Publishing Anniversary!

Today marks *FOUR YEARS* since my first book was released into the wild. Four years! WOW! I can’t get over how much has happened since then. Ten books. A couple more in the wings or waiting to be released. Building a career. Changes in my family. It’s been the most incredible journey, all thanks to my readers!

Today, to say thank you, I’m doing a FLASH GIVEAWAY just for you! Comment below with the first book of mine you ever read (if you remember what it was 😉 ), and you’ll be entered to win a $20 Amazon gift card (or other retailer of your choice) and a signed paperback copy of my first book ever, Dirty Little Secret.

Come on over to my Facebook page to enter!

***CONTEST ENDS OCTOBER 12TH AT NOON!!!***

The Rest of the Summer...

This summer has been filled with getting TAKE ME complete, getting ready for release, getting my head on straight as I tried to keep everything together and in order... You get the picture. :) Now I find myself in the enviable position of deciding where to go next. My plan all along has been to write Ian and Cassie (from Secrets To Hide), but over the weekend spent at the beach with family, that idea got derailed. By this guy:

Who is he? Well, I'm not quite ready to say yet. When a book first comes to me, I need it to marinate, to let all the flavors develop and see exactly where I want to go first before I talk about it. But I couldn't help teasing you! I do know I've never written a book like this before. I will say that you've met that gorgeous hunk before -- this book will be a spin-off of the Secrets To Hide series. But more than that, I'm not going to reveal, not yet. ;)

Ian and Cassie are still in the works (and still untitled, as you can tell!), but I felt they needed more time to gel in my mind. Their story will get written, never fear. I've been so consumed with the Southern Nights series for so long, almost a year, that I've had a hard time grasping anything  else -- which is why the big guy up there took me so much by surprise! You're gonna love him; I just know it.

Now I'm off to the day job and then more work on H-- Oh, wait, not supposed to say that yet... :p

~ Ella

Dirty Little Secret Reviewed by LaSR

A great new 5 STAR review from Long and Short Reviews for Dirty Little Secret! "This story completely captured me from the very beginning and kept my attention until the very end. Cailin has a naughty side that no one but Alex ever got to experience, and once he got a taste, he did not want to give her up. I can honestly say that the relationship between those two was something out of my fantasies."

See Peppermint's full review here:

Dirty Little Secret by Ella Sheridan.

~ Ella (or One Very Happy Author :) )

NGWN Teacher's Pet Blog Hop

Hello, everyone! I'm so glad you're visiting for Ms. Dakota Trace's NGWN blog hop, Teacher's Pet! I have my very own pet below. ;) Don't forget to gather your facts about him and return to the NGWN blog to enter the information and gain a chance to win that $50 gift certificate! Now here's my pet:

Brad is the hero from my latest release, Just a Little More. Here are five fast facts about him:

1. In high school, Brad was voted most likely to become a father early. He spent way too much time watching over all his friends -- and going out with the girls. ;)

2. The craziest thing Brad did in high school was...fall in love with his best friend. Oh, and there was that incident in the janitorial closet with what's her name, but we won't mention that...

3. Growing up, Brad wanted to be just like his big brother, Michael.

4. In college, Brad's crush was Angel, his best friend, but she lived hundreds of miles away. No other woman would do.

5. In high school, Brad was president of the student body. They were his responsibility, you know, and he had to take care of them. :)

There you have it! Brad was a favorite with the girls and all the boys looked up to him. So what happened after his illustrious high school/college career? Find out in Brad and Angel's book, Just a Little More:

Six weeks ago Angel had it all—a brand-new master’s degree, an apartment with her best friend, Brad, and the chance to take their friendship to a whole hot new level. But on the night of their first kiss, a would-be rapist ripped her bright future apart. Stuck in a never-ending cycle of fear and depression, Angel is determined to find herself again, even if it means putting herself at risk.

Brad has loved Angel since he saved her from a playground bully in the fifth grade. But just as it seemed Angel’s eyes were opening to the true feelings between them, it all fell apart. When Angel disappears on the night of a freak snowstorm, Brad is determined to find her. And when he does, he won’t let her hide any longer. It’s time to wake her up—to a life without fear, and to a love that can heal the deepest wounds.

