THE MAN I WANT TO BE Cover Reveal & Teaser!

It's here!  It's here!  The cover for THE MAN I WANT TO BE!  

This is the 3rd and final book in my Under Covers romantic suspense series and centers around Bryan Tyke, Ash Calder's (from ON HER SIX) and Luke Calder's (from IN WALKED TROUBLE) best friend and DEA teammate. 

It was a fun story to write because it brings back all the players from books one and two who are attending a destination wedding! Ash, Sam, Luke, Reese, and even the old ladies from the 19th Street Patrol! (Remember crazy Estelle?) 

What do you think??  He's beautiful, right?? 


Blurb: 

First rule of weddings – don’t fall for the bridesmaid. 

DEA agent Bryan Tyke hates weddings. He hates them even more when he’s forced to travel to a hot as hell beach resort to watch his best friends say I do, while acting happy about it. He isn’t happy. If those two want to buy into happily ever after, good for them. That isn’t in the cards for Tyke. It hasn’t been since he joined the army years ago and lost everything. That is, until the woman he’s never forgotten shows up as a bridesmaid and puts herself into immediate danger.

Kenna McCord has bigger issues than running into the gruff, sexy guy who broke her heart. Someone is stealing from wedding guests, including her late mother’s sapphire ring, and Kenna needs to find the thief ASAP. Reluctantly, she agrees to let Bryan use his skills and resources to help with the investigation, knowing full well it will lead to nothing but frustration and more broken promises. Unfortunately, there’s still something between them that can’t be denied…


Teaser for THE MAN I WANT TO BE: 


What people are saying about The Man I Want To Be:

“This book has it all. A touch of humor, a bit of mystery, and a ton of heat, heart, and hope. I loved it!”   
- Kira Archer, USA Today Bestselling Author

“When it comes to hot, fun thrill rides, Christina Elle delivers!” -USA Today Bestselling Author Avery Flynn  

"LOVED this book!  This novel has it all - a compelling story, characters I cared about, poignant moments, and moments that made me laugh so hard I cried." - Linda Q., NetGalley


Pre-Order!

Release date is Monday 26 February, but you can preorder now!

Amazon  |   B&N  |  iBooks  |   Kobo  |  Google Play



Check out the entire Under Covers series! 

xoxo, 
Christina

My Recap of 2017 & My Theme Word for 2018!

Well, folks. 2018 is upon us. I don't know how we got here, but it's time to face it. I'm not one of those people to get wrapped up into resolutions and all that, but I am someone who believes that we have to reflect on the past in order to understand and appreciate where we're heading into the future.

My recap of 2017:

2017 started out well. I spent the first few months finalizing edits for my second full-length novel, IN WALKED TROUBLE, which released 31 July 2017. I was really proud of that story. All the writing classes I'd taken, the resource books I'd read, critique partner advice I'd listened to over the last however many years culminated into a fun, action-packed novel that I'm super proud of. I just felt really good about it. Feedback was really great on IWT, too. So I was flying high! 

Once final edits for IWT were done and off to my publisher for print, I was approached by some members of my local RWA chapter, Maryland Romance Writers, to contribute to a beach-themed anthology. Uh, that was a no-brainer since the beach is my FAVORITE place in the world. If I could live on the beach every day, I would. So I gladly accepted the invite. 

And then had to write my TAIL off.

I had a total of two months to whip together a novella that would be worthy of the other four ladies in the anthology. We're talking USA Today Bestsellers I was publishing alongside, people. I had to bring it! I had never written a novella before and had never written anything in less than two months. This project was great because it ended up teaching me how to fast draft

And that's how ANYWHERE WITH YOU was born. Talk about a FUUUUUN story to write. While the timeline might have been restrictive, the plot wasn't. I could write whatever I wanted about a locale that I was super pumped to write about. I'm really happy how that story turned out.  Quirky, contemporary romance with loads of LOL moments. It was published as part of the Destination Love anthology with Christi Barth, Eliza Knight, Misty D. Water, Piper J. Drake, and me, and was only available for a few short months during the summer. We donated 20% of all sales to an organization called Final Salute Inc., who provide housing for homeless women veterans and their children. It's a really great cause, and we were excited to do our part to help.

