Showing posts with label romantic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label romantic. Show all posts

Wednesday, 23 November 2016

Cover Reveal: IT HAD TO BE YOU


Buongiorno
Today marks a Special & Momentous day here on the AlfonzoWords blog, as we get a First Look at the Cover of the highly anticipated book, IT HAD TO BE YOU by Melissa Kate.

Woooohooo! I'm beyond excited for the release of this book & cannot wait to share the amazingly beautiful cover with you.

Melissa joined us for a very special & very awesome Interview on Sunday, 22 May 2016 titled:

Author Interview on Catching that Golden Snitch



Meet Melissa Kate

Melissa Kate is a self confessed book-a-holic who lives in a small town along the coast in sunny South Africa {My Parents Hometown!Yay}. She writes contemporary romance with quirky characters and witty banter; a true romantic at heart; she loves the moment of falling in love.

Get Connected with Her:
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest





This book is the Second in the Crystal Valley series, with the first book being Waiting For You, which I truly LOVED reading.
Such is my fandom over Melissa's work that I even did sketches for it Here.
I've just finished reading Melissa's recent release, Love in the Fast Lane. Stay tuned for the Review.
So I'm Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious excited to read IT HAD TO BE YOU.






The #WaitingForYou HYPE is Real!!
Reached +70,000 Impressions & +300 Retweets, Daily!
It's "Waiting For You" to Order Now.
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So without further ado its time for that 
Exclusive First Look at the Cover of this romance novel.
***Drum Roll Please***


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Are you ready?

Are you excited? :-D
I know I am
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CountDown
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🌟💙✨Hello! IT HAD TO BE YOU🌟💙✨


WOW! Epicness! Legend...Wait for It....DARY! 
If you read the first book, you'll totally love that cupcake reference :-)
Se Manifique, it looks like the cover of a beautiful movie and knowing Melissa, I'm sure it will be soon.
All I want to do is turn the page and begin reading.


Title: IT HAD TO BE YOU
Series: Crystal Valley Series
Author: Melissa Kate
Publication Date: 2017
Publisher: Fire Quill Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Humor

Description:
Emma Wyatt has had enough of her ex-best friend and his lady-killer ways. The sweet boy from her youth had been replaced with a serial womanizer.
Oliver didn’t intend to be coupled with Emma, but when it came to Emma Wyatt, he felt the need to be a knight in shining armor.
Now the whole town Knows and Emma is livid She wants to wring his neck.
A heated argument incites a fiery moment of passion and the pair finds themselves fighting and unlikely attraction they never saw coming

But a dreadful secret can tear them apart forever.

© Enricoh Alfonzo ~ Alfonzo Words
  • I’d love to keep connected with you! 
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~Be Kind to One Another~ Ellen Degeneres

Sunday, 22 May 2016

Author Interview on Catching that Golden Snitch

You sort of start thinking anything's possible if you've got enough nerve~ JK Rowling
Release Date: 24.05.2016
Today I have the supreme honor of introducing you to an amazing author from my homeland of South Africa.
Melissa Kate
Melissa & Baxter
Imagine my surprise when I discovered that this author from Durban, the home of my forefathers, had been published, internationally.

Eureka! Shannaro! There is Hope, I thought with excessive enthusiasm. She's done it, she's caught the Golden Snitch!

Upon reading some of her work, the intense talent and voice were clearly evident. Her prose style is both elegant and feisty in its unique flow. I am really and truly humbled to be hosting her while she's on her blog tour before the release of the book.

So without further ado, let's get to know this remarkable author and her Journey

Quick Fire

Favorite Book: 
Tangled up in You by Rachel Gibson

Favorite Author: 
Lauren Layne





Favorite Book Boyfriend:
Mark Bressler from Rachel Gibson’s Nothing but Trouble – moody and broody and simply sexy












Favorite Bad Boy Character:
Ty Garrison from Jill Shalvis’s Lucky in Love – there’s just something about a tortured hero







Reading Hard Cover novels or Reading digital novels (i.e on the iPad): 
Nothing beats a paperback but I only read ebooks these days, purely because of the volume that I get through.