Just a Little More is available at Loose Id, Amazon, ARe, B&N, and Kobo. And don't forget to go back and fill out your entry for the NGWN Teacher's Pet Blog Hop Grand Prize!!!

Sizzling Summer Nights Blog Hop

Welcome to the JustRomance.Me's Sizzling Summer Nights Blog Hop! Tons of prizes and tons of sizzling hot romances are up for grabs this weekend, including a Kindle Fire -- how's that for sizzling? :) Keep this up and we'll need to look like this guy <---- by the end of the hop, all wet and...okay, he doesn't look like that water has helped him cool off, does he? That smouldering look. Those muscles. That hair you just itch to run your fingers through. Ahem. Where was I?

Oh, right. Sizzling hot romances. Well, what makes a romance "hot" for me is certainly the hero! Much like Mr. Sexy over there, each of my books has a hero that leaves me melted into a puddle. I thought you might like to be introduced, because, you know, we can never have too much eye candy, right? ;)

Great! So here are the heroes of my Secrets To Hide series:

Alex Brannigan (Dirty Little Secret, STH #1)

Job: Vice President of Keane Industries, a top US technology company

Stats: 36, dark hair and eyes, 6'2" and muscular

Weakness: a curvy blonde with the sweetest caramel-colored eyes he's ever seen -- and a body that tempts him to sin

What I picture Alex looking like:

*swoon*

Damien Adams (Naughty Little Christmas, STH #2)

Job: owner of three of the hottest nightclubs across the US

Stats: 36, boyish good looks, brown eyes, 6'3" with a broad chest and shoulders to cry over

Weakness: LifeSavers Strawberries & Cream candies -- and the woman whose hair reminds him of them

What I picture Damien looking like:

*feeling faint*

Brad Donovan (Just a Little More, STH #3)

Job: charming bartender and manager in training at Thrice

Stats: 23, thick blond hair with brown lowlights that make you want to delve into them, 6'2", sexy gray eyes

Weakness: the spunky woman he fell in love with way back in the fifth grade

Here's what I picture Brad looking like:

So what do you think? Hunky heroes, right? If you'd like to read about them, check out my Bookshelf page for more sizzling hot details. And before you dash off to visit the other authors on the blog hop, don't forget to comment below for a chance to win a copy of Brad's book, Just a Little More.

Now...off to more Sizzling Summer Nights stops! :)

*Final photo courtesy of Michael Kelly.

It's the Just a Little More Release Party!

Double the pleasure and double the fun -- wait, that was the Doublemint twins! But I do have double the releases -- and double the prizes! -- for you today, and it will be fun. My twin, Dani Wade, has a release today, Striking a Chord. And as you know, I have a release too. Just a Little More is OUT TODAY!!!

In honor of sharing a release day (as well as a womb for nine months!), we're having a release day party and giveaway -- a $30 gift card to Amazon or B&N PLUS copies of the first book in my Secrets series and Dani's Backstage Pass series. We're talking serious hottie goodness here, people! Be sure to check out the giveaway at the end of our blogs. And don't forget, the more you participate -- on my blog and Dani's -- the more entries you get to the giveaway.

So, what is Brad and Angel's story all about?

Six weeks ago Angel had it all—a brand-new master’s degree, an apartment with her best friend, Brad, and the chance to take their friendship to a whole hot new level. But on the night of their first kiss, a would-be rapist ripped her bright future apart. Stuck in a never-ending cycle of fear and depression, Angel is determined to find herself again, even if it means putting herself at risk.

Brad has loved Angel since he saved her from a playground bully in the fifth grade. But just as it seemed Angel’s eyes were opening to the true feelings between them, it all fell apart. When Angel disappears on the night of a freak snowstorm, Brad is determined to find her. And when he does, he won't let her hide any longer. It's time to wake her up—to a life without fear, and to a love that can heal the deepest wounds.