ANYWHERE WITH YOU isn't available now for purchase; once the timeframe for the anthology ended, all authors got the rights of their stories back to release on our own, so that's what I'm going to do. I want to self-publish it this summer. If you're a blogger or reader and you're interested in helping to spread the word on release day, let me know! I would appreciate the support!

After IWT and AWY released, I had another bit of good career news. I signed with an agent in August! I am proud to say I am now represented by the incredible Jessica Alvarez at Bookends Literary Agency!!  For those who aren't aware of what an agent does, she is the super important business partner who helps sell an author's work to publishing houses, negotiate contracts to get us the best deals, offers constructive criticism on our writing, and all around helps steer an author's career based on the author's individual goals. Agents are also really great sounding boards when we authors are having a tough day.

Which I needed not long after signing with Jessica. I lost my grandmother at the end of August, and it was fortuitous that I wasn't working on deadline, because I would've never been able to finish anything on time. My mind and heart just wasn't into anything. For those of you familiar with my work, I write a lot of humor into my stories, most if it coming in the form of quirky and confident old lady side characters. Usually they are in the form of grandmothers to my main characters. Why? Because my grandmother was a huge influence on my life. I got 99% of my humor and quirk from her. She was a unique lady who loved her family, loved to laugh, and was always confident in who she was. She never gave a damn what other people thought about her. She was unapologetically her. I don't think I intended to write stories with as many old ladies as I have (so far my entire Under Covers series has old ladies, and I have a new, soon-to-be-announced series I just sold that includes them, as well), but I think deep down my psyche was just longing to get my grandmother down on paper. I had to share her with the world. And, as I'm writing this, I realize that was the best idea I ever had. Now that she's gone, I will always have a piece of her with me. Immortalized in my stories that I've shared with you. Her laugh was infectious, and in this day and age, I think we all could use a bit more laughter and humor.

The next few months flew by as I attempted to get my brain back in working order. I'm happy to say that Jessica and I sold a new series, which I'm working on now. It'll be a three book series, this time set in a small coastal town with everyday heroes as the main characters. The first book is about a fireman and wanna-be romance novelist who just can't seem to get their grandmothers to stop fighting and wrecking the town. I can't wait until there are more details available so I can share them with you!

So... what does all of that mean for 2018??

Well, from the outside, you might be saying, Christina, based on what you've outlined, you've had a pretty successful year. You published two books, signed an agent, and sold a new book series.

Yes, I have. But I didn't produce nearly as many results as I'd planned on 1 January 2017. I let myself down. I didn't take care of my health. I let my eating habits go by the wayside. I made excuses as to why I wasn't writing anything new. I chose to surf the internet rather than sit and write a new chapter or two. I downloaded a crap-ton of new resource books to help improve my craft, and didn't crack any of them open. 

No. More. Excuses. 

I've thought long and hard about how I want this upcoming year to go. I'm more serious about my 2018 goal setting because I know that if you don't set a goal and create actionable steps toward it, you won't achieve it. So, here's what I've outlined so far.

What I want to achieve in 2018:

- Write 3 full-length novels 

- Traditionally publish 2 full-length novels 

- Self-publish ANYWHERE WITH YOU 

- Write more blog posts and keep you guys current on the great (and maybe not so great) things going on here in my world.

- Serve as a resource to up-and-coming authors. This is a big one. There were authors I looked up to when I was an unpublished author who offered pointers and tips. I'd really like to pay it forward. (hint, hint. If you're an author and you need help, don't hesitate to send me a message. Writing is an awfully lonely profession sometimes. We're all going through the same things, though we don't always talk about it out loud.) 

- Network more this year. I'm a hermit by nature. I'm only usually outgoing in small groups of people. I'd like to put myself out there more. Attend events. Serve on panels. Talk about myself and my writing without feeling like I'm bragging or like I'm inexperienced.

