers Perrine, Award-winning author

"Infamous' fast-paced, sensuous, and, to put it simply, delectable plot had me turning pages as quickly as I could manage it, all the while fanning myself and drinking lots cold water. "

Denyse Cohen - Author of One Hit Wonder

"Irene Preston's Infamous is pure fun from start to finish....You'll be thinking about Infamous long after you put it down!"

Micah Persell - Author of Of Eternal Life

"A hot and sensual read punctuated with Hollywood moments and flashing cameras"

Heather Rodney-Diaz - Author of Island Pursuits

"I felt like a voyeur in the bedroom, a peeping Tom in the den and a captive in the pantry, and enjoyed every delicious moment! "

Lotchie Burton - Author of Prelude to a Seduction

Read a FREE chapter of Infamous then let Irene know what you think! BUY INFAMOUS:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | ITunes | KOBO | Sony | EBooks.com

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and Falling, Fly

If you haven't heard of Skyler White--you will.

Here's the cover art from her 2010 debut novel and Falling, Fly -- and yes, there will be more where that came from.

Check out the book trailer to see what I mean:

Stupid Alpha Male

And here is where being a pantser is no fun.

I need to connect with, Connor, one of my characters. Unfortunately, he is too alpha by half. The problem with these strong, silent types is that they tend to be. . . well. . . silent. We've been having a little battle of wills lately that goes something like this:

Me: Gee, Connor, how do you really feel about what just happened?

Connor shrugs and pretends an interest in something out the window. Oh-KAY. He's not really a touchie, feelie kind of dude. Maybe I can approach this another way.

Me: So, Connor, tell me about your family. Where did you grow up?

Connor: Isn't this in my character worksheet?

Me: You know I never fill those things out. Anyway, how can I finish it if you won't talk to me?

Connor: I talk.

Me: Sure you do. So, do you have any brothers or sisters?

(Connor doesn't move a muscle, but I think an eyelid might have twitched)

Me: Well?

Connor: Is this relevant?

Me: I don't know, you tell me. Is it relevant.

Connor: No.

Me: Then what is relevant?

Connor: It's your story, how should I know?

Me (shuffling papers): Actually, I have a character worksheet right here. It says you work for the royal family. Can we talk about that?

Connor: Of course. What do you want to know?

Me: What's it like, working for Darragh?

Connor: Good. It's a good job.

Me: That's it? Good?

Connor (impatient): Yeah, it's a good job. See? You ask; I tell.

Me (frustratated): You've got to have more to say than "good".

Connor: Like what?

Me: Well, you've known him a long time. What's the Prince like?

Connor: Great, Darragh is great. He's got, you know, lots of integrity, moral convictions, shit like that. He's a good ruler. And smart. He's really smart.

Me: Wow. More than two words strung together. What a testimonial. You've been with him a long time?

Connor: His whole life.

Me (consulting notes): And Darragh is. . .let's see. . . how old. . . . Huh, obviously a typo. But you grew up together?

Connor: No. I'm older. I've taken care of him all his life.

Me: You don't look that old. How old are you?

Connor: Isn't it on your worksheet?

Me: You know damn well it isn't. You've been deliberately vague about it.

Connor: Have I?

Me: Fine. Be that way. Let's do some of the easy ones. What color are your eyes?

Connor: Brown.

Me: Light brown? Dark brown?

Connor: Just brown.

Me: Sit still and let me look.

Me: Wow, Connor. You have beautiful eyes. Not really brown, more of a rich amber. . . .Wait, tilt your head. Is that the sun reflecting in them? In this light, they look almost like they're glowing. . . .


Connor: I should get back to work now.

Me (weakly) : Yeah, maybe you should. I think I'll work on this at my desk. Maybe I can just email you any other questions I think of. . . .

Sherry Thomas - If I were ESL, could I write like that?

Anyone who follows me on Twitter has probably noticed my obsession with Charlaine Harris lately. (ie, I finally decided to stop 'punishing' all the non-Sookie books and discovered Charlaine rocks no matter what she writes.)

I recently interrupted the Harris glom for Sherry Thomas' latest novel, Not Quite a Husband.

NYT best-selling author Lisa Kleypas calls Sherry Thomas ‘the most powerfully original historical romance author writing today.’ I have to admit, I am just as much a fan. After an unabashed love affair with both Private Arrangements and Delicious, I sprinted to my local bookseller almost the minute I heard Not Quite a Husband was out. I then let it languish on my desk for days.

I follow Sherry on Twitter, where she had bemoaned some revisions and agonized over word usage. I hadn’t had a good week. I needed an indulgent treat – what if #NQAH didn’t live up to my expectations? On the third day, I gathered my courage and eased open the cover.

