Wow *deep breath*

I'm taking a second, now that A LITTLE TOO HOT is out in the world, to reflect back on the last year. It was one year ago last Friday, January 17th, that I woke up with Lexie in my head. She told me she thought she might be in love with her stepbrother, Trent. I grabbed my laptop and started typing, and by that night I had the first 10K words of A LITTLE TO FAR. A couple of days later, I shot my omnipotent uber-agent an email with the pitch and asked her if NA was a thing now. (She'd always said it wasn't, but she'd just sold Cora Carmack's LOSING IT to Harper the month before.) She emailed me back and said it was a thing, but that it was still a tough sale. I sent her the first 80 pages of ALTF, which she read and loved, and we agreed to try to sub it. A week later, I'd finished the first draft. We took a few weeks to clean it up, then subbed to editors. It went to my lovely editor at HarperCollins on Friday and on Tuesday we were speaking on the phone. By Thursday we had a pre-empt we were happy with and I had a crazy deadline schedule for the next two books in the series. And that was my year.

So, I find it sort of karmic that the final book in the series would publish exactly one year from when I sent the first feeler to my agent about the idea--a year and four days after I first opened a clean Word doc and started writing Lexie's story. It's been sort of a fairy tale year, and I've met so many awesome readers and fabulous authors--people who have turned into some of my closest friends. (I'm looking at you, Jay and Katy!)

It hasn't always been easy, but it's been wild in the best possible way. It's a ride that I wish could have lasted forever, but instead of looking back, I'm looking forward.

When I wrote A LITTLE TOO FAR, it was in the two weeks that my agent had a new young adult novel that I'd written in December. We put that on the back burner when things started happening with A LITTLE TOO FAR, but I finally had a chance to go back and clean that up before Christmas, and I'm hoping for good things there. I also have some fun new adult ideas knocking around in my head that I'm looking forward to getting on paper, so to speak, in the next few months. I've contributed to a really cool anthology coming out next month, FIFTY FIRST TIMES, with Jennifer L. Armentrout, Molly McAdams, Sophie Jordan and a whole bunch more of us. So, there's not much chance I'll stop writing. But...I will slow down a little. Life got a little crazy in the last half of last year, so I'm taking some time to enjoy my family and just breathe.

Thanks to all you readers who have been along for the ride. You're the reason I love my job. The notes and Tweets make all the insanity worth it. You are the absolute best! xxoxoxoox

A LITTLE TOO HOT Character Week--Harrison HEAT (and a MASSIVE giveaway!)

It's A LITTLE TOO HOT release day! We finally get to unleash Harrison on the world. ALTH is totally stand alone, so there's no need to read the first books in the series before diving in! Here's what you guys are saying about A LITTLE TOO HOT:

5 stars from Good Choice Reading: “Sam loses control a little and that is where the story does a complete twist. One that I had NO IDEA was coming. One second I am all blushing and waiting for the exciting moment, and then all of a sudden I am yelling O-M-G what?!?!?”

5 stars from Dark Faerie Tales: “If you like new adult contemporary novels with lots of steam and intrigue this is a must read for you.”

5 stars from Bittersweet Book Love: “Every once in a while, you read books that completely take you by surprise. This is one of them.”

5 Olives from Martini Time Romance: "When you think you have everything figured out, the author throws us readers a wicked curve ball, and we have no choice but to hang on for the ride. And what a ride it is."

So...yeah. There's a twist. And it involves this guy:

Harrison is that sexy combination of sweet and tough, but he's got his demons. For the most part, he does a decent job of keeping them in check, but they drive him and his need for revenge boils just below the surface of his cool-as-a-cucumber exterior. Harrison is hot, no doubt, but he's also a little mysterious. There's a reason. He's not who he says he is. Things get interesting for Harrison when he meets Sam. She seems to break through all his barriers. He want to get to know her. Hell, he wants HER more than he's ever wanted any other woman. When it become clear that Sam wants him back, he's got a decision to make. The one he makes spins both their lives into a cyclone of chaos that even Harrison never could have anticipated. Their only hope of surviving lies in trusting each other, but how do you do that when someone's shattered that trust. All he wants is Sam in his bed--the one thing he can never have without risking everything. So what he needs to decide is if she's worth it.

