Friday, December 11, 2015

Every time we liberate a woman, we liberate a man. - Margaret Mead


Another blog entry in my series of... Quotes by Famous Women. 

Margaret Mead - 1901-1978 was a anthropologist, women's rights activist, and author of the best-seller, Coming of Age in Samoa.

Sooner or later I'm going to die, but I'm not going to retire. - Margaret Mead

It may be necessary temporarily to accept a lesser evil, but one must never label a necessary evil as good. - Margaret Mead


I do not believe in using women in combat, because females are too fierce. - Margaret Mead

I was wise enough to never grow up while fooling most people into believing I had. - Margaret Mead

One of the oldest human needs is having someone to wonder where you are when you don't come home at night. - Margaret Mead


Do you have a favorite?

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

All creative people want to do the unexpected. - Hedy Lamarr


It's been a long while since I've post! I've been busy writing Guarding the Quarterback and I am halfway there. I thought I revive my Quotes by Famous Women series. Since it was her birthday the other day, Hedy Lemarr is the perfect woman to reboot these posts!





Men are most virile and most attractive between the ages of 35 and 55. Under 35 a man has too much to learn, and I don't have time to teach him. - Hedy Lemarr

Any girl can look glamorous. All you have to do is stand still and look stupid. - Hedy Lemarr


American men, as a group, seem to be interested in only two things, money and breasts. It seems a very narrow outlook. - Hedy Lemarr

Dirt makes a man look masculine. Let your hair blow in the wind, and all that. It's OK. All you have to do is look neat when you have to look neat. - Hedy Lamarr


Monday, September 7, 2015

Makeovers at home and in my writing...

I'm in the process of updating the outside of our house. We took down a huge tree that after 25plus years had torn up the driveway. It was a beautiful tree and I hugged it before it was cut down. But it was a good thing we did. The tree was rotting on the inside. So better a controlled cut down versus it falling on the house. My husband wanted the driveway widen and it led to this...



The driveway is now leveled and graveled and next week the blacktop will go in. My husband is building a retaining wall. I'll post pics when its done.

Meanwhile, I'm starting a new series called Champions of the Heart. The genre is still sports romance  but I'm building the series so I can write about the other sports that I love. The series will focus on the New York sports scene. The first book will be about football though. The team, the New York Kings are the cross town rivals of my Fantasy Football Romance series, the New York Cougars - kind of like the Giants and Jets of NY. I thought it would be a nice bridge between the two series!

And along with my makeovers at home and in my books - the heroine of my next book, Alexa Reeves will also be getting a makeover!

I'm really excited about this book and Champions of the Heart!

Do you ever get restless to start over? Or to make over a room in your house?


Friday, August 28, 2015

What I did on my summer vacation - 2015

I'll be holding onto summer for a few more days but...

I went to the Train concert up at Bethel Woods (original Woodstock Site) with my niece Kristen. We had the VIP experience. 4th row and met some of the guys in the band. I also went to see Florida Georgia Line with another niece. No VIP tickets - redneck seats on the lawn - LOL!

I attended the Romance Writers of America conference and signed books at the Literacy Book Fair.

Then I spent a week at Pt. Pleasant with my sister! It was a perfect beach weather. 

Here are a couple of pics...

"Were with the band...

My Red Carpet pose

We are VIPs

at Florida Georgia Line with my niece.

out to dinner in NYC with fab writers Yolanda and Alison

My flyer for the signing

RESEARCH

my sister and I at Pt Pleasant 
Summer is not over yet and I still have the Van Halen concert coming up. What did you do on your summer vacation?

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Teasers

Oh how I love making teaser graphics! It's like my book comes alive! I'm sharing the one for Summer Dreaming!




Which is your favorite? Should I do more?

Monday, July 20, 2015

THE HOT IN THE HAMPTONS SERIES REVEAL!

The day has FINALLY arrived. All is revealed! 

HITH_Covers


Today we are featuring the cover reveal for the HOT IN THE HAMPTONS series! This series includes the titles SUMMER SINS by Jennifer Probst, SUMMER DREAMING by Liz Matis, and SUMMER TEMPTATION by Wendy S. Marcus.

The HOT IN THE HAMPTONS series
will be released August 4th, 2015.



Backlit Sexy Blond Girl In White Bikini



Blurb:

Im looking for a hero. Not.

Youd think as a new college grad Id be looking for the perfect job and the perfect man. Well, Im not. Summer is here and instead of plotting my future, Im playing in the Hamptons with my two best friends. Sun and sex is all Im

looking for. Then I meet Sean Dempsey, my fantasy lifeguard in the flesh. But he is more than just a hot bod with a whistle. And after he makes a daring save, Im thinking a hero is exactly what Ive been looking for all along.

