When fantasy becomes reality...

 Folks!

Are you ready to misbehave? A WEEKEND OF MISBEHAVING is out now. I am beyond excited!! I don't know if you read A NIGHT OF MISBEHAVING, but even if you haven't, you will enjoy WEEKEND. It's a standalone with a fabulous HEA and characters that will sweep you off your feet.

 “In A WEEKEND OF MISBEHAVING, Carmen Falcone hits all the right notes: the story is great, the plot air-tight, the writing lively and fresh; it is a fabulously entertaining read" –Fresh Fiction

Amazon- http://tinyurl.com/h5ajxqo

B&N- http://tinyurl.com/zsd5vy5

KOBO- http://tinyurl.com/j8dow4y

GooglePlay- http://tinyurl.com/j9ndr28

iTunes- http://tinyurl.com/zxtzzxz

When fantasy becomes reality…

The last thing nanny Alice Sommers needs is to be caught skinny-dipping by her sexy, cranky-pants boss—in his pool. Her sister owes a crap-load of money to a slimy loan shark and Alice really needs this job if she has any hope of saving her family. Fortunately, her boss is richer than sin and needs her just as much.
Art dealer Lorenzo Baldi will lose his prestigious career if his anarchist father’s paintings are revealed to the art world. He’s determined to persuade the paintings’ eccentric owner to sell them to him, even if to pull it off, he’ll have to blackmail his daughter’s nanny—a woman with the sexy curves of a Botticelli masterpiece—into being his fake fiancé.
The gorgeous island of Capri inspires some major misbehaving. But even as the loan shark breathes down Alice’s neck and the paintings move closer to the art scene, Lorenzo drops one more bomb that will change everything.
#misbehaving #curvy #boss 

Contractversary + Giveaway!

Hi folks!

Exactly four years ago, I was signing my first contract with Entangled Publishing. I knew my book, A Vengeful Affair, got approved a few weeks before that. Still. Signing the contract was a big deal.

I look back and realize so much has changed. I have learned so much more about the craft, and the industry changed a lot too. When I started, I was so green. I mean, I'm still green and trust me, there's still a lot to learn. I guess what I meant to say was I didn't know much. I loved writing, but I was a dummy in so many ways.

Six months after the contract, A Vengeful Affair was released. Thankfully, it got amazing reviews and it was on Amazon's Romance Series bestselling list for a several weeks. Again, I was so green-- I knew nothing about promo. I had virtual no support; I didn't know what a teaser was, or how to make a banner. When someone told me about street teams, I laughed it off. Who in the world would want to invest their time and effort to help me get exposure and boost sales? Really, that was such a silly idea.

Thankfully, the past few years taught me a lot of lessons. In particular, the past two years. Why? Because I was so new at everything, that when my book got picked, I had no back-up plan. I didn't have another romance ready to submit, I had no idea where to go from there. Nowadays, I get antsy if I don't have anything else in the works, with EP or self-pubbed.

Again, I know and hope this is still just the beginning for me. But I must say, all in all, I'm grateful I've been blessed with working with talented professionals. And the street team? I have one now, believe it or not, with well over 300 fabulous members. I'm getting better at promo, although I can't make my own teasers. They suck. Seriously. :)

So. To celebrate my contractversary, I'll give away a digital copy of A Vengeful Affair. For a chance to win, answer the question: what fear have you overcome or would you like to overcome?

The Book That Was Meant to Be

Folks, I am *ecstatic* to share my new Indulgence with you!

KIDNAPPING THE BRAZILIAN TYCOON is out. Like, out out.

I wrote the first version of this romance a couple years ago, while I was vacationing in Brazil.

I was lucky enough to visit a tribe of Brazilian Indians, and the cacique (the tribe's leader) was just so amazingly open and warm to me. He talked about the challenges that natives face today; their struggles and victories.  Then, around the same time, I read on a magazine that a primitive Brazilian tribe had been spotted. A tribe that had never made contact with outsiders, and was tucked deep inside the Amazon. That was it! I couldn't not write the damn book, lol.