Sound good? Well, what are you waiting for? Get your copy of Just a Little More at Loose Id OR All Romance ebooks. And FINALLY on Amazon! You can run right over and get your copy of Angel and Brad's story just in time for the July Fourth weekend (and plenty of reading time).

But what else were we doing today? Oh, right! ;) It's time to PAR-TAY!!!

Dani AND I are celebrating today -- with a DANCE PARTY! I'm sharing the songs that played through my head while Brad and Angel's story flowed through my fingers. And when you've explored them all, guess what? Dani has her playlist over on her blog today! You can hop over there and get even more boogie on. ;)

If you've followed my releases, you know I have a theme song for every book. For Just a Little More, I have a heroine badly in need of protection, and I have a hero whose entire being is centered on protecting and caring for those he loves -- and he's loved Angel a long, long time. There was no more appropriate song than this little gem nestled on Daughtry's latest release: "I'll Fight."

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0c2OpUfUsBM?rel=0&w=420&h=315]

As much as I love my hero and diving in to his pov, the idea for this book came to me not from Brad's side but Angel's. I didn't even realize she belonged to Brad until later; I only knew her name was Angel and that she needed help desperately. The kernel that became Just a Little More was sparked while listening to Nickelback's "Lullaby."

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OjiOn5s8s8?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

I had the Goo Goo Dolls latest album, Magnetic, on repeat for most of the drafting process for Just a Little More. One song in particular helped me envision Brad and Angel's relationship, the feeling that they were best friends, each other's worlds, and ready to face anything as long as they were together: "Slow It Down."

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWtrRfLEv3M?rel=0&w=420&h=315]

One more? Okay, one more! Though this book deals with some tough issues, by the end Angel has found her way back to who she really is, not the person fear made her. And because Thrice is such an important part of this series, of course I ended the book there. What was the ultimate dance par-tay song for Brad and Angel to dance to? From Magnetic, here's "Rebel Beat."

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUi8gQPsMdw?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

It wouldn't be a par-tay without some prizes, now would it? Dani and I have a joint giveaway going. What do you have to do to enter? Simply leave a comment, on my blog or hers, telling us your favorite party song. Your comment enters you into the giveaway. A comment on both of our blogs enters you TWICE. Like me on Facebook OR sign up for my newsletter and get ANOTHER entry (or TWO if you do both!).

What are we giving away? A $30 gift card to Amazon or B&N, and the first book in both of our series! You have until July 5th to enter! We'll post the winner July 6th.

And thank you! Joining us for our double release day makes it so much more fun than partying alone! Now get over to Dani's blog and boogie. ;)

~ Ella

**All ebook formats are available at Loose Id. All you have to do is download the format appropriate for your e-reader (or your computer, and they even tell you which format you need on their FAQs page), hook your e-reader to your computer, and drag and drop the file to your e-reader. Easy peasy, even for me, and I'm no technical genius. ;) I will update as new formats become available, so check back. As soon as Amazon, ARe, and Kobo go live, I'll have it here.

New Release News: Just a Little More!

I can't tell you how excited I am to see Just a Little More finally come to fruition. Though it's a novella, I struggled mightily with getting Brad and Angel's book just right, giving them the story they deserved. I wasn't disappointed by the end result, and I hope you won't be either. You'll be able to find out on JULY 1ST! That's right! In three weeks and one day, Just a Little More will be available. Squeeee! Hopefully you'll think I captured Thrice's flirty bartender as well as Angel captures him. ;) Not to mention, the book is set in a freak snowstorm, so you'll get a cool little spot in the height of summer heat.

I haven't shared a lot about this book because it was on a fairly short timeline from submission to release. In fact, I didn't even know if I'd have the cover in time to reveal it today -- and I didn't. Yes, I'm pouting. I promise you will see it as soon as I get to...okay, a few minutes later, but you get the idea. Those of you who've subscribed to my newsletter have read the blurb and a teeny excerpt, but let me share those with the rest of the world. Ready?

Six weeks ago Angel had it all—a brand-new master’s degree, an apartment with her best friend, Brad, and the chance to take their friendship to a whole hot new level. But on the night of their first kiss, a would-be rapist ripped her bright future apart. Stuck in a never-ending cycle of fear and depression, Angel is determined to find herself again, even if it means putting herself at risk.

