Monday, November 26, 2012

New Release!

Starting a new series is always nerve-racking, especially coming off of one that so many people connected with...but it's also thrilling. The His Dark Lessons series is full of new characters with obstacles to face and I hope that you guys root for Cassandra and Chance to conquer them all!

Here is the cover, description, and excerpt from The Student:



Still reeling from the loss of her father, Cassandra Woods thought her biggest hurdle would be facing friends and professors she's been avoiding all summer--until she finds out her new British lit teacher is her ex-boyfriend.

It's been three years since Dr. Chance Crawford broke her heart but the wounds are still fresh. Cassandra decides to show him how it feels to be hurt by the person you love, but she wasn't counting on falling for him all over again... 

Excerpt:


I inhaled deep and moved forward, peering into the classroom window as I reached for the doorknob. I shrank back when I saw a man perched on the edge of the desk at the front of the room. I could count all the male professors in the English department on one hand and none of them were below the age of 50. The guy who was staring out at the class couldn’t be more than 30.
I could only make out his side profile, but it was more than enough to make me blush in approval. Chestnut colored hair hung in shaggy waves around his angular jaw. Tanned skin was accentuated by a black button down shirt that he had rolled up to the elbow, paired with midnight colored jeans. There was something familiar about the way he carried himself. He exuded confidence and sex appeal, turning something as effortless as leaning into something that made me wish I’d taken a little longer getting ready this morning. When I saw the dark flash of a tattoo peek from beneath his arm cuff, a gasp shot from my lips like a bullet.
It couldn’t be.
His hair should have been longer and unruly. The guy I knew wouldn’t have a tan because he spent his days indoors with his nose stuck in a book. He was twenty-seven and a doctoral candidate when we met at Royal Bean, bonding over bone dry cappuccinos with a sprinkle of raw sugar on top. We gushed over Tolstoy and Dickens and I swooned over someone who studied English and didn’t care that my father was Rhyder Woods.
I stared at the mystery man, desperate for some tell-tale sign that it wasn’t him. The guy I knew wouldn’t teach at Thomas College since he always talked about living abroad after he finished his dissertation. And he’d have to be crazy to stick around after I told him that if I ever saw him again I would personally tear his head off.
But when his head whipped to the door and his eyes met mine, I covered my mouth in horror. His golden flecked eyes still stripped me to my bare bones.
Chance Crawford. The only heartbreak that could still take my breath away.
I turned on my heels and walked in the opposite direction. I could put one foot in front of the other and grin and bear it through my senior year, but I wasn’t going to sit through a semester with him at the front of the class.
“Cassandra, wait!”
I slowed, then gave myself an internal shake. Why the hell was I slowing down? By the time I’d picked up speed it didn’t matter because he’d caught up with me.
“Cassie.” He gripped my arm tight and wheeled me to face him. “Where are you going?”
I wrenched my arm away, trying to see past the fact that he was more handsome than I remembered. “Where is Dr. Madison?”
“She had a family emergency,” he explained. “She’s taking a semester of personal leave.”
Guilt formed knots in my throat when I remembered how tired Dr. Madison looked when she stopped by to see me. She’d cared enough about me to be there when she was going through her own drama?
“I’m her substitute.” His voice washed over me, bringing me back to the fresh crisis before me. “I’ll be teaching her British literature course this semester.”
I hated to admit it, but I still couldn’t take my eyes off him. His new haircut was undeniably sexy. The choppy brown layers accentuated his strong jaw line, giving him a playfulness that he lacked before. My eyes trailed down to the tight muscles of his chest. It was obvious he was still running regularly from the fit of his button down shirt. And then there were the jeans. It was like God himself had crafted them, making sure they hit him at all the right angles, taunting me with the delicious, solid part of him I still remembered well.
I’d hoped the years would mar his attractiveness, that he’d go to Europe and do to some other poor girl what he did to me and get beaten to a pulp. Or fall off the Eiffel tower. Something, anything, to justify the fact that he made it impossible to ever trust another guy with my heart.
He raked a hand through his hair and the layers fell effortlessly back into place. “It’s really good to see you, Cass.”
I crossed my arms, biting back the memory of how he loved it when I ran my fingers through his hair, grabbing tuffs of it while we were...indisposed. “You’re teaching British Lit?”
He stood a little taller. “That’s right.” His voice took on an authoritative, grating edge. “And you’re late.”
“Since when do you teach at Thomas?” I said acidly, ignoring the jab about me being late.
“When this position became available, I knew it was an opportunity and I’d be a fool to pass it up.” A student hustled past and he lowered his voice. “I knew it was an opportunity to see you. To explain and-”
“Save it,” I snapped, holding up a hand. I’d be a fool if I stood there and listened to a word he said about that day. A bigger fool than I had been to fall for him in the first place. “I didn’t care to hear your half assed explanation then and I have even less interest in hearing it now.”
“Cassandra-”
“You know what?” I gripped my backpack tight, finding strength in myself that I hadn’t felt in months. “I don’t need British Lit anyway.”
He let out a low laugh and moved to block me from passing. “You’re unbelievable. You’re going to drop the class just because I’m teaching it?”
“Yep.”
“Even though it’s highly unlikely you’ll find an elective to take its place?”
“That’s right.”
His jaw tightened. “I see you’re just as ridiculous as I remember.”
I balled my hands into fists at my side, entertaining the idea of physically removing him from my path. “And I see you’re just as self-involved.”
“Self-involved?” he repeated with a snort.
“Yes, self-involved.” I flung an arm in the direction of the classroom. “You just waltzed out of there, running after me-”
“I told them to read the syllabus,” he cut in matter-of-factly.
“Whatever,” I said bitingly. “You think that you can just come out here and I’m just going to finally give you what you want?”
It all came rushing back--images and feelings, raw and suffocating. I’d said yes back then, yes when I thought I was losing him and it still didn’t stop him from breaking my heart into a million pieces. I promised myself I’d never give him another chance; never speak another word to him.
“What I want?” He closed his eyes and let out a grunt of frustration. “It’s been three years, Cassandra. I’m not going to make reparations for all eternity.” His voice deepened. “I apologized. You didn’t accept it.”
“Yes, but-”
“Look, I know how much this class means to you.” His eyes went dark and I knew he was using things I’d told him. About me. About Dad. “And after losing your father-”
“You don’t know anything about me,” I said bitingly. “Not anymore.” I pushed past him, storming in the direction of the exit. I didn’t know what hurt worse--that he didn’t come after me…or that I wanted him to.
****