- I want go to a huge author signing event and, well, sign my books for readers.  I've never done this. And I want to do it so badly! Despite the fact that I'm a hermit, I LOVE meeting new people. Especially readers. I really want to meet them in person.

- Hire a personal assistant to help me keep up with and post on social media. I didn't post very much last year and really want to increase my presence. I need a guru to keep me engaged!

- Get a better handle on my schedule. I'm not a full-time author. I work a full-time job, have two young kids (7 and 4), with a husband who is a cop and works unconventional hours. I want to stop using our crazy schedule as an excuse not to write more. I have pockets of time where I can sit at my computer, I showed that in 2016, so I need to do a better job of setting aside time to do it. I want to start using The Compound Effect again to do it. 

- This kind of goes with the more blog posts thing, but I want to give my readers more of a glimpse into my real life. Apart from my love of Chris Hemsworth, Marvel movies, and hot weather, I don't really talk about other things I love. I want to show my readers that I'm a real person just like them. It's what I love seeing from authors I read/follow, so I want to be able to do that for my readers, too.

- And finally, I want to take better care of my health. Specifically, I want to start making better choices on food. We made the decision back in 2015 as a family to eat clean, but I most definitely didn't follow the basic principles last year. It was so much easier and quick to forgo my meal planning and basic exercise in lieu of ordering out and sitting on my butt binge-watching Teen Wolf, Vikings, and Outlander. (All AMAZING, btw!)


So, in an attempt to wrap up everything I want to accomplish in 2018, I've decided my theme word will be: 

MOMENTUM

It perfectly describes what I need in order to accomplish all of that, but more importantly, it signifies that I simply need to keep going. Keep up the momentum and the rest will take care of itself. The list feels daunting at the first of the year, but it's not if I keep moving forward and ticking items off one-by-one each day, week, and month of the year.

So there you have it, folks. My plan for 2018. I've outlined all this not so I can just say, "Hey look what I'm going to do!" 

No, I laid this out because I know that if I make it public, if I put it out there for others to read, then I'll feel more compelled to hold myself accountable to it.

How about you? What are your goals for this year? Let's do this!

xoxo, 
Christina

 

THE MAN I WANT TO BE - Release date & Teaser!

Mark your calendar --  **THE MAN I WANT TO BE is coming your way 26 February 2018!** 

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This is one of those books that wrote itself. Tyke had been begging for his own story (yelling at me, really) since I started this series back in 2015.  He was patient and let me get Ash's and Luke's stories out first, and then all hell broke loose. He bugged me morning, noon, and night, wanting me to get his story written.  And he finally got his way!  Though, he might not be too happy with all the crap I put him through for most of the book.  hehe 

I don't have the cover yet, but I have a blurb if you're interested in reading what it's about. It's FUN, it's FUNNY, and it's SARCASTIC as hell. Tyke has finally met his match in this second-chance romance! 
 

Blurb: 

First rule of weddings – don’t fall for the bridesmaid. 

DEA agent Bryan Tyke hates weddings. He hates them even more when he’s forced to travel to a hot as hell beach resort to watch his best friends say I do, while acting happy about it. He isn’t happy. If those two want to buy into happily ever after, good for them. That isn’t in the cards for Tyke. It hasn’t been since he joined the army years ago and lost everything. That is, until the woman he’s never forgotten shows up as a bridesmaid and puts herself into immediate danger.

Kenna McCord has bigger issues than running into the gruff, sexy guy who broke her heart. Someone is stealing from wedding guests, including her late mother’s sapphire ring, and Kenna needs to find the thief ASAP. Reluctantly, she agrees to let Bryan use his skills and resources to help with the investigation, knowing full well it will lead to nothing but frustration and more broken promises. Unfortunately, there’s still something between them that can’t be denied…


What are people saying about THE MAN I WANT TO BE:

“This book has it all. A touch of humor, a bit of mystery, and a ton of heat, heart, and hope. I loved it!”  
- Kira Archer, USA Today Bestselling Author


release date reveal for TMIWTB_FB size.png

Want a sneak peek?  

