Welcome guest blogger Sophie Pembroke!

Today I’m pleased to welcome Sophie Pembroke to the blog. Sophie is talking about something near and dear to every romance author –  attraction. Take it away, Sophie!

Attraction – Sophie Pembroke

Thanks, Cassandra, for having me here today!

Now, I’ve just been taking a look around Cassandra’s site, and I couldn’t help but spot some very attractive men hanging out here. One of the best parts about writing romance, of course, is the fact that Googling ‘hot men’ and staring at their pictures for ‘inspiration’ is practically part of the job description.

But more than that, you get to bring them to life, as fully fledged heroes with all their associated issues, but still ready to sweep your heroine off her feet.

Of course, your heroines don’t know that – not to start with, anyway.

And that’s one of my favourite parts about writing a new book. That moment where the heroine sees the hero for the first time and thinks, ‘just maybe…’ Sometimes they’ve never met before, sometimes they have history. Sometimes it’s someone they never expected to see again, sometimes it’s a guy they’ve seen every day for years only this time, they see something new.

Right there, in that moment, everything is possible. There’s a whole love story set out in front of them, and a whole adventure to have.

So, in celebration of that moment, here’s a little sneak peak of the first meeting between Carrie and Nate, the couple at the heart of my first novel, Room for Love.

BLURB

Can she make room for love? 

When wedding planner Carrie Archer inherits the crumbling Avalon Inn where she spent her childhood summers, she knows she’ll do whatever it takes to make it home. With no money for renovations, that means teaming up with her boss to turn the Avalon into a dream wedding venue.

But Carrie has been left more than the Inn–she’s also inherited its occupants, including three senior citizens, a single father chef with childcare issues, a panicky receptionist, and one very gorgeous gardener.

So when her cousin Ruth declares her intention to get married at the Avalon on Christmas Eve, Carrie finds herself juggling decorating with dance nights, budgeting with bridge games…and sabotage with seduction.

WARNING: Some sexual content. And sexual frustration…

EXCERPT

The heavy, dark-wood front door, with its stained glass panel showering colored light onto the stone floor of the reception area, felt like another old friend to Carrie. She remembered being too small to even open it on her own; sitting on the step outside waiting for Nancy to come back from the garden to help her, or for a kindly passing guest to let her in. Today, Carrie’s hand hovered above the wood, suddenly reluctant to enter. What if it wasn’t as she remembered? Who was waiting inside?

Carrie sucked in a breath and shoved. The door fell open under her hand, easier than she’d remembered, and she stumbled before finding her feet.

Her favorite tapestry still hung above the reception desk and the sparkling silver threads of the unicorn’s horn caught her eye immediately. Her gaze moved lower. A line of senior citizens spanned the width of the hall, all standing straight backed and staring ahead, like the staff of a 1930s stately home, welcoming their master back from a long trip.

Exactly who had Nancy been hiring lately?

They looked faintly familiar from the funeral, but Carrie knew she’d been too upset that day to really take anything in. Plus, she’d spent most of the day arguing with Dad. Nothing much else had registered. Now she wished she’d paid more attention.

After a long moment of staring at each other, a younger man at the end of the line stepped forward out of the shadows. Even at a six-foot distance, she had to tilt her chin up to take in his cropped brown hair, accentuating a strong jaw. She let her gaze drop enough to linger on the wide, muscled shoulders that looked like he spent his days slinging oxen around, or something equally rural.

“Shall I do the introductions?” he asked, eyebrows raised. Carrie blinked. He wasn’t just gorgeous, he felt…familiar, somehow.

And despite his welcome, he didn’t look too pleased to see her.

Sophie Pembroke

Room For Love

$4.99

Buy link:

http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_25&products_id=514

ABOUT SOPHIE

Sophie Pembroke has been writing romance for years, ever since she stayed up all night reading Mills and Boon novels as part of her English degree at Lancaster University. She loves to set her contemporary romance stories in the places she has lived – from the wilds of the Welsh mountains, to the gentile humour of the English country village, or the heat and tension of a London summer. She also has a tendency to make her characters kiss in castles.

Currently, she makes her home in Hertfordshire, with her husband and daughter. She writes love stories in her little spare room office, while drinking too much tea and eating homemade cakes. Or, when things are looking very bad for her heroes and heroines, white wine and dark chocolate.

Sophie keeps a blog at www.SophiePembroke.com, which should be about romance and writing, but is usually about cake and castles instead.

LINKS

Web & Blog: www.SophiePembroke.com

Twitter: @Sophie_Pembroke – https://twitter.com/#!/Sophie_Pembroke

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Sophie-Pembroke/134474999990027

Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/profile.php?id=100003136928151

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5111053-sophie-pembroke

Lyrical Press: http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=authors&authors_id=206

BUY LINKS