The Brazilian Indians endured a lot; ever since the country was discovered by Europeans, the natives were pushed aside. They had their cultural and spiritual roots yanked from them. It is sad that they have so little. Nowadays, a lot of them have adjusted to modern life; and you see Indians who wear shorts, carry cell phones and have jobs in large cities. They had to give up so much, just for their own survival.

I wanted to create a heroine who was against all that; who wanted to help them continue be just as they are. That's when Addie Reed talked to me :)

I love to write about people I look up to. And I can proudly say that, whether this book sells or not, I most definitely look up to Addie and Bruno.

If you'd like to check out a book that's been called "swoonworthingly romantic", read the first chapter here: http://www.entangledpublishing.com/kidnapping-the-brazilian-tycoon/

Or go ahead and buy it! C'mon. YOLO :)

BUY: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | iBooks

Passion was never in the bargain

Addison Reed lost her fiancé, but she’ll do whatever it takes to protect his legacy. When the gorgeous and arrogant landowner, Brazilian billionaire Bruno Duarte, who is thwarting her at every turn, refuses to meet with her, she puts her plan into action. He will listen to her. Bruno’s plan was simple: return to Brazil and marry to fulfill his father’s dying wish. But when his engagement crumbles, and he’s then stranded with an idealistic woman hell-bent on saving a tribe of people on his land, he sees the perfect solution. If his feisty and passionate abductor agrees to a bogus marriage, he’ll relocate the tribe. With the Brazilian heat rivaling the growing heat of their desire, will Bruno and Addison abandon their respective plans and give in to each other, or will their differences tear them apart?

Easter Misbehaving Challenge!

Hi, folks! Are you enjoying the long holiday? Whether you celebrate Easter or not, please come on over my Facebook page for a fun Easter Misbehaving Challenge.

Click here --> https://www.facebook.com/carmenauthor and come CAPTION the three misbehaving eggs and enter for a chance to win a signed print copy of my Entangled debut, A Vengeful Affair.

Hope to read your caption soon!

Carmen

A Night of Misbehaving is here!

Hello, World!

I'm proud to announce my Indulgence novella, A Night of Misbehaving, is available on Amazon & Barnes&Noble today. Like right now! :) Also, I'm hosting a fabulous release party on FB tonight; you don't wanna miss it! Click here to join us and enter for cool giveaways!

BUY: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | iTunes

For just one night, Georgia Taylor wants to

forget about her demanding job and the everyday struggles of being a single mom. Her track record with men is pitiful, but that’s fine because her responsibilities don’t leave room for love anyway. The new online dating site is perfect for what she’s after.

But Georgia’s plans are crushed when Brent Turner, aka Sexy Dad and father of her daughter’s classmate, turns out to be her internet date, therefore, eliminating any possibility for a night without consequences.

All of Brent Turner’s honorable intentions fly out the window when he sees highly strung “Super Mom” waiting for her date at the bar. Determined to win Georgia’s trust and show her a good time, their no-strings evening promises to become so much more…until, that is, she discovers what he's really up to.

Embarrassing Halloweens (We've all been there, right?)

Are you ready for a treat? Entangled kicked off a Halloween blog hop with awesome prizes, tons of swag, and, let’s not forget, great posts! Please read mine and leave a comment to enter to win a $25 Amazon GC, which I’ll draw October 31, and then keep on hopping for more fun!

Embarrassing Halloweens (We’ve all been there, right?)

2003

It was my first week at my new job, and my first week in the United States, fresh from Brazil. I became super excited when work informed me that they were throwing a party for the employees.

I went to Party City, but the check-out line was huge, so I ended up buying a costume from a small, thrift store in downtown Austin. This store was crowded too, so I grabbed this long, purple number from the  sale rack without trying it on. A quick glance assured me that it looked decent—long and purple. How can anyone ever go wrong with purple, right?