The Student is available at the following retailers:


Sunday, November 18, 2012

Update

Just wanted to pop in and let you know what I've been working on and what's coming out soon/coming up:

-My new serial, His Dark Lessons, is about a student and her dominant professor. I'm really looking forward to yall meeting Cassandra Woods and Dr. Chance Crawford. :D

Here's a *tentative* schedule for the serial release:
--The Student (His Dark Lessons, #1): November 26
--The Teacher (His Dark Lessons, #2): December 28
--The Test (His Dark Lessons, #3): January 18

And your eyes aren't deceiving you...part one should be out this Friday! Release has been moved to Monday, November 26, after the holiday weekend.

-I'm pulling together all the parts of the His Submissive serial and publishing it as a single book in paperback format. I'm getting it professionally formatted then publishing it through Createspace so it's going to take a couple of weeks, but I hope to have it ready before Christmas. :) I'm also planning on giving away a couple of autographed copies to followers of the blog. More updates on that in the weeks to come.

-And for the fans of the His Submissive serial, I'm definitely not done with brooding billionaires. My next serial after His Dark Lessons will go back to the boardroom and jetset life.


So many exciting things going on! Hope you guys have been doing well and thank you for all of your awesome reviews, comments, tweets, and emails. Best. fans. ever!!!


Friday, November 9, 2012

Giveaway Winner Announced and Billionaire's Heart Release!

Sorry this post is coming so late in the day...I've been having technical difficulties so trying to edit on a tablet/hunting for a new laptop made for a hectic Friday! But as promised, the book is being released today! :)

But first, free stuff!!!!
The winner of the Billionaire's Heart Giveaway is....
Amanda De La Rosa!!

I choose the winner by putting the entries in order by date/time received and assigning each entry a number and then I used Random.org's Random Sequence Generator. As you can see in the image below, the first number is 4, which was one of Amanda's entries!



Amanda, please email me at avaclairewrites[at]gmail[dot]com so I can send you your $25 Amazon gift card. Congratulations!!!

And now, without further ado, here's the cover and description for The Billionaire's Heart!



Leila Montgomery is finally ready to admit that she loves Jacob Whitmore, just in time for his ex, actress Rachel Laraby, to slither back onto the scene. When Rachel reveals that she knows about the contracts, Leila makes a deal with her to protect Jacob.

When Jacob learns about Leila's deception, he fires her, putting an end to their blossoming romance. But Leila won't give up without a fight...

Writing this final part of Jacob and Leila's romance was such an emotional journey for me. I felt like I was literally the one being faced with an impossible situation and making mistakes and being so terrified to say those 3 words. All in all, I hope you guys have enjoyed taking this journey with me and will love the ending. Thank you for letting me share their romance with you and rooting for their happily ever after!

It's currently only available at Smashwords, but I will update other retailers links as they become available. Enjoy and come back and tell me what you think!

