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I have a treat for you today! Remember me, I used to be a romance writer? I made lots of great writer friends when I was a romance writer (romance writers are a close bunch!) and one of them is Jill Shalvis. Her new book, Simply Irresistible, begins her Lucky Harbor series–sexy women’s fiction novels centering around three estranged sisters and the falling down on its axis beach inn they inherit, where they find hope, home and….love. (HINT! I’m giving away THREE copies of her new book! And she also has a free knitting pattern to share, right here!)
Here’s an interview with Jill about the series:
When I started this series about three estranged sisters who get stuck together running a beach resort, I decided I was out of my mind. I don’t have sisters. I have a brother, and we like each other just fine. Then at the dinner table that very night, my three teenage heathens started bickering and fighting, and I just stared at them in awe and wonder.
I had my fodder! “Keep fighting,” I told them–much to their utter shock since I’ve spent the past fifteen years begging them to get along.
After that night, it was a piece of cake to write the sisters–Maddie, Tara, and Chloe–their claws barely sheathed, with resentment and affection vying for space.
So then all that I had left to do was find the three sexy guys who could handle them.
It just so happened that, at the time, my neighbor was having an addition put on her house. For six glorious weeks, there were a bunch of guys hanging off the roof and the walls, in perfect line of sight of my office.
Which is really my deck. It’s a wonder I got any work done at all.So I sat in the sun and wrote while in the background cute, young, sweaty guys hammered, and sawed, and in general, made my day.
And on some days, they even took off their shirts. Those were my favorite days of all. But I digress….
I was working very hard, planning out conflicts and plot pacing and trying to nail down my hero. And given what I was looking at for inspiration, it shouldn’t be any surprise at all that the hero for this first book in the Lucky Harbor series, Simply Irresistible, turned out to be a master carpenter.
And a very sexy one at that.
I’m actually writing book two right now. I keep going out on the deck, sitting and patiently waiting, but my neighbor hasn’t hired any more sexy carpenters. Darn it.
Perhaps I need a new addition myself!
Jill’s publisher produced a knitted scarf pattern to go with the book because the heroine gives up potato chips and tries a nonfat stress reliever–knitting. Here’s the pattern:
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Materials:
One skein super-bulky yarn, at least 100 yards
1 pair size 13 needles (straight)
1 size G (4 mm) crochet hook
Instructions:
1. Cast on 15 stitches (or enough stitches to make the scarf 6 to 8 inches wide).
2. Knit every row--this is called a garter stitch—until your scarf is 60” long. (If you have more yarn left and a very tall boyfriend, you may choose to make the scarf a bit longer.)
3. Bind off.
4. Use your crochet hook to weave in the ends at the top and bottom. See how easy that was!
(I swear, I think even I could knit this scarf!)
To personalize your scarf:
1. Feel free to use a different weight of yarn but check on the label to see what size needles are recommended and use them instead.
2. Knit with two different strands held together throughout.
This creates a unique yarn only your beloved will have.
3. Create stripes by buying several colors of yarn, starting a new color at the end of a row, and leaving a tail for each color (which will be woven in with the crochet hook during step #4 above).
4. Add fringe: Cut 64 lengths of yarn approximately 10” each. Take four lengths of yarn and fold them in half. Insert the crochet hook into one of the corners of the scarf. Pull the loop through the scarf with the crochet hook. Then bring the ends of the yarn through the loop and tighten. On the narrow edges of the scarf, make 8 tassels spaced evenly.
Do you ever notice that knitting directions often include crochet hooks, but crochet directions never include knitting needles? Who wins? CROCHET RULES.
I'm sorry, I digress. Back to Jill! Here's an excerpt from Simply Irresistible:
A few snowflakes floated down, soft and lazily spinning in the wind, and through them Jax cocked his head, watching her as if something about her didn’t quite add up for him.
She could have told him not to bother trying to figure her out. No one had managed yet, not even herself.
“You okay?”
“Working on it,” she said and gave him a small smile. It was hard not to, he just had that kind of face.
He returned the smile and stepped a little closer to her, which was when she discovered several things.
He smelled good. Guy good. As in she wanted to inhale him. Her body tingled, suddenly brought to a hyper awareness that felt almost foreign.
Desire. Bone-melting desire.
When she opened her eyes again, he was even closer, and his eyes weren’t the solid warm caramel she’d thought but had flecks of gold dancing in them as well. She could have happily, willingly, drowned in all that deliciousness. Death by deliciousness.
Not a bad way to go.
You can find out more about Simply Irresistible here at Barnes and Noble where you can buy it online, or just go find it in your local bookstore.
OR!!!!
WIN AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY FROM JILL!!!!!
For the first autographed copy:
Leave a comment letting me know you want it. One winner will be drawn by random comment number. Eligible entries end at midnight Eastern time tonight (September 28). The winner’s name will be updated at the bottom of this post by 9 a.m. tomorrow (September 29).
I will be giving away TWO MORE COPIES.
You can visit Jill and her fun daily blog here.
UPDATE 09/29/10: The winning comment number, drawn by random.org, of yesterday’s Simply Irresistible giveaway is #94, Angela. Email me at CITRgiveaways(at)yahoo.com with your full name and address! Two more books to give away!
Posted by Suzanne McMinn on September 28, 2010The contest is closed on this post. Go here for the second giveaway of this book.
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Hugs Granny Trace!!
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Pick me please!
Celia
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Thanks Susan!
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But I think I used up all of my luck because I won a BBB!!! Yeah for me! And thank you so much Suzanne!!
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Thank you!
Farmer
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I was fortunate to meet Jill this past summer. What a wonderful person!
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Thanks for the giveaway!
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I’ve been a fan of Jill’s for a long time and would love to win an autographed copy of one of her books. I had the privilege of meeting her several years ago and she’s lovely, inside and out.
And thanks to you both for the scarf pattern – I’m teaching a beginners knitting class here at the library in a month and it will be on hats and scarves – a very similar pattern, but I wasn’t sure how long to make the scarf! Now I know ~
LynneW,
heading off to order a copy of Jill’s book for the library
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Angela
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Thanks!
Angela