Well, one could go very wrong. As I removed it from the box just before the party, I realized that my purple dress turned into a cheap, shiny fabric when the light hit it and had a V-neck deeper than the Grand Canyon. It was tight, oh so tight. When I walked, it was like every stitch was gripping my skin. Oh, and the high slit. How did that go unnoticed?

Well, I wouldn’t be the first person to dress slutty for Halloween, right? It was a work function, but it was still Halloween. I remember all those B-movies from the States I watched growing up. Hollywood couldn’t be wrong (by the way, writing this post, I came up with my costume for this year: Self-Denial Queen), could it?

Just in case, the good Catholic girl inside me (synonym for smothering Catholic guilt) pinned the V-neck so my girls would stick together and be covered. I realized that if I walked slowly, the high slit wouldn’t make an appearance, and if it did, those black fishnets would cover my legs. Classy, I know. 

So, not having time to buy another costume (I didn’t have a car yet), I ventured to the party as Spider Witch.

As I faced the fluorescent lights and the family-oriented costume-wearing crowd, my heart froze—non-alcoholic fruit punch and tons of clowns, superheroes, presidents, and Wizard of Oz witches greeted me. Some of my colleagues gave me a once over and frowned; others offered a sympathetic half smile. I didn’t know which was worse, being judged or being patronized. To be honest, I still don’t know.

I spotted the buffet, and the table with the cold cuts seemed like an oasis of understanding, of escape, and it called my name. When food calls your name, it’s rude not to answer, so I rushed to find solace in crispy chips and spicy salsa.  Or so I hoped.

On my way, I slipped on the hem of my dress and lost balance, and BAM! I fell on my butt on the polished, lemon-scented hardwood floor. I started to move to get to my feet and felt rather than heard the back of my dress rip a bit while my dignity shredded exponentially.

I surged to my feet and cleared my throat.

“Are you okay?” a sympathetic voice asked behind me.

I smothered laughter. Oh crap! How can a slutty witch not be okay on Halloween?

Do you have any embarrassing Halloween stories to tell? Is there anything you find cringe-worthy? J Share your thoughts and good luck! 

How to Avoid a Disastrous Valentine’s Day

Don't forget to check out what the other authors participating in the hop are giving away! Click here to check out the list of participating authors and follow the hop!

Valentine’s Day is next Thursday.

I know what you’re thinking, right? Who cares? Well, a lot of people—given Valentine’s Day is the second most celebrated holiday in the world besides New Year’s. If you don’t believe me, look on Wikipedia or go to the nearest mall. See what I mean?

Sometimes it’s best to face the beast full on rather than going through great lengths to escape it.

For instance…

If you are married to a guy who doesn’t see the point in Valentine’s Day (especially after marriage!), there are a couple of ways to go around it. What I do is, I use the same strategy I use for special dates, such as anniversaries and my birthday: I start hammering the idea into his head ahead of time. This way, it won’t happen he’ll say something like, “Oh, is it Valentine’s Day? I forgot.” By the way, don’t you love how men conveniently “forget” things?

So, be ruthless. At least once a day, remind him about Valentine’s Day. Print a picture of the dress you want from the Macy’s website, and leave it on the top of the kitchen island. Just in case, draw a red arrow. Have ProFlowers send him the monthly specials by email. Really, do whatever it takes. What to give such a man? Something painfully practical, like a gift certificate to Home Depot or to that music instrument store.

But what if you’ve just started dating someone two months ago and aren’t sure where you stand? You’re meant to go out to dinner on Valentine’s Day, but it falls on a Thursday and you two usually  meet on Thursdays anyway. What if he prepared this nice surprise and you went there empty handed? Well, simple solution: Buy a gift for him and put it into your bag. Play by ear and wait to see if he has a gift for you. If he does, you’ll open your smart purse and smile inside because you have one for him too—and also because this relationship might go somewhere. If he doesn’t have anything for you and doesn’t even mention Valentine’s Day, he’s a sadist. So unless you’re into BDSM, get out while you can.