Handwriting or Typing: 
Typing! Do people still hand write manuscripts?

If you had to MAKE UP/INVENT one word, what would it be? And what would that word mean? 
Puthiasimine – someone who is being an absolute moron. There can be no greater insult than this (I’m sure my husband will love this)

Let’s get personal:

How long have you been writing for?
  • I have been writing stories and plays from around ten years old. At age fourteen I tried my hand at my very first longer length story and the writing has not stopped since then.
What inspires you most to write?
  • What does not? I love the moment of falling in love. I love the witty banter, the push and pull between my two protagonists and creating that moment of their coming together… is all the more sigh-worthy. I also write to give an outlet to the voices in my head.
The Big Debate of Traditional Vs. Self-Publishing. What made you choose one against the other?
  • I’m an old soul so for me it wasn’t a biggie. Definitely Traditional print. I have always wanted to be a published author through a publishing house with my name in print. It’s harder to get in the door with traditional publishing but there is so much more support with a team of people who know what they are doing when you have a publishing house backing you. And trust me, I needed all the support I could get.
Tell me about your support structure. Who’s on board with you being an author, who doubted you?
  • I kept my writing very private. Even now, all this exposure makes me feel very… exposed. My husband is my greatest support, despite never reading any of my books. He’s always pushing me to get on with it when he can clearly see that I am procrastinating (that happens a lot). He has often threatened to change the WIFI password and let me tell you, that threat works!
  • My bestie, Tharreshnee is also a great support. She reads my stories as I am writing and encourages me along the way. She’s an extremely positive person and can be a real drill sergeant when you’re dipping your toes in the negativity or self-doubt pools.
  • My Dad has always been my GREATEST supporter in life. He passed on three years ago but I know that if he were here today, he would shout my achievements out to ANYONE who would listen.
  • There hasn’t been any real negativity so far… give it time, though. The reviews will be coming in soon. Eeep!
  • Even then, I will take the negativity in my stride – it comes with the territory. Not everyone will enjoy the book. Someone will love it, some will hate it and some will be pretty indifferent. I didn’t set out on this journey to be famous or rich – my goal was to be a published author and that dream has come to fruition. No amount of doubt or negativity can take that away.
So the novel took you about 4 months to write. Walk me through your process of submissions in your search for an agent/publisher.
  • I Googled… A LOT! I researched how to write a query letter and in my opinion, I still didn’t get this right. I made a list of ALL the publishing houses I could find and made a note of their submission requirements. Then I emailed them one by one, customizing my application to their needs. I kept a record of each publisher, their contact details and when I emailed my application to them. And then came the rejection letters. The first few I took in my stride and then they just started to deflate me. I almost gave up when I saw the special call from Fiery Seas Publishing and was so surprised to get an email with a contract inviting me to join their team. It’s been easier now since I have a foot in the door because my publisher is amazing and is always wanting more stories from me.
  • It’s tough to get published in SA because they are usually looking for authentic South African stories. I love sunny South Africa but I also don’t want to be shoved in a mold to write stories just to be published locally. We each have an individual voice and that should be heard.
Rejection letters play a frequent role in any writer’s life during the submission process. How did it feel getting them? What kept you motivated throughout it all?
  • It’s terrible. In the beginning, you take it in your stride. But then they keep coming and it’s really tough to stay positive, particularly when you sacrifice months of your time to get your story out, another few months polishing it and in a single paragraph, your dreams are dashed. My bestie was always a source of great encouragement and would often, at times, remind me that JK Rowling was rejected A LOT before someone gave her an opportunity. Thinking about that kept me on track. Success in any field is not just handed to you – you have to work for it.
Felicidades épicas! You’ve been published internationally. Talk to me about that day, receiving the email. How did it feel? And What have you done to celebrate since?
  • I woke up at 5am one morning and went over my social media messages and then opened the email from Fiery Seas Publishing, expecting another concise rejection letter. I nearly fell off the bed when I read that they wanted to offer me a contract which was attached. I read and reread the email, not quite sure it wasn’t a joke. I shook my husband awake and shoved the phone in his face to see. Of course in his sleepy state, he simply said “That’s wonderful babe!” and went right back to sleep. So I lay awake in the dark of the morning and wondered at what had just happened. For many months I kept my news private – only a select few knew. I still didn’t believe it and I didn’t want to jinx it. But then the cover was revealed and I knew there was no going back.
Walk me through the process from that email to getting the final book signed off for release.
  • It took many months from the time I got the original email till anything started happening. They sent me a questionnaire about what I expected from my cover, dedication, acknowledgments and so on. So Misty, my publisher could understand the vision I had.
  • First Line Edits started - This was simply correcting grammar, spelling and the like.
  • Second Line Edits - Were a bit more in depth, changing sentences so they make more sense and be easier to read. Getting into deep POV was a learning curve but I seem to be getting better at it.
  • Copy Edits – This was Tough. This is really pulling your story together and making sure it makes sense. The suggestions to change sentences made me sit and scratch my head because I didn’t know how else to make it read. I trudged on and learned so much along the way. 
  • To Print - After surviving the copy edits, the book went to print.

