On My iPod

It's Friday! Normally on Fridays, I post a feature on my Facebook author page called "On My iPod" where I share songs inspiring my current project (songs that will later appear on that books official playlist). And because there's not a ton of crossover, I thought I'd begin sharing those Friday tidbits here on the News as well. Would you enjoy that?

Good! ;)

I'm still hard at work on both Dain and Olivia's story AND Deacon and Elliot's story. And the whole clan seems particularly drawn to Fall Out Boy for some reason. :) In fact, every time I think about Deacon and Elliot butting heads, one particular song comes to mind. Elliot is a bit of a firecracker, after all...

(Enjoy!)

Release Day PARTY!

ONLY FOR THE WEEKEND is here! It's been a long time coming, it seems, though TAKE ME only released at the end of June, a mere five months ago. I think I just got used to having a new book out every other month. :) But...no more waiting! You can read Jane and Vincent's story right now, for only 99 cents. And while you head over to grab your copy, I'm going to be putting on some music, because you know it's not a release day party around here without a book playlist and all the fun details behind the music I chose. So go download your book, and then come back here for some fun behind-the-scenes facts!

*By the way, don't forget to read all the way to the end to find out how to enter my release day giveaway. Two readers will win a heart-lock-and-key necklace from Oddoleather!*

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iBooks

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

All Romance eBooks

Kobo

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Each of my books has a "theme song." I can't help it; I write to music, and not the instrumental kind. I'm inspired by sound and emotion, and each book has a song that tends to grab on and not let go. Much to my dismay, Vincent and Jane didn't want to cooperate in this area for quite some time. In fact, the only song that seemed to catch THEIR attention was one I really didn't want to like.

You know who won that battle, don't you? ;)

So yes, the theme song for ONLY FOR THE WEEKEND is by the one-and-only Taylor Swift: "Style." And it fits Jane and Vincent so damn well.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CmadmM5cOk&w=560&h=315]

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What else was on the list? Oddly enough, another female artist ended up on repeat: Ellie Goulding with "Love Me Like You Do." That line, "What are you waiting for?" -- that was Jane all the way!

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

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We've got the slow dancing down, obviously. Were there any faster songs on the playlist? There sure were! One in particular got put on repeat quite a bit: "Sugar" by Maroon 5. Yum!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09R8_2nJtjg&w=560&h=315]

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Okay, one more. :)

Jane's story starts far before her night with V. in Las Vegas -- it starts eight years before, to be exact. The night she took a chance and propositioned her best friend's sexy older brother. That brother, Vincent, turned her down, for reasons she never learns until Vegas, but that doesn't mean the story's over. This song spoke Jane's broken heart to me in ways I might not have gotten otherwise. (Not to mention Gavin DeGraw's voice is di-vine.) "Not Over You."

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDWhfsQHq1o&w=560&h=315]

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All right, that's today's dance party, but that doesn't mean the dancing has to stop! You can go over to the If Only series page and see a full list of songs for this series, including the upcoming April release of Hank and Sage's book, ONLY FOR THE NIGHT. And don't forget your copy of ONLY FOR THE WEEKEND! You won't regret the two hours it takes to read it, trust me. ;)

Giveaway Prizes

I have a release week giveaway going on right now as well! Two readers will win these adorable heart-lock-and-key necklaces from Oddoleather (and yes, those are handmade suede pouches to store your necklace in). I've been drooling over these since they came in the mail, and I can't wait for them to be yours! (Sorry, US only.)

Go on over to the Rafflecopter page and enter the giveaway to win!

Have a great weekend!

~ Ella

Release Day Dance Par-tay!

It's kind of become a tradition that past sixteen months (can you believe it's been sixteen months since Dirty Little Secret came out?) to have a dance party on release day, featuring the playlist for the new book. And since TRUST ME went live yesterday, today we are going to PAR-TAY!!!! Jack and Maddie's story actually had two different playlists because it had two different incarnations. The first story, written a few years ago (and much lighter on the plot line), was heavy on the country music. I'm not a huge fan of country music, so I had to educate myself. But when it came time to revise Trust Me, a whole new playlist came to life. That's the one I'm gonna share with you today!

Of course, I couldn't get away from the country song that inspired the story itself. Trust Me's heroine, Maddie, has been on the run for years. Only the need to find a missing girl has drawn her out of the shadows. Her story was inspired by the Rascal Flatts song "Stand."

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_Vzpjv_kR4&w=560&h=315]

Trust Me's hero, Jack, is a badass, no doubt about it. From a young age he's taken care of himself, and now he takes care of those around him with everything he has to give. His theme song? "Train" by 3 Doors Down.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZF6WDnaBOs&w=560&h=315]

Jack and Maddie are explosive together. Whether they are sparring verbally or battling their way into (or out of) each other's arms, nothing comes easy for them -- until trust is built between them. Only then can Maddie give her body to him. Their first love scene (well, the first one that doesn't take them by surprise :) ) was inspired by one of my favorite songs from the latest album by Daughtry, "Baptized."

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fu4h_rx4lyc&w=560&h=315]

Another song from the original playlist that continued on to the final version of the story was another Daughtry favorite, "Tennessee Line" with Vince Gill.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLQkaKW43pY&w=420&h=315]

There is one thing that draws me to Jack more than anything else (though yes, his bod is definitely a draw!). But I love the tenderness and determination he has to prove to Maddie that she can trust him, that he will live up to his promises, that he's not like the man who hurt her in the past. What song did I play over and over and over while I watched Jack struggle to earn Maddie's trust? "Wherever You Will Go" by The Calling.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAP9AF6DCu4&w=420&h=315]

Of course, there are far more songs on Trust Me's playlist than just these. To see the rest, visit Trust Me's Extras Page here. And don't forget to grab your copy of Trust Me this week only for the "Reader Appreciation" price of $0.99!

Amazon

All Romance Ebooks

Kobo

Barnes & Noble

One more thing! This week, IndieSagePR is hosting a giveaway for Trust Me's release. You can enter the Rafflecopter giveaway here before Friday, February 6th!

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.