What if you’re single? There are a lot of different options here for this one. A) You’re single, fierce, and don’t need these silly dates to remind you you’re better off alone. Whenever you feel like diving into a cookies-and-cream ice cream pint or taking calls from telemarketers just to talk to someone at the end of the day, just think of your best friend’s husband. Really. What was she thinking? She married the most inconsiderate, rude human being on Earth. There are times, in fact, you feel like sending him a thank you note because his existence reminds you every day that you’re better on your own (until the right guy comes along, that is). So anyway, great. You’ve got it all worked out. B) You really try not be angsty or go on a rant every time someone asks you about Valentine’s Day. You don’t have a date this year, and that’s totally fine with you. Friends and family often envy your effortless self-confidence. You know that, just like this silly blog post, Val’s day, too, shall pass. C) You normally wouldn’t care (see B), except the office where you work looks like one of those seasonally decorated stores. There are little hearts everywhere, and even the temp has her share of Hallmark cards at her desk. You know everyone will be getting flowers. And bears. And phone calls. Sadly, you don’t have any sick days left. And you dated two guys from different departments over the past six months. Solution: Send yourself flowers. Tons of them. Have the people of the office guess. And when you open the card, chuckle and say something like, “He’s crazy.” If anyone asks, just say you’re not seeing anyone and this was just someone you met. That’ll kill ‘em. :) 

 Do you have a funny or memorable Valentine’s Day story to share? Please leave a comment to enter the Amazon $25 gift certificate giveaway. I’ll announce the winner on February 16^th.  Meanwhile, let’s keep hoping. :) 

How Christmas Blues Nearly Destroyed my WIP!

Today I’m blogging on the Indulgence blog. Hop on over and join the discussion! :-)

 

Just a click away:  http://www.indulgencebooks.com/2012/12/10/how-christmas-blues-nearly-destroyed-my-wip/#comment-569

Four stars from RT Book Reviews!

 

 

I realize shameless self-promotion can get annoying really quick, but this is more than that.

 

I've been reading RT Book Reviews for years, even went to the RT Convention in Chicago, last April. Soooooo to see my name printed on the December issue makes my heart sing. It makes me sing too, and neighbors, I'm sorry about that.

 

Anyway, A Vengeful Affair got a great review! YAY!

 

I am so grateful to Entangled for believing in my story, and for being such an awesome publisher.

 

Okay, I'm done. Go back to reading the funny posts now :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To Blog or Not to Blog…

Dear friends,

I’m sorry for neglecting this blog. I’m starting to feel like that aunt who you only see at a family gathering every four years or so. Well, hopefully I will be cool Aunt Emma, with an iPad and a string of former lovers, and someone you want to meet for lunch. I’ll try not to be like Aunt Bertha. You know – the one who complains you never write or call or email, even though she doesn’t own a computer. Yes. Let’s pretend I’m Aunt Emma.

Truth is, I’m worried I’ll run out of subjects to blog about. As it turns out, once you are a published author, people invite you to guest blog on their sites. It’s super cool, but also a huge responsibility. After all, I don’t want to bore readers to tears.

                So basically, I will try to come up with some cool, totally original things to blog and write them down, to be one step ahead of everyone. *snorts* One step ahead…who am I kidding?

            Let’s start with last week. I went to Vegas for a couple of days and met with other Entangled authors and editors, and it was such a positive experience. How lucky was I to be amongst such high-caliber authors and professionals? There were networking and presentations, and I even attended Annie Seaton’s book signing.