(*Final passage could change when it goes to print, but here you go!)

Tyke huddled behind a large row of bushes looking at a small two-story cape cod. He and Reese had set up surveillance about two hundred feet away. On their bellies in damp grass, they scanned the front exterior of the house and surrounding area through binoculars.

The place was located smack in the middle of a long street that was lined with about twenty houses along the ocean. The tall hill across the road where Reese and Tyke lay, served as great privacy for the neighborhood from the rest of the resort craziness. This area was dark and quiet. Peaceful. Likely coveted by the resort staff as a way to decompress after servicing the guests.

Some upstairs lights were on in the adjacent houses; people readying for bedtime after a hard days work. Clint Azure’s house was dark and silent. Only a few overgrown bushes and trees out front. No cars in the cracked driveway.

“Area secure,” Reese said beside him. “If you're going, I would say now is the time.”

Tyke placed his binos in the black canvas bag Reese brought with him to the islands. They hadn't planned on anything happening while they were on vacation, but one could never be sure. Reese liked to be prepared.

“Keep an eye out,” Tyke said, getting to his feet in a crouch position. “If you see anything—” He spotted movement at his two o'clock, so he threw himself flat on the grass and scrambled for his binoculars. “Who the hell is that?”

Reese was already on it, following the person with his own equipment. “A woman. And by the looks of it, Kenna.”

What?” Tyke snapped his binoculars back up and confirmed that surer than shit, it was her. He'd recognize that profile anywhere.

Her red hair was pulled up into a pile on the top of her head. She wore a black tank top that showed off her full chest and black shorts that were just short enough to give her that curve that drove him nuts. Despite the dark clothing, the way she was tip-toeing out in the open across the front yard, Stevie Wonder could've spotted her.

Goddamn woman. He'd told her to stay put.

“Are you going after her?” Reese asked in an honest tone. Like he didn't pick up on Tyke's ire.

“Yeah, I'm going after her.” He sprang to his feet. “Keep an eye out and let me know if you see anything else.”

“Copy that.”

Tyke veered right to come in behind her so she wouldn't see him approach. He followed her path down to the front of the house, his boots lightly touching the cement driveway. She knelt under the front bay window when he caught up with her.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

She squealed and whirled on him with a…

What the—?

He plucked the item out of her hand and examined it. “You're gonna break into someone's house with a plastic knife?”

“Yes,” she said, clutching her chest. “Now give it back and get out of here. You're going to blow my cover.”

“What’s with you and your cover?” he said. “Honey, if you even had one, it was blown the second you stepped on the lawn.”

She made a pfft sound between tight lips. “Please. I'm covert.”

“Nothing about you is covert.” He slid the plastic knife into his shorts pocket. “What exactly were you gonna do with that thing? Saw someone's hand off after an hour? Would that be before or after they easily snapped it in half?”

Kenna gave him a once over, seeming fixated with the belt he wore that contained rope, pepper spray, a small subcompact handgun, and a six-inch tactical knife. Stainless steel. Not plastic.

“Whose wedding did you think you were coming to? The Soprano's?” she asked. “Why would you need all of that stuff?” She started to reach for his dagger, but he swatted her hand away.

“Kenna, get out of here so I can search this house before Javier gets home.”

“No.”

“Get out of here.”

“No.”

“Kenna, I’m serious. Go.”

She gathered her lips together and crossed her arms like a stubborn kid who didn’t get the pony they wanted for Christmas.

He closed his eyes and counted to five. Slowly. When he opened and she hadn’t disappeared, he groaned. “You're going to follow me in, aren't you?”

She patted his shoulder. “Now you're getting it.”

“Reese,” Tyke said, touching his earpiece. “How we lookin’?”

Kenna leaned in and said, “Hi, Jason!”

“Whoa. What are you doing?” Tyke pushed her back. “No. Just no.”

“Hello, Kenna,” Reese said, even though she couldn’t hear him.