Pick up The Billionaire's Heart at:

Smashwords
Amazon
Barnes and Noble


P.s. I'm hard at work on my next series with the first book being available late Nov. I'm taking a break from the boardroom and private jets and going back to uni where a student falls hard for her professors dominating lessons. :D Will post more about it soon!

Thursday, November 8, 2012

My Faves!

So today is a double post because my laptop decided to take a vacation. :/ Thank god for flash drives or...*shudders*

Anyway, onward to happier things!!!

Below are some images that embody/make me think about different characters and locales for the series:














Looking through my bookmarks and glossy images, I'm getting all teary because this will be the last installment. :( :( Happy tears, though. Pinky swears.

E.L. James opened a whole new world of possibilities and stoked the minds of millions of writers all over with Fifty Shades (including yours truly!). Here are my favorite billionaire themed erotic romances:

"At His Service" by Delilah Fawkes


"Anything He Wants" by Sara Fawkes


"Her Russian Billionaire" by Theodora Taylor


"Maid for the Billionaire" by Ruth Cardello


If you haven't devoured these books yet, they get Ava's stamp of approval. Ample brooding-ness and steamy-ness!

Today is the last day of my giveaway, so don't forget to comment/tweet for a chance to win an AZ gift card! Thanks to everyone that has shared and commented...it means a lot!

Tomorrow is release day....stay tuned to the blog for buy links! :D :D :D


Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Tech difficulties


Having tech difficulties with my computer...so tomorrow will be a double post. 

Please stand by :/

P.s. The Billionaire's Passion is still set to go live on Friday!

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

The His Submissive Soundtrack

When I sit down to tell Jacob and Leila's steamy story, I pull up Pandora. The right tunes can put me in the thick of the action, personifying just the right emotions. Just the right song can help me lose myself.

Here's the His Submissive Soundtrack!

Margo and the Nuclear So and So's- "Broadripple is Burning"


Angus and Julia Stone- "Big Jet Plane"



The Yeah Yeah Yeahs- "Runaway"



Florence + the Machine- "Heavy in Your Arms" (is it Nov 16 yet?!)




Ingrid Michaelson- "You and I"




Michael Dulin- "Clair De Lune"




The Dixie Chicks- "Lullaby"




Norah Jones- "The Nearness of You"




Hem- "Not California"



Rachel Yamagata- "The Reason Why"



Hope yall are having a good week so far and don't forget to check out the details for the giveaway!

Monday, November 5, 2012

The Billionaire's Heart Excerpt!

Happy Monday!!

Below is an excerpt from The Billionaire's Heart (available November 9!).

Gallivanting around Venice, ignoring cell phones, swooning, and a surprise addition to the museum tour...