            I met Annie Seaton through New Voices last year, and since then I’ve been bugging her. She’s helped me as an editor, webpage designer, friend, virtual soundboard…and in person, she’s even nicer. :D I also loved meeting Ann Harrison, who is a lady full of spunk and charisma. Both very talented Aussie authors.

            Liz Pelletier’s presentations are always sharp and funny. She probably thinks I’m an Aunt Bertha for sure, because I think so highly of her that I act nothing like Aunt Emma around her.

            Well, that’s it for today. I just wanted to drop by and say hello. J

            Stay tuned – the talented and lovely Michele de Winton will guest blog on here this week!

           Until later,

           Carmen :)

             

Having dinner with authors Kate Evangelista, Ann Harrison, Mary Lindsey & Annie Seaton :)

My debut romance is out!!!

I'm proud to share with you....

And here's the blurb:

Rich people get away with murder every day, but Vivian Foster intends to make billionaire Javier Rivera pay for what he did to her best friend—and how better to destroy a money-grubbing bastard than to sabotage the merger that means everything to him.

Javier Rivera would never hurt a woman much less kill one. But when he catches a gorgeous corporate spy in his office, he knows he can’t let her go—not when even a hint of scandal could ruin his career. Until the merger is signed, he’ll keep her close, even if he has to shackle her to his wrist. Literally.

But the closer Javier gets to Vivian, the more he wants her, and the more time she spends with him, the less she believes he could ever be a killer. Now Vivian and Javier have to discover the truth...and Vivian has to win the trust of her worst enemy.

Available on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/A-Vengeful-Affair-ebook/dp/B008LIBHEG/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1342348901&sr=8-4&keywords=Carmen+Falcone
and Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-vengeful-affair-carmen-falcone/1112117583?ean=2940014622141

Revenge was never so sweet... ;)

Days 3, 4 & 5 at the RT Booklovers Convention in Chicago

Since the last days were so hectic, I decided to write one blog post and highlight my favorite moments.

·        I enjoyed the Name that Vampire game. The room was filled with vampire-loving readers, and Entangled’s Lissa Kessler, Caridad Pineiro, and Laura Kaye were amongst the hosts. At the end, there were tons of prizes and I had to brace myself. For the first time in twenty-nine (okay, thirty!) years, I won something—a bouquet of autographed black flowers and a shirt that read World’s Biggest Vampire Fan. I felt like an imposter, but it looked cool so I’m happy! I guess I have to stop saying I never win anything in raffles.

·        A high-powered panel of accomplished authors, such as Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Louisa Edwards, and Jodi Thomas, delivered a great presentation titled Finding the Extraordinary in the Ordinary. It focused on contemporary romance, which I liked. They talked about how hard it is to make a good contemporary romance work without lots of external plots involving werewolves, vampires, serial killers, etc. Everything must come from the emotions, the inner conflicts that make us who we are. I really enjoyed Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ sense of humor and how she told us she likes to have male characters who act like typical males (not like women trapped in men’s bodies). I can’t wait to read The Great Escape, which comes out in July.

·        On a personal note, I met my senior editor for the first time on Day 3 and that was, well, kind of awesome.

·        Freelance editor Rie Langdon had everyone on their toes with her presentation on point of view (POV). She has over 25 years of experience in the field and said most publishers she works with are adamant about having only one POV per scene. To some extent, I agree. As a reader, I don’t like head-hopping. However, sometimes in the first chapter I’m okay with two POVs, as long as we see one, then the other. I feel this is when I most want to connect to the hero and heroine. A lot of the time, especially with short contemporary romance novels, they can’t disclose their motivations or goals to each other. The POV (or any foreshadowing) helps me to understand them and relate to them a bit more.

·        One thing I feel needs to improve for next year is tech support. Most of the time, there were no microphones or screens for Power Point presentations. Microphones, people! Even my three-year-old has one. I felt bad for people who sat at the back during very interesting workshops and missed out.

All in all, though, I had a great time. I can’t wait to go to next year’s convention in Kansas City :)