resisting the musician - blog tour

The Resisting the Musician blog tour is up and away!  (Dates and links below)

Giveaways include books, a signed post card, and custom made guitar picks with the name of the book's signature song - "I Pick You" stamped upon them.

I hope you win :).

Ally
xXx

7/28 ~ Manga Maniac Cafe ~ Guest Blog
7/28 ~ Inner Goddess ~ Promo , Review
7/29 ~ desiremeonly ~ Guest Blog
7/29 ~ Book Nook Nuts ~ Promo 
7/30 ~ Romancing Rakes For The Love of Romance ~ Promo 
7/30 ~ My Reading Room ~ Review
7/30 ~ deal sharing aunt ~ Promo 
7/31 ~ First Page to the Last ~ Review
7/31 ~ A Passion for Romance ~ Promo
8/1 ~ The Revolving Bookcase ~ Promo , Review
8/4 ~ The Book Bellas ~ Promo 
8/4 ~ Becky on Books ~ Promo , Review
8/5 ~ In My Humble Opinion ~ Review
8/5 ~ Kate George - Author ~ Promo 
8/6 ~ All Things Romance ~ Promo 
8/6 ~ Romantic Reads and Such ~ Promo 
8/6 ~ Babbling about books and more ~ Promo 
8/7 ~ Sleepless Nights Filled with Endless Books ~ Review
8/7 ~ She Hearts Books ~ Review
8/7 ~ Gigi's Book Blog ~ Review
8/8 ~ Talking Books Blog ~ Promo
8/8 ~ Ramblings of a Book Lunatic ~ Promo , Review

harlequin junkie

Head on over to the Harlequin Junkie where I'm chatting about SECOND CHANCE HONEYMOON!

There's a giveaway, and a fab review of the book in which Sara so graciously said, "Second Chance Honeymoon is a fast paced, light hearted, great romantic escape read."

Enter the comp and say "hi" for your chance to win a back list Ally Blake ebook!

the man was a poet

My husband MP3 player is currently filled with Billy Joel.  I love me some Billy Joel - the man's a poet, honest to goodness.

Only I gut stuck between the kitchen and the hall yesterday when Innocent Man came on.  It's a song I adore, the music beautiful, the lyrics poignant.

But not having heard it for a good while it's the first time the lyrics meant something new to me.  When it hit me that this song is about every hero I write. About the kind of man who can see past a woman digging in her heels against love, knowing she's doing so because of past hurt, and is willing to wait it out.

INNOCENT MAN

Some people stay far away from the door
If there's a chance of it opening up
They hear a voice in the hall outside
And hope that it just passes by

Some people live with the fear of a touch
And the anger of having been a fool
They will not listen to anyone
So nobody tells them a lie

I know you're only protecting yourself
I know you're thinking of somebody else
Someone who hurt you
But I'm not above
Making up for the love
You've been denying you could ever feel
I'm not above doing anything
To restore your faith if I can
Some people see through the eyes of the old
Before they ever get a look at the young
I'm only willing to hear you cry
Because I am an innocent man
Oh yes I am

Some people say they will never believe
Another promise they hear in the dark
Because they only remember too well
They heard somebody tell them before
Some people sleep all alone every night
Instead of taking a lover to bed
Some people find that's it's easier to hate
Than to wait anymore
I know you don't want to hear what I say
I know you're gonna keep turning away
But I've been there and if I can survive
I can keep you alive
I'm not above going through it again
I'm not above being cool for a while
If you're cruel to me I'll understand

Some people run from a possible fight
Some people figure they can never win
And although this is a fight I can lose
The accused is an innocent man
Oh yes I am
An innocent man

You know you only hurt yourself out of spite
I guess you'd rather be a martyr tonight
That's your decision
But I'm not below
Anybody I know
If there's a chance of resurrecting a love
I'm not above going back to the start
To find out where the heartache began

Some people hope for a miracle cure
Some people just accept the world as it is
But I'm not willing to lay down and die
Because I am an innocent man

I am an innocent man
Oh yes I am
An innocent man

See what I mean?  An honest to goodness poet.

writing what you know

One of the best things about writing for a living is that everything is research; eavesdropping, navel-gazing, googling pictures of Justice Joslin…

And travel.

I’ve done a bit of travelling in my time.  Europe, North America, bits and pieces of my home country of Australia.  And every time I go anywhere new I do so with a notebook, a pen, and a wide open imagination, meaning many of the places I’ve been have ended up in books.

Paris (Steamy Surrender)

Tuscany (A Mother for His Daughter)

Venice (The Secret Wedding Dress)

Louisiana (When Honey Got Married…)

My latest Harlequin Kiss is set in the fictional beachside town of Crescent Bay but most of the locales were based on a week I spent in Palm Cove in Far North Queensland.

 

It’s a resort town, with local shops, gorgeous resorts, pristine white beaches, island hopper boats to schlep you out to the Great Barrier Reef as well as lots of untouched local colour.  All of which is imbedded on my brain from my holiday there years ago which I hope helped make Crescent Cove feel like a real place, a warm place, a place you’d love to visit.

Then again I don’t know.   Justice Joslin, and googling pictures of him, helped the book just fine too J.  (Check out the Pinterest board for this book and you'll know what I mean :))

 

Happy reading

Ally

xXx

HER HOTTEST SUMMER YET
out now thru #HarlequinKiss - Amazon

(THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT - book two of Those Summer Nights - by Amy Andrews is out next month!)