Tyke rolled his eyes. “Am I good to go or what, Reese?”

“Kenna said hello. I didn’t want to be rude by not responding.”

Tyke waited.

Nothing.

“Are you gonna tell me if we’re clear to enter the premises?”

“As soon as you tell Kenna I said hello,” Reese said.

Tyke mumbled the words.

“Aww, that’s so sweet,” she said. “Thank you, Jason. You’re thoughtful. Unlike some people.” And she glared at Tyke.

Yeah, whatever. “Reese, any time now. I’d like to check this place out sometime before this guy gets home.”

“All clear,” Reese said.

“So how are we going to play this?” she asked. “Break in through the window? The back door?” Her gaze bounced to everything around them.

“You're asking me?” he said. “You were the one coming down here on a mission. What was your plan?”

She looked thoughtful for a moment, then said, “I didn't really have one. Just figured I'd wing it once I got here.”

“Wing it? Woman, you don't just wing it when you're breaking and entering into someone's house.”

“Then what are we going to do, super-secret spy man?” Her tone was sarcastic. He didn't appreciate it one bit.

“First off, let's get one thing straight—I'm a DEA agent. I chase dangerous drug dealers for a living. Completely different and way cooler than CIA spy shit. Keep talking that garbage and I'll ship you back to the resort right now. Got it?”

She twisted her fingers over her closed lips like she was locking them and then throwing away the key.

Tyke rolled his eyes. “Second, this is a beach house on a remote island that overlooks the ocean. I'm sure there's a window or door unlocked somewhere.”

They spent a few minutes checking all the first floor windows and doors without any luck.

“Second story,” Reese said. “ Front right side. A window is open.”

Tyke made his way to the front of the house and positioned himself under the window Reese referred to. He assessed the situation. And then, in realizing what he'd have to do, he pressed his fingers into his eye sockets. “I'm going to regret this.”

“What?” Kenna asked. “What are you going to do?”

“Not me. You.”

“Me?”

“I'm going to hoist you up onto the roof and you're going to climb into that window. Then you're going to come down and unlock the front door for me.”

Her expression was a little too excited.

He latched onto her arm. “But you're not going to search any part of the house without me, understood?”

She was bouncing on her toes. “Sure. Yeah. Let's do this.”

Making a basket with his fingers, he said a few choice words under his breath before bending and letting her step in. He counted to three and then propelled her upward to where she could reach the edge of the first floor roofline.

“Pull yourself up,” he said as he hoisted her higher.

“All good!” Her head came into view over the edge of the first floor roof.

“Get to the window.” He stepped back to watch her climb inside.

Then he went to the front door and waited for it to open.

And he waited.

And waited some more.

“Goddamn it, Kenna,” he said.


That's it for now!  Stay tuned for updates on THE MAN I WANT TO BE here.  I'll have more teasers and goodies coming your way soon!

In the meantime, check out all the books in the Under Covers series!

ON HER SIX is $0.99 for a limited time!

xoxo,
Christina

IN WALKED TROUBLE Cover Reveal!

It's here!  It's here!  The cover for IN WALKED TROUBLE!  

This is book 2 in my Under Covers romantic suspense series and centers around Luke Calder, Ash Calder's (from ON HER SIX) best friend and DEA teammate.

All the players from book one are back.  Ash, Sam, Tyke, Reese, and even the old ladies from the 19th Street Patrol! (Remember crazy Estelle?)

I feel like the action and humor factors were really AMPED up in this book compared to book one.  If you loved ON HER SIX, then you'll definitely be on the edge of your seat and also laugh more while reading IN WALKED TROUBLE.


Here's the blurb: 

With a deadly target on his back, DEA agent Luke Calder’s plan is to drink away his impending demise. Except instead of getting blessedly drunk, in walks a woman with a much deeper story than she’s leading on. And he definitely wants to know more. Especially when he learns she might have intel he needs. He’s not cool with lying to her, but desperate times call for desperate measures. And what starts out as simple surveillance turns into so much more.