Tips & Tricks:

Do you have any great writing resources that you can share with us?
  • Google has been a great help! I also follow my favorite authors on their social platforms so I can learn from them. This worked best for me because my genre was the same.
Melissa Follows:

What would you say to other aspiring writers out there, especially the ones in our homeland of South Africa?
  • Keep working on your manuscripts. Be open to taking direction and advice from those in the field. Learn to take rejection (it will happen a lot). Success is for those who work towards it, keep going, your success is waiting on the horizon.
If there was just one nugget of wisdom you could share, what would that be?
  • Write because it fulfills your soul. It should never be a job to you, it should be your lifestyle, a piece of who you are. I am a writer…
Bonus Tip: Melissa’s written a great post on her Top 10 Writing Tips for the Up and Comer

Best. Answers. Ever. 
Melissa! I thoroughly enjoyed your spirit in this interview and admire your motivated attitude. It has most assuredly been a Highlight for my blog. I have already pre-ordered your book & cannot wait to devour its pages. 

***
Waiting For You
Releases, 24th May 2016

Audrey Kelly finds her way back home to Crystal Valley with her bruised pride and a shattered dangerous past mocking her rear view mirror. What she didn’t expect was to be face-to-face with Adam Parker, resident bad boy, sexy Navy SEAL and one of the reasons that Audrey ran all those years ago.

Audrey was the last person Adam had ever expected to see back in Crystal Valley. Over a decade ago, they shared a sizzling night together before he received the worst news of his life and he hasn’t seen her since…until she’d moved back unexpectedly. She was no longer the sweet innocent girl he once remembered, but Adam has his own problems without having to deal with Audrey’s ice princess recital, no matter how tempting the auburn haired seductress may be.

Sparks begin to ignite between them but can they accept Audrey’s past when it threatens to engage them in a dangerous twist? Can they save each other from themselves and stop running once and for all?

Character Inspiration
        Watch the tantalizing Book Trailer Here



***Breaking News***
The #WaitingForYou HYPE is Real!!
Reached +70,000 Impressions & +300 Retweets, Daily!


It's "Waiting For You" to Order Now.

EPIC fan pic posted by AmazeBlog aka Cassarica Nadas
Enjoying her copy of Waiting For You over a relaxing Bubble Bath
InstaGram Pic


Get Connected with Debut Author, Melissa Kate
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest

~Be Kind to one Another~ Ellen Degeneres

Thursday, 19 May 2016

Precipice: The Second Most Important Date of Your Life

Inspire. Create. Write.TM

The Second Most Important Date is...The Proposal.




Mike stood upon a precipice, the winds of change blowing through his sandy blond hair. He'd always been a hard worker, always fighting for his dream to be the best advertiser out there. If he wasn't working, he was not living. His mind aflame with new ideas and slogans, constantly rearranging them like a conundrum until they became something meaningful. After becoming the head of the advertising department at PPC. He afforded himself with maybe too much of an ego boost. In actuality his life was committed to what he was good at, nothing less, that is until this day had arrived....

"Sir, where would you like the ten thousand lilies?" Said the petite florist.