And I promised a giveaway! Some amazing authors have blurbed ALTH. Here's what they said:

“Every page is deliciously breathtaking, wickedly sexy and sensational. A LITTLE TOO HOT is wonderfully unique and a LOT HOT! I am a HUGE Lisa Desrochers fan.”
   — Katy Evans, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of REAL, MINE, and REMY

“Lisa is brilliant at creating sizzling sexual tension and impossible circumstances that make the reader hold their breath all the way to happy ever after. Sam and Harrison are more than A Little Too Hot, they are scorching!"
   — Jay Crownover, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of RULE, JET, and ROME

“Lisa Desrochers’ best yet! A LITTLE TOO HOT is hotter than hot with all the emotional punch to back it up!”
   — Sophie Jordan, New York Times bestselling author

Because the ladies are so amazing, I'm giving away a "blurb pack" of signed books by all three. There's REAL, MINE, and REMY by Katy Evans, RULE, JET, and ROME by Jay Crownover, and FOREPLAY by Sophie Jordan! Enter here:

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A LITTLE TOO HOT Character Week--Sam (and win signed books!)

It's A LITTLE TOO HOT release week, which means another Character Week here on the blog! Before we start, though, just a reminder that today is the LAST DAY to pre-order ALTH and earn a BONUS CHAPTER from Harrison's POV. This bonus chapter is only available to those who pre-order and fill out this form for your download code by today. Here's what Katy Evans, NYT bestselling author of REAL said about the bonus content:

"I just read the extra chapter for A LITTLE TOO HOT! @LisaDez are you trying to kill me? I'm still aflutter! Harrison's so sexy!"

Don't miss out on Harrison HEAT!

Also, enter below to win signed books from the authors who blurbed ALTH, including REAL, MINE and REMY by Katy Evans, RULE, JET and ROME by Jay Crownover, and FOREPLAY by Sophie Jordan.

So, we kick ALTH Character Week off with my lovely, yet somewhat misguided heroine, Samantha West. A LITTLE TOO HOT is totally stand alone, and there is no need to read A LITTLE TOO FAR first, but if you did, you might remember Sam. She was Lexie's best friend who was totally lusting on Lexie's stepbrother, Trent. Some of you loved to hate her in A LITTLE TOO FAR, for good reason. Sam was crazy for Trent, and what Lexie couldn't tell her best friend was that she was secretly in love with Trent, so Lexie had to stand by and watch Trent date Sam...which nearly killed her.

Here's what some lovely blog reviewers had to say about that after reading A LITTLE TOO HOT:

"I thought I knew [Sam's] character and personality after reading about her in book 1, but it turns out I didn't know a thing! She's feisty, resilient, and street smart." --Forever Me Romance

"I've got to be honest and say that I didn't like Sam at all in the first book. In fact, I thought she was a calculating, callous, boy crazy bitch. My opinion soon changed upon being able to see events from her point of view." --Book Angel Emma

"The side of Sam we got in A LITTLE TOO FAR was the bratty, best friend side, which doesn't to Sam any justice at all! The Sam I got to know in this book was so much more--determined, feisty, sensual and sweet." --Bittersweet Book Love

So, why the "boy crazy" brattiness in A LITTLE TOO FAR? I'll let Sam explain that to you...

I sit and force my fingers to stop fidgeting with the clip of my garter belt.

“So, no boyfriend?” Harrison asks, and there’s an intensity to the question that unnerves me a little.

“No boyfriend. I’ve really only ever had one.” Oh my God. Why did I just tell him that?

“Me too. That is … one girlfriend,” he clarifies.

“Your fiancée?”

He nods. “How long ago? Your boyfriend, I mean.”

“We broke up a year ago.”

“Were you together long?”

I shake my head. “We were dating for about eight months, but it was long distance.” I don’t tell him the whole time we were together, Trent was in love with someone else, because that just makes me sound pathetic.

“How did you meet?” he asks.

“He untangled his stepsister’s kite string from my braces,” I say, tapping my lips with my finger.

His gaze sticks for a second on my mouth before he lifts it to my eyes. “Braces … ” he says with a tip of his head. “How old where you when you met?”

“Fourteen.”