Cassandra Stone is having a bad night. Her boyfriend’s been cheating because she’s not “adventurous enough” in bed. So, she does the next logical thing—she goes in search of a dark, dangerous one-night stand. Instead, she finds smoldering eyes, deep dimples, and the killer smile of a guy who won’t leave her alone. Damn him. He says and does all the right things, making Cass believe that good men still exist. Until she learns why he took an interest in her in the first place.      


Teasers for IN WALKED TROUBLE: 

(check out more teasers here)


Release date is Monday 31 July, but you can preorder now!

Amazon  |   B&N  |  iBooks  |   Kobo  |  Google Play


Enter to WIN a print copy of IN WALKED TROUBLE on Goodreads!  CLICK HERE to enter!  Don't forget to add it to your TBR pile while you're there!

 

xoxo, 
Christina

IN WALKED TROUBLE Release Info!

IN WALKED TROUBLE, book 2 in the Under Covers series, is coming your way July 31st!!  I'm so excited for you to check it out!

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Everything is being finalized right now--including the cover (stay tuned for that!)--but in the meantime, I'd love it if you saved the date and celebrated with me on release day!

This one was definitely a labor of love. It took a lot more time, effort and tears (lots of tears) to whip this book into something worthy of reading. I knew where I wanted to go with the plot, but neither my hero or heroine would cooperate. After lots of coaxing, they finally decided to tell me their story and it came together even better than I expected.

This one is Luke Calder's book. You might remember him from ON HER SIX. He's Ash's best friend and DEA teammate. Luke gets himself into trouble with Jose Serrano, the dangerous drug supplier from book one, who now wants to kill Luke out of revenge. 

Who is Luke's love interest, you might ask? Her name is Cassandra Stone and she's a guidance counselor for a Baltimore City high school. From the second she walks into Luke's life, she's nothing but trouble for him!  In all the best ways, of course!

I worked really hard to bring more action, more humor and a lot more heart to this one. And guess what??  The old ladies are making a big appearance in this book, too!!  Get ready for some more craziness from Estelle, Maybel, Celia and Rose!

I can't wait to hear what you all think! Check it out on July 31st!

If you haven't signed up for my newsletter yet, you can do that HERE.  It's a great place to get sneak peeks of my upcoming novels, snippets of things that inspire me, and prizes/giveaways!  

If you haven't had a chance to check out ON HER SIX, it's a great time to do that since all the characters from that book carry over into this one.  It's available now!

Cover Reveal, Pre-sale & Giveaway for ON HER SIX!

The day is here!  I can't believe it.  My debut novel has a cover and is available for preorder!  It officially releases on Monday 23 May, but you can grab your copy now! 

Amazon
B&N
iBooks
Kobo

This was a really fun novel for me to write. It's based in Baltimore, which is where I'm from, so I used a lot of my own knowledge and memories to paint the setting for readers. 

Let's meet a few of the characters, shall we?

  • Samantha is a wanna-be  Baltimore cop
  • Ash is her brooding, but sexy DEA Agent neighbor
  • Sam's grandma runs the neighborhood watch with three other grannies
  • And Viktor Heinrich is a drug dealer determined to turn the entire country into incurable addicts

Sounds fun, right?

Check out the full description below for more sexy entertainment:

First rule of stake-outs – don’t fall in love. 

New neighbors are bad news in Samantha Harper’s experience. Especially ones as suspicious and brooding as the guy who just moved in next door. So when the dangerous but sexy stranger seems to be involved in something illegal—the aspiring cop in her takes action. If only she could stop thinking about how he looks naked...

All DEA agent Ash Cooper wants to do is lay low and survive this crap surveillance assignment. But after a run-in with his attractive neighbor, he realizes that’s going to be much harder than he planned. Keeping the woman out of trouble is hard enough, but keeping his hands off her is near impossible.

GIVEAWAY!

Want to WIN a print version of ON HER SIX?

My publisher is giving away a copy on Goodreads.
Check it out and enter or your chance to win!

xoxo,
Christina