To the rescue...

By day I guard the beaches in the Hamptons, by night Ive had my fair share of summer flings. Then I meet Kelsey Mitchell, a girl with eyes like the setting

sun and I burn for more. Something I have no right to ask of her...forever.

Love burns hotter in the Hamptons. Come play.

Teaser - in yellow

-----------------------------

summer sins by Jennifer Probst 300dpi

Blurb:

Summer fun before my wedding...

I have one goal this summer. Hang with my besties for some much needed sun, sand, and relaxation while I put the final touches on my idyllic wedding. I didn't count on meeting a smart-mouthed, bad boy biker whose gaze burns hotter than a beach bonfire. I never planned to lose myself, body and soul, and question my entire future. Now, I have to make a choice thats tearing me apart, and could shatter the lives of the two men I love...

Turns into summer sins....

I have one goal this summer. CHILL. Do nothing. Nada. I need simple before I have to head into Manhattan to take on a high powered position on Wall Street. I didn't count on a dark haired, inky- eyed spitfire who'd spin my world upside down, or make me burn for things I never thought I wanted. I vowed to make her my summer fling, but had no idea she was claimed by another. And now that she possessed not only my body but my soul, the stakes are too high for me to lose her...

Love burns hotter in the Hamptons. Come play.

HITH_SummerSins

-----------------------------

Portrait of a beautiful woman in bikini

Blurb:

Meet Leigh DeGray...

After graduating college with honors and landing the job of my dreams in New York City, Im off to The Hamptons to spend the summer with my two best friends.

My life seems perfect, right? Its not. The truth is, I have a secret that may make the future Id planned so carefully completely fall apart. A hot summer romance is the absolute last thing Im looking for... Until I meet a man who tempts me like no other and shows me a hot summer romance is exactly what I need.

Meet Nick Kenzy...

After two years of working my ass off as a Wall Street analyst, Im out of a job, with no warning, no thank you, and no severance. Am I angry? Youre damn right I

am. So when I head to the Hamptons for the weekend to spend time with my granddad, I plan to regroup and relax before I return to the city to hit the job search hard. I dont need any distractions. Then I meet Leigh. Suddenly, a summer temptation makes me question everything I want for my future...

Love burns hotter in the Hamptons. Come play.

HITH_SummerTemptation

-----------------------------

HITH_Preorder

PRE-ORDER NOW

Pre-order them now for .99¢ each!


SUMMER DREAMING by Liz Matis

Amazon    |    Barnes & Noble    |    iTunes    |    Kobo


SUMMER SINS by Jennifer Probst

Amazon    |    Barnes & Noble    |    iTunes    |    Kobo


SUMMER TEMPTATION by Wendy S. Marcus

Amazon    |    Barnes & Noble    |    iTunes    |    Kobo



hamptonseries1

GOODREADS CONTEST

For each book that gets to 500 adds, 5 pages of that novella will be released! 10 pages will be released after 1000 adds, and 15 pages after 1500 adds! So, spread the word and be sure to add each book to your goodreads list.

LINKS:




SERIES BOOK TRAILER




CONNECT WITH THE AUTHORS





Liz Matis:
Website   |   Twitter   |   Facebook   |   Goodreads

Jennifer Probst:
Website   |   Twitter   |   Facebook   |   Goodreads
Wendy S. Marcus:
Website   |   Twitter   |   Facebook   |   Goodreads

InkSlinger PR Blogger Banner - New

Saturday, July 18, 2015

RWA - Readers For Life Literacy Autographing

I'm honored to be part of the RWA's Readers For Life Autographing. I'll be signing The Quarterback Sneak. If you are in NYC on July 22 stop by the Marriott Hotel and say hello. It's all for a great cause!



Wednesday, July 15, 2015

VIP for a night... #Train

A couple of weeks ago I went to see Train in concert. I splurged on VIP tickets because I wanted the 4th row - front and center! It was worth the splurge. I really enjoy their music and before the concert my niece and I hung out in the VIP tent. Free food and free diet Pepsi -(we were in our glory). LOL. No alcohol for us - all we needed was the music. Then a couple of members from the band came out and we got to have our picture taken with them. It was fun. My favorite song of the night had to Calling on Angels. Love that song.

Here are some of the pics...



My Red Carpet Pose  :)

We are VIPs!

'Were with the band'
What about you are you going to any concerts this summer?
                                           

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Song 5 - Kelsey and Sean's Playlist

When I write I usually listen to classical music but when I'm thinking about my story or more accurately about the couple in my story, I listen to songs that remind me of them.

Song 5 on Sean and Kelsey's Playlist is Mermaid by Train. Kelsey teased Sean that she is a mermaid and I even have Kelsey singing this song on her way to her first date with Sean. Summer Dreaming release 8/4/15!!!!!