Brad has loved Angel since he saved her from a playground bully in the fifth grade. But just as it seemed Angel’s eyes were opening to the true feelings between them, it all fell apart. When Angel disappears on the night of a freak snowstorm, Brad is determined to find her. And when he does, he won't let her hide any longer. It's time to wake her up—to a life without fear, and to a love that can heal the deepest wounds.

And now, for how it all started...

He was eighteen when it happened. No warning at all.

One minute Brad Donovan was staring down at his best friend, Angel, as she coughed up water from Lake Lanier. She bobbed on the surface, swiping at the droplets that clung to her eyes, and then she was laughing. That same laugh he’d heard a million times since elementary school, a laugh full of joy, full of life. All the noise around them, their friends shouting and girls squealing at the shock of cold water, the splashes, the creaking of the dock and rumbling of rock on the radio, it all faded as that one sound, Angel’s laughter, pierced his heart like an arrow.

And changed everything with the realization that he loved her.

It wasn’t best-friend love. He’d loved her that way since the first day of fifth grade. And it wasn’t sister love. They’d grown up together, become the family neither of them really had, but this wasn’t about family either. Definitely not just being horny, though he’d had to hide a hard-on more times than he could count with Angel running around in that skimpy bikini.

No, this was something new, something a hundred times stronger. This was the real thing, real love. The kind a man had for a woman; the kind he had for Angel. The kind a teenage boy wouldn’t recognize, right? But he knew, without a doubt, that she was the one, with that single glance down at her laughing face.

And it scared the shit out of him.

Be sure to check my Facebook page on July 1st for the fastest access to links for Just a Little More. And look for Ian's story, Secrets To Hide Book 4, next spring.

Want more Secrets To Hide goodness? Be sure to read books one and two, Cailin and Alex's story in Dirty Little Secret, and Harley and Damien's story in Naughty Little Christmas.

And don't forget, coming this fall, the all-new Southern Nights trilogy.

*Photo courtesy of JulianColton2.

May's My Sexy Saturday: Doing Sexy

This week's My Sexy Saturday is all about "Doing Sexy" -- those characters who, for whatever reason, don't truly see how sexy they are. But those around them see it and can't help but respond to it! In Dirty Little Secret, heroine Cailin is fresh off a nasty divorce from a husband who rarely even touched her, much less wanted sex. Her confidence is at an all-time low, until the night she decides to try out the new nightclub in downtown Atlanta, Thrice. She's managed to get herself in line outside the club, but still her doubts are there... * * *

Anonymity wasn’t always a good thing. It tempted people to act in ways they normally wouldn’t, to indulge in fantasies they’d normally never consider if someone they knew was around to see—and condemn—them. Cailin had lain awake last night, staring at the darkened ceiling, alone and hungry. And not for food. Two years was a long time to go without touch, much less sex—especially when she’d spent half that time married—and she found her craving was getting harder and harder to ignore. Taking care of it herself just didn’t feel the same. She wanted human interaction, a man’s hands on her body. And this morning, she’d awakened with an idea of how to get it.

Thus the trip to Crazyville, um, Thrice.

It was risky, at least for her. Definitely unhinged. She’d been a virgin on her wedding night. She didn’t do casual sex. Or she hadn’t, but what other choice did she have? And it just so happened she had a really long, empty weekend ahead of her and a new nightclub opening not twenty minutes from her home. Best of all, nobody knew her. Nobody would be watching her “moral slipup,” as her mother would’ve called it. And nobody would talk. She could go, have a drink, maybe meet someone. Maybe go home with him. That’s what normal people did, right? At least, people who didn’t marry right out of school and who’d never in their life set foot in a bar.

What a backwoods idiot she was. She just prayed, after the amount of money she’d blown on her outfit, that the backwoods part of her was well hidden—and that this little foray into mental illness was somehow successful.

"You do realize you’re asking God for a hookup, Cailin,” she told herself, ignoring the questioning look of a cute young thing with a ring in his nose passing on his way to the end of the line. “That just proves how crazy you really are."