He looked down at her, puzzled and for all he was worth, he could not figure out where on the baseball pitch to put them. Jenna loved lilies, in fact, they had met at a flower shop. This proposal had to go perfectly, it had to be as perfect as the moment they shared their first kiss. The orchestra, the stadium lights, the lilies, the digital board saying ‘Will you marry me?’ It all had to gel together the way his adverts would...harmonious.

"Put the lilies in a half-circle arc around the stadium, the table in the center on the pitchers podium, then add the orchestra near the left field to utilize the acoustics there and top it all off with the ‘Will you marry me?’ appearing on the board when I actually ask the question." He told the stressed looking caterer. She scrambled off to organize his demands. He rubbed his hands together with a smile, everything should run smoothly now. Although maybe a long run on the treadmill might clear his head.

He climbed the stairs to his apartment greeting Buster on the way in. Little Buster had been the dog Mike had grown to love, he'd never been fond of pets before, that is until Jenna ‘liberated’ him from a lab and brought him to stay with them. He was a scruffy little mutt, a mutt that Mike would spend his Sunday afternoons combing through his hair to get rid of any excess. Mike sat at his desk surfing the net and checking the latest ads out. He must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew he was at the beach with Jenna, Buster and 5 other dogs that she had decided to walk today... As they got to the beach he knew with certainty what was going to happen next. Jenna let all 6 dogs go! Unleashing them on the beach, not knowing, or rather not caring if it would be a mission to leash them all again, especially Buster. She ran with them, hair tossing in the wind, screams high in the air, she ran. The dogs followed her like a pack, barking excitement. Mike laughed, this was one of his favorite memories of her. A memory that illustrated just how free and uninhibited she was. Everything he was not, she was his polar opposite in almost every way. She was life! The very essence itself, life incarnate in all its beauty and terror. Yes, terror. Her ability to be so, so, so down to earth was unnerving. He'd never met anyone so unencumbered. With a jerk, he woke up and felt like the keyboard keys were engraved on the side of his face. He went out onto the balcony as if standing on a precipice, the winds of change blowing through his sandy brown hair. He'd reached his epiphany within that dream, that one very vivid dream. He was going to marry Jenna, he was going to get down on one knee and propose to her.

Racing down the streets, through the busy nightlife of Manhattan, Mike knew exactly where she would be. The one place she had always felt safe, the stock exchange building. An unusual choice but Jenna had once said that it was exactly that chaos and insanity that made her feel safe. She would just sit there and watch people rant and rave over the stock market, voice upon voice each trying to be heard but lost within the echoes. Trying to push through the crowd to find Jenna was impossible, he'd get lost before he made it even a quarter of the way. So he climbed on a desk and took the microphone.

"SHUrrrrrrrrrrrR UP!!!" Silence greeted him back. "Jenna! JENNA!! JEENNNAA!!!!!" There! He spotted her, the crowd parting along the way and there she was. Her hair was all scuffed up and she looked like she'd been crying. He jumped down and ran to her, gripping her against his chest.

"Why are you crying?" He asked tentatively.

"Buster ran away today," She replied into his chest.

He chuckled, "He came home baby, Abdul must have let him in.” She looked up at him with so much hope he couldn't stand it anymore. Adrenaline pumped through him, Jenna must’ve found herself a whole lot taller than him now.

He descended to one knee and looked up into her brown button eyes. "When we first met you told me that I was the most egotistical, power-driven man you'd ever met. Well, I stand before you, not as that man, I stand before you today as… your man. The one you taught how to smile, how to be comfortable in casual clothes, how to laugh at the silliest of things, how to take a day off and the one you taught how to live out his secret dream even if it was just for one night. Jenna your beauty has only one equal, your spirit. You are all that I breathe for and from this day forward you're all that I live for. I don't want money or success or even that award for the best advert. All I want and need is you. Give me an angel as sweet and lovely as you and I'll love her with everything I have. Give me a home and I'd love it with all I have. Give me you, and I will give you my heart and soul. Will you marry me?"

Jenna looked down at him with tears in her eyes, smiling, she uttered a word that galvanized at the very core of his being. "Yes!"