Silly me, of little faith. I finally surfaced to the realization that it was hours past my bedtime.
If there is one thing that sets Sherry Thomas apart from the crowd, it is her prose. I think I would read anything she wrote just to wallow in the richness of her language. Fortunately, she uses that wonderful voice to create unique unforgettable characters, toss them into a fully-developed historical backdrop, and then poke and prod at their strengths, weaknesses, dreams, and insecurities until they emerge into a strong, balanced relationship. Did I mention the inviting historical tidbits? Did I mention Sherry does her research?

Finally, the one thing I can’t do is categorize “what to expect” from a Sherry Thomas novel (except the prose thing; I think I covered that). Private Arrangements drew me in with it’s unexpected plot and character twists. Delicious was food porn. (Sorry Sherry, I know there were people, but I was salivating too much to pay attention to them.) Not Quite a Husband locked me in a vice grip of emotional intensity that sweeps back over me every time I glance at the cover. The besieged fort in the middle of India’s Swat valley went almost unnoticed next to the emotional battles Bryony and Leo are waging.

What’s next, Ms. Thomas? I’ll be reading!

--Nitpicky postscript - This cover wasn't nearly as wonderful as the original cover for PA. Who decides these things? Something that at least hinted at Victorian dress (which I find sexy) would have been nice.

Review - TEMPTED INTO THE TYCOON'S TRAP by Emily McKay

I was lucky enough to get a pre-release copy of Emily McKay's new Silhouette Desire novel. Tempted into the Tycoon's Trap is a Romantic Times Top Pick and my personal favorite of her books so far. Here's my review:



Cece Cassidy writes action-adventure movies – ticking time bombs, natural disasters, lots of thrills. She doesn’t do love stories. But when Lillian Hudson, her beloved Godmother, asks her to write the story of how she met her own husband during World War II, she can’t turn her down. Even if it means working for Hudson Pictures, which she had sworn she would never do. Even if it means seeing Jack Hudson, the unsuspecting father of her young son. Jack made it very clear three years ago that he wasn’t interested in a family and Cece has no intention of forcing one on him. Unfortunately, there are no secrets in Hollywood. . . .


There are certain things I expect when I pick up a Desire novel – sizzling chemistry, powerful alpha males, glamorous settings, and story lines that rollercoaster the characters from the dizzying heights of passion to the depths of the despair. Tempted into the Tycoons Trap hits on all cylinders - from Cece’s deception about the identity of her ‘adopted’ son to the real reason Jack ended their affair. Jack and Cece are both products of their own parents’ spectacularly failed marriages, providing plenty of baggage to go around. The Hudson Dynasty and Hollywood setting oozes glamour and intrigue. The chemistry between Jack and Cece is scorching hot.

To my delight, there were several elements of this book that made it stand out from the crowd for me. McKay has endowed Cece with a smart mouth and brash attitude that keep her more than a match for Jack right up to the last page. She’s a great ‘alpha female’ who knows what she wants and is successful and powerful in her own right. Jack is perfect. McKay effortlessly transforms him from Heartless Jerk (but secret Tortured Romantic), to Bewildered Male, to Our Hero. The entire book is permeated with a deft sense of humor which kept me turning page after page and utterly destroyed the overwrought ‘soap-opera’ feel I get from too many novels in the Desire line.


I have read two of Emily McKay’s previous books and enjoyed both of them. In my opinion, this book represents a huge leap forward in her writing. This has all the passion and drama I expect from Desire in a great contemporary voice. Desire fans, move Emily McKay into your must-buy author list!



That's all for today, folks!

Irene

Not a Blogga

Ok - I know this is a horrible way to start out, but we need to get one thing clear from the outset - I AM NOT A BLOGGER.



Blogging sounds wonderful (really, I can write about anything that catches my fancy?) - but if I am allowed to indulge myself I'll never get any actual work done. And, let's face it, I doubt you care that Great Aunt Hilda called yesterday and described the cutest thing her cat did.



So:

• I am NOT committing to regular posts - but I will update when I have news (or something catches my fancy, or I'm procrastinating something else).


• I WILL try to let you know if something in my life may actually interest you (the fellow writer or reader). This will most likely be in the form of "Today I just finished reading. . . ." or "Here's a great article on. . . ."


• I hate to admit it, but eventually I will probably vent - I'll just go ahead and issue a blanket apology now

To get you in the spirit of how this works:

I just finished reading Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. (Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Funn for the great gift!). This was absolutely a great read and coincidentally summs up my religious beliefs (a nice twofer, that). If you haven't read it, rush right out and get a copy!

Ciao!

Irene