On a side note I recently saw Train in concert. They were awesome! I'll share pics in a later this week.

Meanwhile... here is the music video to Mermaids by Train.

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Song 4 - Sean and Kelsey's playlist...

When I write I usually listen to classical music but when I'm thinking about my story or more accurately about the couple in my story, I listen to songs that remind me of them.

Song 4 on Kelsey and Sean's playlist is This Love by Taylor Swift. There is no You-Tube video, but you can list to a sample of the sone on iTunes here...


This Love on iTunes

I think the opening lines of the song just grab you. Maybe, because Summer Dreaming setting is the beach. Whenever I hear this song I will forever think of Kelsey and Sean! 

Clear blue water, high tides came
And brought you in
And I could go on and on, on and on
And I will

Friday, July 3, 2015

Summer poetry... by Liz

In the front of my books I usually put a poem but with Summer Dreaming (releasing 8/4/15) I didn't even though I had written it. Why? Because of the way the poem ended - it wasn't the happily-ever-after I was going for. I thought I'd share it on my blog.




Monday, June 1, 2015

Song 3 on Kelsey and Sean's Playlist


When I write I usually listen to classical music but when I'm thinking about my story or more accurately about the couple in my story, I listen to songs that remind me of them.

Song 3 on Kelsey and Sean's playlist is You'll Accompany Me by Bob Segar. It's oldie but goodie. There is no video to share . The concert videos on You-Tube are grainy. But here is the link to iTunes if you want to hear a snippet...


You'll Accompany Me


and here are some lyrics from the song that remind me of Kelsey and Sean in Summer Dreaming - coming 8/4/15!






Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Bright - Song 2 on Kelsey and Sean's Playlist

When I write I usually listen to classical music but when I'm thinking about my story or more accurately about the couple in my story, I listen to songs that remind me of them.

Song 2 from Kelsey and Sean's 'Playlist' is Bright by Echosmith... its young , fresh, and sweet (except the love scenes-lol) like Summer Dreaming coming August 4, 2015. 




Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Love Me Like You Mean It

When I write I usually listen to classical music but when I'm thinking about my story or more accurately about the couple in my story, I listen to songs that remind me of them.

Song 1 from Kelsey and Sean's 'Playlist' is Love Me Like You Mean It. The singer and her love interest in the music video remind me of my couple in Summer Dreaming - releasing August 4, 2015.






Do you like when an author gives you a playlist of their book?

Monday, April 20, 2015

Ramblings from a writer's conference...

     Here is a rambling post about the William Patterson University Spring Writers Conference that I attended on Saturday, April 18.
    
     Sometimes when I go to writing conferences I get wrapped up in taking notes, but this time I sat back and just absorbed myself in the day.


The keynote speaker, Porochista Khapour, author of The Last Illusion was inspiring, generous, and interesting. 

Here are some things I took away from the keynote speech…

- Social media while great, is an artificial pulse… Porchista advises us to slow down. 
- Encourages you to get out of the house.  Talk to people.
- Position yourself to be lucky…how do you do this? BY getting out of the house. By saying yes to things.
- Give yourself permission not to write everyday. But live life everyday. Read everyday.

Then I attended Porochista workshop on writing endings. We read endings of a couple of books and talked about different endings and well, okay – maybe I should have taken notes…

Then we broke for lunch.

Porochista gravitated with a group of us outside of the classroom and we ended up lunching together with my fellow writer friend Marianne Sciucco, workshop teacher/poet Soroya Shalforoosh, and two other lovely ladies.

The topics of discussion ranged from women writers supporting each other, to books, to life. I really could've spoke with these women all day.

After lunch I attended Finding and Writing Your Inner Teenager with Robin Wasserman, author of several YA novels, including the The Seven Deadly Sins series.

I took this workshop because I’m planning to write a Young Adult story over the summer.

Robin handed out several pieces of writing about teenagers and we had to guess if it was from adult fiction or from a YA novel. It was a great exercise.
I took these one-line notes…
-       nail the details of teenage life
-       flavor of way teenager talk
-       teenager have a small life but big dreams
-       it’s either a sunny day or doom and gloom
-       every emotion is operatic
-        teenagers weigh their choices differently than adults
-       lots of decisions aren’t up to them
-       try to emotionally connect to who we were as teens
-       ask what is the relevancy of family/adults to the story and if relevant do not make adults cookie cutter.

-       YA is a lot about 'firsts' .. first date…first kiss, etc.

I feel better prepared to write this YA! Thanks Robin!

It was a great day. So glad I 'got out of the house'. I picked up a copy of The Last Illusion, which I can't wait to delve into. I couldn't help though to take a peek at the opening line...

