Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Haunting You by Viola Estrella Excerpt, Teaser, Interview & Giveaway


Haunting You
Bewitching Women Series
Book 2
Viola Estrella

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Date of Publication:  10/25/2014

ISBN: 978-0-9856198-3-1
ASIN: B00OU1V41E

Number of pages: 302
Word Count: 85,500

Cover Artist: Estrella Cover Art

Book Description:

Rachel Spencer's life has been hijacked by the supernatural. Ghosts seeking help with their unfinished earthly business won't leave her alone. Her only hope for returning to normalcy and passing her next attempt at the bar exam is making a deal with one of the ghostly intruders. It should be simple--Ella keeps the other spirits away if Rachel agrees to help Ella's two teenage sons. No problem. Well, not until she meets the boys' guardian.

August Kline misses his old life. He never planned to raise two teenage hurricanes in an old house in small-town Indiana. But here he is, and he's determined to make the best of it...if he could only keep the house in order and not completely screw up his nephews.

Enter a gorgeous redhead who pops into August's world when life is at its grimmest. Rachel claims to be an old friend of Ella's and offers to help around the house. Sparks fly whenever they're together, and August is falling fast. Rachel keeps her distance, worrying her ghostly secrets will sabotage any chance of a relationship. But when danger appears and threatens the people she has grown to care about, she may have to face more than her own fears.

Available at  Amazon   BN   ARe   iBooks






Excerpt 

So she actually wanted to go through with this?
Fantastic. No, more like embarrassing. And wrong. So wrong.
A beautiful woman had popped into his life like a granted wish and all she wanted to do was clean his house.
He stepped outside, letting the glass door close behind him, and smiled at Rachel because, well, he found it hard not to when in her presence. Rosy-glossed kissable lips, light coppery hair, delicate features, and seductive eyes framed by thick lashes compelled him to be happy. Hell, to be ecstatic. The woman magnetized him. He was a god**mned moth and she was the brightest lamppost on the block. Only question was when would he get zapped?
“Hi.” She stuffed her hands in her pockets and rocked on her feet. Cute and sexy. Lethal combo.
“You came back.” Obviously, dumb*ss.
“I hope you don’t mind. Helping you and the boys would mean a lot to me.”
When she put it that way, it seemed kind of rude to object. But… “I really don’t think this is a good idea.”
“I want to. Besides, I owe Ella for all her mentoring. She helped me so much. And this is how I’d like to repay her.”
“I don’t know.” Why couldn’t he just say “no”? Where were his b*lls? They were there a moment ago.
“I insist, August. So…” She lifted her hand, palm up. “Hand over the house key. You’re not going to win this argument. I’m a soon-to-be lawyer. I don’t back down easily.”
“I can see that.” He dug into his pocket and pulled out his set of keys. “I’m going to pay you for whatever you do.” Truth be told, he should have hired a housekeeper before it had come to this. If he had, maybe Rachel would be more interested in his bed than his dirty dishes.
“No, you’re not.” She grabbed the key from his hand just as he unlatched it. “I won’t accept anything but extreme gratitude.”
“Extreme gratitude could come in many forms.” He instinctively reached out to touch her, brushing two fingers down the inside of her forearm.
Her cheeks flushed pink as she inched ever so slightly away from him. She averted her gaze to the parking lot. “Um, I’ll get started. Should I bring the key back to you before I leave?”
So she was shy all of a sudden? Too bad. He could have some fun debating with Ms. Soon-To-Be-Lawyer. But shyness was good too. The word “challenge” sprang to mind.
He leaned against the concrete plaza wall and inclined toward her, catching a whiff of strawberry. He hadn’t gained women’s interest in the past by being inhibited. And he wasn’t going to start now.
“You could spend the night,” he said.
Yep, that got her attention.
She jerked her head back, warm chocolate eyes wide and alert. “Pardon?”
August kept his cool, something he’d learn to excel at over the years in NYC, where the women he’d run into weren’t quite as innocent as this one. He hitched up one side of his grin and lowered his eyelids somewhat—a look several of his ex-girlfriends had told him was sexy.
Yeah, he was desperate.
“I mean, if you’re planning on coming back tomorrow, there’s no point in driving four hours round trip.” He winked. “With gas prices and all.”
Every inch of her body seemed to tense, including her clutched fists at her sides. “My car’s pretty efficient,” she mumbled, glancing at his lips before settling on his eyes.
“Safety then. It’s a long drive.” As subtle as possible, he reached out again but this time to see if her hair was as silky soft as it appeared. Her skin certainly was. He ran his fingers across her smooth cheek, sweeping a thick lock of unbelievably soft reddish-blond hair away from her face and behind her ear.
She tilted her head toward his touch, and he hoped to God the two ladies who had just walked out of Dolly’s Hair Salon wouldn’t scare her away from the kiss he was about to give her.
He cupped her cheek and moved in closer.
She pulled her bottom lip in to bite and then released it, making him want to taste her even more.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll pass.”
Before he could make his move or argue it was the best idea he’d had in years, she took three sharp steps away from him, leaving his hand caressing nothing but air.
“I’ll return the key in a few hours.” She turned on the heel of her tennis shoe and race-walked to her car.