Their lips met passionately somewhere after that, in all the chaos that followed. Cheers and screams rang high in the building. Whether it was to something that happened in the market or to their engagement… no one will ever know.

DeviantArt Cred: LiquidTheoryInc


THE END


***
Authors Note

This is a short story, Cover Reveal can be found Here
The Most Important Date can be found Here

Special Thanks to LiquidTheoryInc for allowing me to use his artwork at the end.

Enjoyed that? Share your thoughts or even better, your personal proposal stories, I love reading those. 

If you would like to join the Blog Tag fun, click on the link or the Image below. 

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~Be Kind to One Another~ Ellen Degeneres

Monday, 16 May 2016

The First Date

Inspire. Create. Write. TM


This is a excerpt of Chapter Eight from my upcoming novel, The Cured: Rebirth

Novel Tagline:
Teen discovers a Cure for Cancer & has to make the Ultimate Choice. Save his Love or Save the World.

Main Characters:
William Scott: 15yo boy, spiky black hair, dying of stage four lung cancer.

Emma Ornnam: 15yo best friend & girlfriend of Will.

***

At long last though the moment had arrived. Will stood atop the hospital's pebble-stoned roof in his favorite jeans, a plain white T and a black blazer loaned from his father. He was entirely ashamed of how loose they all fit on him now causing him to rub his hands together as if to shake away this nervous knot rooted to his body. He looked out below at the city before him where the lights below dazzled with the motion of the cars. Darkness was illuminated in a transcendent way in such fascinating patterns even though that was never the intention. Somehow, someway, the lights of different colors and shapes blended into this melody that he felt compelled to admire. Will remembered the first time he'd been on a plane at night, looking out below and just in complete awe at the perspective he had. The lights of the cities formed these immaculate patterns that seemed almost frozen in time and he wondered for the first time in a long time if this is what God saw when he looked down at them. Whether He marveled the way Will did at the genius of man and the splendid colors that they had created.

His phone beeped that familiar Whatsapp sound announcing what could only mean that Emma was on her way up. He did a final check on his breath, smoothed out his blazer, pushed his oxygen tank behind his leg and stood there practically burning a hole at the place where she was to appear. The staircase door opened and there she was, like something out of a movie. The pearl dress she wore curved with her body in the most sensual way, while the wind blew through her velvet black hair making her tilt her head ever so slightly and close her eyes as if she was enjoying the sensation. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around. Will could only imagine what she saw, the circular white trestle table, two cloches covering the food, an ice bucket with non-alcoholic champagne and a vase in the middle with a single red rose. She clasped her hands over her mouth, “OH my word Will! You did all of this? It's amazing!"

Will shrugged, "I had a lot of help, especially with the heavy lifting."

She came over to hug him, her vanilla scent wafted over the air before she got to him. The hug was tentative like they both felt shy about the whole thing. Will motioned for her to sit down, then proceeded to reveal their dinner in one fluid motion but his grip on the cloche handle was too weak and the thing went sprawling to the pebbles below. He cursed loudly but Emma grabbed his hand, "Wow this looks amazing, forget the silly thing and come sit down. Are those omelets?"

Will sat down still cursing his clumsiness in front of her but he calmed enough to say, "I never told you this but I don't really know how to cook at all."

"What? You? No… neverdays." She had this knowing grin on her face.

"Anyway I do know one thing and that's how to make an omelet, so I stuck to my strengths and viola, dinner is served."

Emma giggled, slicing up a piece and upon her first bite, she moaned into the fork. "This tastes amazing! I don't ever want any other omelet besides this one."

They spent the rest of their meal talking in general, Emma catching Will up on the scandals at schools, laughing over their favorite Theo moments. All the while, Will sat there as if time stretched on endlessly for this moment. He traced every feature she had while she talked to him. As if cataloging everything to keep close to him forever. From those light brown flakes in her emerald eyes, to the way her whole face reacted when she smiled, to the tiny beauty spot below her left eye that made her so damn sexy. When she titled her head to the side it accentuated her eyes in a most sultry way, like some mysterious goddess. Will wanted so badly to tell her all these things, he'd practiced a thousand times. Things like how it felt to have her in his arms or how at peace he felt when she was with him like his insides weren't at war anymore. That she was his best friend and about how connected he felt to her every time he told her about the darkest parts of him. He tried so hard to will his mouth to say this but instead what came out was about the time he farted and blamed her cousin who she didn't talk to for a week after. She laughed so hard that she choked abit on the champagne and didn't that make him feel for her more than ever.