Exactly ONCE UPON A time in a small village in Northern Iran, a child of the wrong color was born.


Saturday, April 11, 2015

Men Decoded

I been a bad, bad blogger, but I've been writing Summer Dreaming, which releases August 4, 2015! And then there is my day job as a mild-mannered accountant!

So today I'm bring back an old, but popular post about writing the male POV...

Even though my male Peruvian dance instructor reads/writes poetry, says that East of Eden reminds him of Thanksgiving and writes things on Facebook like, “When I’m with you, there is a million dances but not enough songs.” and “Fingerprints that you left in my soul.” he will then post as his Facebook status: 
Counting sheep is boring…. one Playmate, two Playmates….

As a female writing from the male point of view you need to remember that
men like sex. Men think about sex. All the time.

What else do you need to know? You need to decode what men say.

For instance below are the results from a Men’s Health magazine survey that asked men to list of The Top 5 Qualities Men Want in a Wife.

And as a public service to women writers I will decode this list – what these men are really thinking are in the parenthesis.

The Top 5 Qualities Men Want in a Wife Decoded:

1. Financial Savvy (will not spend more than $100 on a single item of clothing – including shoes and handbags)

2. Independent (has her own stuff going on so she won’t notice if I go out with the guys for a beer)

3. Intelligent (knows not to walk in front of the TV or talk during a game)

4. Loyal (will not disclosed embarrassing info about him to her girlfriends/family)

5. Sexually Adventurous (will have sex more than once a week)

So there you have it – men decoded.


Here’s a sample from Playing For Keeps - Fantasy Football Romance (Season 1)
     Once seated, Ryan did his best with small talk as dinner was served. Having Jake and Hannah act as chaperones helped. It kept him from jumping Samantha, who at the moment seemed to be interested in the intricacies of her place setting, leaving her dinner plate untouched.              
     “You’re not eating,” commented Ryan.
     “I’m supposed to tell you I’m not hungry, but I’d be lying. The truth is, my dress is ready to bust at the seams.”
     Bust. He couldn’t help it. Really, he couldn’t. His eyes dropped to the material straining against her full breasts. An amber necklace fell just above her cleavage like a sign saying ‘This Way’. Would he be a complete degenerate if he silently wished for the fabric to give way? No, he didn’t think so. He was being a man. That’s what men did, they wished, fantasized, and dreamt of sex. Statistics proved it. Who was he to fight Mother Nature?        
      “Ryan?”
      Whoops, caught in the act. “Just admiring your necklace.” Taking a sip of water, he looked across the table at Jake.
     “By the look on your face you want to be my necklace.” 

     He choked on the water as a laugh threatened to burst out. If he wasn’t mistaken she was flirting with him and he responded in kind. “Or your dress.”


Saturday, March 7, 2015

Escape Into Romance! 11 Books + 11 Authors = #99cents

I know, it doesn't add up, does it! That's writer's math for you! LOL.

Real Men Don't Drink Appletinis is part of the box set called Escape Into Romance. Get your copy today!

*** Only 99 cents! *** The ESCAPE INTO ROMANCE boxed set is LIVE! 11 novels / 11 authors / 2,000+ pages for one low price! Get books from award-winning and USA Today bestselling Addictive Reads authors Cate Dean, Anna Erishkigal, Kiru Taye, Liz Matis, Nana Malone, Kristine Cayne, Stacey Joy Netzel, Tamara Ward, Dana Delamar, Lily Silver, and Natalie G. Owens.

This collection has it all—contemporary romance, futuristic romance, romantic suspense, mystery romance, and paranormal romance—with a wide range of heroes, from time travelers, ex-soldiers, Navy SEALs, and multi-millionaire CEOs, to tennis stars, firefighters, Mafia princes, and rock stars! Heat levels range from sweet to sizzling, so there’s something to suit every mood.

KINDLE

NOOK

APPLE / iTunes / iBooks

KOBO

If you've read Real Men Don't Drink Appletinis, please consider leaving a review on the site where you purchased it. Thank you!

Saturday, February 28, 2015

The Wives of Fantasy Football Romance

I've started a new blog centered around my heroines of the Fantasy Football Romance series. I plan to post stuff from each heroine. So far Supermodel Hannah Hahn is taking center stage. If you've read Going For It, you know that's no surprise!

Check it out here...

The Wives of Fantasy Football Romance

Here is a screen shot of the blog.


Wednesday, February 18, 2015

And the Oscar goes to...... ME!

It's my annual 'Pick My Dress for the Oscars!' ... you know if I going because I nominated for Best Screenplay...

So how do you like my choices? Which one should I wear? Or which one would YOU wear?