About the Author:

Viola Estrella loves a story with flawed characters, paranormal elements, humor and romance. She tries to include these aspects in all that she writes and loves every minute of it. When she's not writing, reading, or designing cover art, she's spending time with her husband and four sons in their Colorado home. Viola is a 2010 RITA® finalist.

Also in 2010, she was honored by her local RWA® chapter, Colorado Romance Writers, with the Writer of the Year award. Find out more about Viola Estrella’s writing at www.ViolaEstrella.com

Interview

Where are you from?
I’m originally from Indiana, and that’s partially why I use that setting in Bewitching You and Haunting You. I grew up mostly in Arizona, and now I live in beautiful Colorado.
Tell us your latest news?
Haunting You, Book 2 in the Bewitching Women Series, was released at the end of October, and I’m deep into Book 3, Finding You, which has been loads of fun.
When and why did you begin writing?
I began writing about eleven years ago. My motivation was to finish the stories that I had running through my head day in and day out. It worked!
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
After I wrote “The End” for the first time.
What inspired you to write your first book?
Since I was a little girl, I’ve spun stories in my head. One day I wondered what it would be like to write one of the stories down on paper and give it a happy ending. So I did. And I fell in love with writing.
Do you have a specific writing style?
I tend to write light-hearted romance but with some darker moments. I love writing fun dialogue and banter.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
My heroine in Haunting You has anxiety and self-esteem issues, and she’s forced to face them in the novel. If readers are able to identify with her, I’ll be thrilled.
How much of the book is realistic?
Well, that depends on if you believe in ghosts or not! LOL! Seriously though, I think the people are realistic, but the situations are on the paranormal side. So the reader will have to be open to a supernatural storyline, but I also think they’ll be able to relate the characters.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
There’s always a little something I use from my life. In Haunting You, the secondary storyline is about an Amish girl who’d died when she was a teenager. I know about the Amish religion/culture because I have many relatives who are and were Amish (meaning they left the religion). My parents grew up in the religion, but left before I was born. Even though I grew up fairly “normal,” I can always ask them if I have a question. Of course, any errors are my own. Having said that, please be aware that the Bewitching Women Series is NOT inspirational romance. It’s actually quite spicy!
What books have most influenced your life most?
So many! But my favorite books to read are romance novels. Love a happy ending.
What book are you reading now?
I just started reading Heiress Without a Cause by Sara Ramsey. It’s cute so far!
What are your current projects?
I just finished NaNoWriMo, and I was able to write a rough 50K words to Finding You, Book 3 in the Bewitching Women Series. I’m loving the characters, and I can’t wait to finish and get it out to readers.
What would you like my readers to know?
I’ve come to the conclusion that I suck at Twitter. You’re more likely to find me posting on Facebook. But maybe that’ll change some day. I also have a newsletter that I send out when I have a new release, so please sign up!
Links:
Newsletter sign-up: http://bit.ly/1FM7qeh
If you still want to follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/violaestrella

Also, if you Google me, you might see that I have a second passion--designing cover art. Check it out, if you like! http://estrellacoverart.com/







Tour giveaway

7 $5 Amazon, B&N, or iTunes gift cards (winner’s choice)

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