"So Will, I just have to know who was that hooters woman that rocked up here? You've never mentioned any busty, dark-haired friends to me and I would've definitely heard about it from the guys had they known." There was that mischievous grin again.

Will exhaled, "Damn Emma way to throw a guy on the plank. Sheesh well I mean we met awhile back when I was searching for… something and I helped babysit for her while she studied to complete her engineering degree. She's actually fiercely independent, in fact, she almost broke my nose when I first offered to help her study. She takes a lot of night and weekend classes, so the babysitting helped a lot. Then Billy started with the whole 'daddy' thing and I just didn't have the heart to correct him."

Emma nodded, "Oh ok I see, well that all still doesn't mean I have to particularly like her. What's her name?"

"Monique Velasquez."

"Did you sleep with her?"

"What? No, Emma I've told that I haven't slept with anyone yet."

She muttered under her breath pointedly for him to hear, "That's not my fault."

Will couldn't help but smile at the situation, "Jealously looks cute on you Ems."

Emma huffed "Ha! Me, jealous of her? In your dreams Will Scott, in your dreams."

Will put his phone on the table, unlocking it with a swipe and hit play. Thank Sam for his obsession with movie scores. He stood up and held out his hand, "Ems, you're right she and every other women should be completely jealous of how beautiful you look right now. So stand up and come dance with your boyfriend."

She stood up without a word, placing her hands on his biceps and laying her head to rest on his chest as if listening to his heartbeat. Will wrapped his arms around her lower back pulling her close. He let that vanilla scent flow through him freeing every tense muscle in his body. For what seemed like a lifetime they slow danced there in silence just enjoying the music and each other. Emma looked up at him with purposeful eyes, "Will I know that your perspective on things has changed since you were given this unfair burden. I also know that every decision you've made since has been purely driven by how bad your condition is getting. But I need you to promise me something. I need just this one thing."

Will paused as he studied her eyes, they were pleading with him hoping for his answer. He felt gravel in his throat when he answered, "Anything Ems. Anything."

Emma took a deep breath in and he realized just as he had practiced trying to say all those things, she had been practicing saying this, "No more pushing me away, ok? It's us from here on out Will. I can't keep going through you pushing me away whenever things get serious or your condition gets worse. I need you to promise me that for however long this lasts or for however short it is, that we will go through it together. Whether you die tomorrow or whether you get cured, we're in this together. Forget the world, just you and me."

He answered her in the only way that mattered, with a kiss. Their lips touched and the whole world as messy or beautiful as it was, all faded away.

DeviantArt Cred: SsGirlo
***
Happy❤ #ValentinesDAY
Will sat there as if time stretched on endlessly for this moment. He traced every feature she had while she talked to him. As if cataloging everything to keep close to him forever. From those light brown flakes in her emerald eyes, to the way her whole face reacted when she smiled, to the tiny beauty spot below her left eye that made her so damn sexy. When she titled her head to the side it accentuated her eyes in a most sultry way, like some mysterious goddess. Will wanted so badly to tell her all these things, he'd practiced a thousand times. Things like how it felt to have her in his arms or how at peace he felt when she was with him like his insides weren't at war anymore. That she was his best friend and about how connected he felt to her every time he told her about the darkest parts of him. He tried so hard to will his mouth to say this but instead what came out was about the time he farted and blamed her cousin who she didn't talk to for a week after. She laughed so hard that she choked abit on the champagne and didn't that make him feel for her more than ever. #ValentinesDay
A post shared by Enricoh Alfonzo (@alfonzowords) on



© Enricoh Alfonzo ~ Alfonzo Words 
  • I’d love to keep connected with you! 
Follow on Twitter | Like on Facebook Join my Instagram community | Watch me on Pinterest | Subscribe to blog post Updates |
~Be Kind to One Another~ Ellen Degeneres