Hope yall enjoy the snippet! :D



The Billionaire’s Heart Excerpt
Copyright 2012 Ava Claire

Colors swirled and weaved across the ancient canvas, telling a story as powerful today as when it was first created.
A man in a busy Hawaiian shirt stepped up beside me, snapping a picture. “Wow, huh?” He hustled away without another word, off to fall in love with another painting.
I turned back to the vibrant strokes, nodding my head in silent agreement. Wow was right. Wow that I was in Galleria dell'Accademia, surrounded by art spanning centuries.  Wow that I'd spent the morning with Jacob Whitmore, the billionaire CEO of PR firm Whitmore and Creighton, playing the gawking tourist. And it was even more surprising that I was able to walk when everything seemed so surreal, so perfect, that I felt like I was floating.
With his hand in mine, it was impossible to deny that he did a number on me. It was doubly hard to cage the butterflies when he'd ignored his buzzing cell phone, instead, wrapping an arm around my shoulder as we took in the sights. But after whoever was intent on raining on my parade spent three hours blowing up his cell, I insisted he answer it. I needed the break anyway. When he was close he occupied every part of me, leaving nothing but a single truth.
I love him.
I cleared my throat and turned from the painting. There was something about the red that was visceral, evoking emotions that would do nothing but complicate things. Guys like Jacob Whitmore didn't say those words. To love was to show weakness and Jacob had to be anything but.
I glanced down at the museum map and when my eyes shot back up, a woman stood firmly in my path. My brain formed the words ‘excuse me’ but nothing came out when I recognized familiar green eyes. Ripe with contempt.
"Rachel?" I said, peering at her with surprise. The sound of her name garnered a scowl as she pulled the visor of her hat down a few inches.
Decked in a non-descript white tee, jeans, and floral flats, she was a long way from the glamorous Rachel Laraby that had the rest of the world enamored. Unfortunately, even dressed down, she was breathtaking. Eyes glittered in the shadow of her baseball cap; round, plump lips sang even without the sheen of lipstick; curves taunted—she was a stunner even playing incognito. I found myself trying to stand a little taller, pangs of self-consciousness ringing even though I knew the summer dress I wore flattered my curves and the high bun on top of my head elongated my neck.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, regretting it as soon as it came out. What a dumb question. Why else would she be here? "Rachel, if this is about Jacob-"
"Shh," she hissed, glancing about nervously. She slouched futilely, her droopy shoulders molding her into a model-esque pose. "I need to talk to you. Privately."
I raised a brow. "Say what?"
She put a hand on her hip and gave me a look of urgency. Impatience. "Do you have a minute?"
"You gotta be kidding me," I scoffed. “No, Rachel. I don’t have a minute.”
 “I’m wearing a ball cap for Christ’s sake,” she glowered. “Trust me, I wouldn’t be dressed like this, talking to you, unless it was really important.” She saw that I was seconds from just plowing past, so she gave it another shot. “Please, Leila.”
"After you've given me hell since the minute we met, what could we possibly have to say to one another?" I said, not wavering. Well, not until I saw the muscles in her face tighten and she snapped her mouth shut. Whoa. Was she actually holding back a quip?
She took a step closer. "What I have to say needs to be said. I'm trying to do you a favor, Leila."
I looked at her incredulously, remembering our last exchange. She called me fat a rainbow of ways and admitted to setting me up with the paparazzi. "Yeahhh...no thanks."
I moved around her, pausing only when she gripped my elbow. I let my gaze drop to her hand then slowly creep back up until I had her in my sights. When our eyes met, she released me immediately.
"Wise choice," I said, fighting to keep my cool. "Now, if this has to do with the junction, if Jacob is no longer involved with the event, then neither am I."
"This isn't about the junction," she said, frustration lacing every word. "This is about Jacob."
“Of course it is.”
“Not about me and Jacob,” she snapped.
“Uh huh.” I said, rolling my eyes. “You’ll have to excuse me if I don’t believe you. Or want to spend one more second talking to you.”
I was all but ready to leave her in the dust until she jutted her chin out defiantly. I watched as the odd nervousness melted away like someone was standing just out of sight and suddenly screeched “Cut!” She rolled her shoulders back and her stance went from unsure to confident. Her bright eyes took on the self-righteous glint that I knew all too well.
"You'll want to give me a few minutes of your time, dear,” she said with her trademark condescension. “If you think having ass shots all over the internet was bad, just you wait until the world finds out about Jacob's bdsm arrangements with his assistants."
My jaw dropped open. The tourists and museum goers around us chirped and bustled, but the only thing I heard was ‘bdsm’ echoing over and over in my ears. She knew.
I should say something. Act like I don’t know what she’s talking about. Refute it. But I was frozen. Worried a single word, a single movement would set her off.
"Good." Her features were like chiseled stone. Cold as the grave. "Thank you for not insulting me by playing stupid."
I glanced over her shoulder, looking for my lifeline. I saw Jacob near a marble statue in the far corner, head bowed in concentration. If he only knew this psychotic woman was armed with information that could ruin him…
I returned my attention to Rachel, searching for some tell-tale sign that she was bluffing. I rushed over the vindictive curve of her lips, the stubborn set of her jaw--all of that was old news. Someone so full of anger would always wear disgust like an outfit. But her eyes would hold the truth.
My heart leapt to my throat.
She'd do it. Without hesitation.
"Bathroom," she said, a victorious smile slicing across her face. "Now."

****

Don't forget to comment/tweet for your chance to win the AZ gift card!

Sunday, November 4, 2012

The Billionaire's Heart Giveaway Event Details

Hi yall! I wanted to send out a blast with the full details for the blog event that starts tomorrow, celebrating the release of the final part of the His Submissive series, The Billionaire's Heart!

Here's a breakdown of what I have planned for next week (November 5-9)

November 5: Posting Excerpt from The Billionaire's Heart
November 6: The His Submissive Series 'Soundtrack'
November 7: Images that Inspired the series
November 8: Ava's Favorite Billionaire Stories
November 9: The Billionaire's Heart released! Winner of $25 gift card Announced!

Now about the giveaway...

Because you guys are awesome sauce and have helped this series soar since it first began in July, I wanted to do a little giveaway for my readers/followers. The prize will be a $25 Amazon gift card!

Here's how you can win the gift card:

-Comment on blog posts. You don't have to say it's for the contest unless you want...I'm just going to count all comments received from Nov 4-8 as entries.

-Tweet/RT about this event and the His Submissive series. Be sure to DM me for every eligible tweet (@avaclairewrites) so they will be counted!

Every comment you leave and tweet sent from November 4 through November 8 will give you an entry to win the gift card. I'll choose the winner by assigning every entry a number, then use a random number generator to pick the winner!
The more you comment and share, the more chances you have to win. :D

So excited about my first giveaway. If you have any questions, leave it in the comment area. And yes, questions count as entries. ;)

Good luck!