The cutie did a quick twist to stare at Cailin as he went by. His gaze zeroed in on what she knew was a mostly bare back and clearly outlined butt. Her garters played peekaboo through the cutouts, extending just below her hemline to catch sheer thigh-high stockings, but the woman at the store had assured her it was utterly sexy. Cailin didn’t know about that—naughty might be a better word, but when had she ever been naughty? It was definitely past time to give herself a break from the good-girl routine. Tonight she could be anyone she wanted to be—and the woman she wanted to be was a sexy siren, ready to entice. Tilting a look over her shoulder, she gave the guy a smile, ignoring the jittery feeling in her stomach. Maybe she’d see him inside.

A group of women in line ahead of her giggled when the man winked back at her. They struck up a conversation about her dress, and by the time she greeted the broad-shouldered bouncer a half hour later, it felt as natural as buying a ticket to a movie. The way he eyed her legs helped her relax even more. She couldn’t swear, but she was pretty sure her reaction to that look was something like preening.

* * *

Cailin might not feel sexy, but she certainly catches some eyes, including her new boss's, which leads to all kinds of trouble. Here's how:

Cailin Gray transferred to the new Atlanta branch of her company to work for the senior vice president, Alex Brannigan. But before her job begins, she allows the anonymity of the big city to lure her into a night of dancing–and the arms of a mystery lover hotter than anything this country girl could imagine. When she wakes alone, his absence hurts more than she thought it would, but not nearly as much as walking into the office Monday morning and discovering her lover is her new, married boss.

Alex has one goal: help his best friend, Sara Beth, keep her inheritance. This plan included a marriage of convenience–check–taking over the vice president’s position–check–and keeping the platonic state of their relationship secret until their position of power is solidified. That last takes time, but the resulting solitude weighs heavily. Until Cailin. He told himself a single night would have to be enough, but fate had other plans. Now he must choose between keeping his dirty little secret and fulfilling his promise to Sara Beth, or finding the strength to free them all from the secrets that bind them.

Dirty Little Secret is available at Amazon, B&N, my publisher Loose Id, and other retailers online. Be sure and check out the sequel, Naughty Little Christmas, featuring a hot rocker and the owner of Thrice, too! My newest release, book three in the series, Just a Little More, is due out in July. Sign up for my monthly newsletter to get the latest release information and monthly contests with great prizes!

And don't forget the other My Sexy Saturday blogs being shared this week -- you can find them here. Enjoy!

~ Ella

Taking Stock

I had a moment this week where I sat down and took stock of the last year. At this time in 2013, I didn't have a publishing contract. I didn't even know one was on the horizon. In fact, I was extremely discouraged with what little progress I'd made, and the only thing keeping me going was the fact that I'd finalled in the RWA Golden Heart®. It was not my best time. And then the magic happened. By June, I had my first publishing contract for Dirty Little Secret. Wow, what a ride! My first book came out in October of last year. My second book, Naughty Little Christmas, came out in December. Now I have a release planned for this summer, Just a Little More. The Secrets To Hide series is taking off by leaps and bounds, and hopefully Ian's story will round it out late this year. It's hard for me to believe that these characters, for so long on my heart, have come into the world and are available for any reader to read. It's bemusing, really. Surreal. And so gratifying as a writer, to see my work out there, being enjoyed. Thank you all so much for believing in me!

So what else is coming up? A lot! This September, October, and November, I will be releasing my Southern Nights series, Teach Me (book one), Trust Me (book two), and Take Me (book three). I'm so excited for this series, also set in and around Atlanta, Georgia. These books are contemporary, erotic, with just a hint of suspense thrown into the mix. I'm hoping you'll enjoy them as much as I have. Keep checking back for updated information on exact release dates, blurbs and covers, all of which will be coming in the very near future.

So, yes, that's a guaranteed four releases this year, possibly five. Eight books in two years. O.o That is an amazing number, truly. And all made possible because I have tremendous support from fellow writers, editors and amazing readers. Thank you all! I'm looking forward to many equally amazing years to come!

~ Ella