“So, you knew him for a while before you dated.”

“You could say that.”

He looks at me curiously for a long beat. “There’s a story there.”

I blow out a sigh. “A long and extremely pathetic one.”

“I’m listening.” He settles deeper into the cushions and drapes an arm over the back of the sofa.

I just look at him for a second, trying to gauge if he’s messing with me or if he’s really interested. His liquid gaze is deep and his expression soft but intent. I tip my head back against the sofa and stare at the ceiling. “I was totally in love with him all through high school, and I held out for him for five years, even when he didn’t show any interest, because no one else measured up. So, yeah. I knew him for a while.”

“After all that time, you finally got your man. What happened?”

“He was in love with my best friend … who also happens to be his stepsister.”

There’s a long silence, and I lift my head, but I can’t bring myself to look at him as I tell him things I’ve never said out loud before. “He was practicing with his band in Lexie’s garage, and we were in the driveway flying her kite, but the wind gusted and it did this loop, and the string got caught in my braces. Lexie yanked, I screamed, and when the guys came out of the garage to see what was up, they all started laughing. But not Trent. He came over and got me untangled. And he told the guys to cut the shit when they started calling me Jaws and asking if I got good reception.”

I remember it so clearly.

Hold still, he’d said. He grasped my chin gently and leaned in to examine my mouth. He was a little sweaty from jamming with the guys, and I remember thinking I should think that was gross. But I didn’t. It was the opposite of gross. I’d crushed on a few guys in junior high, but I never remember my heart racing the way it did with Trent so close. He’d unhooked me from the kite, and when he let me go, he smiled this incredible sideways smile and said, Good to go, and that was it.

I sigh and sink deeper onto the cushions. “I fell in love with him right that second. But even though I was under his nose all the time, he never thought of me as anything but his stepsister’s best friend, so, for five years, I pined.”

The heart wants what the heart wants, even if it (he) doesn't want you back. When Sam loses Trent to Lexie, she feels betrayed by both of them. Her best friend and boyfriend have chosen each other over her, and it stings. So she acts out, first by burning bridges with her best friend, then by drowning her sorrows in alcohol. She makes some new friends, the best of whom is lead man for a local band, and the real partying starts...which eventually gets her thrown out of college. A LITTLE TOO HOT is the story of Sam trying to finding herself again after being totally adrift. Unfortunately for her, this involves a little more chaos than she'd anticipated...especially when a certain hero enters the picture.

Enter here for SIGNED BOOKS and check in tomorrow for Harrison's story!

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ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! AHHHH! (plus Harrison heat and all things ALTH)

Yep, it's only one week until the release of A LITTLE TOO HOT! Have you pre-ordered it? If so, guess what? HarperCollins has a BONUS for you! I'm just putting the finishing touches on an exculsive chapter from HARRISON'S POV!  And let me tell you, it is HOT! Pre-order, then go here to claim your bonus chapter.

And, also, have you guys seen the amazing blurbs???

“Every page is deliciously breathtaking, wickedly sexy and sensational. A LITTLE TOO HOT is wonderfully unique and a LOT HOT! I am a HUGE Lisa Desrochers fan.”
   — Katy Evans, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of REAL, MINE, and REMY

“Lisa is brilliant at creating sizzling sexual tension and impossible circumstances that make the reader hold their breath all the way to happy ever after. Sam and Harrison are more than A Little Too Hot, they are scorching!"
   — Jay Crownover, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of RULE, JET, and ROME

“Lisa Desrochers’ best yet! A LITTLE TOO HOT is hotter than hot with all the emotional punch to back it up!”
   — Sophie Jordan, New York Times bestselling author

Those are some awesome authors, and I'm honored that they took the time to read my little book. The blog tours have started, and you have a chance to win signed books by all of those authors! I'm giving away signed copies of REAL, MINE, and REMY by Katy Evans, RULE, JET, and ROME by Jay Crownover, and FOREPLAY by Sophie Jordan. To win, all you have to do it check out one of the blog tour stops (listed below) and fill out the Rafflecopter! That simple!

Here's a little something to get you hot for A LITTLE TOO HOT...

If you want more, you can read the first three chapters here.

And to follow the blog tour and enter to win a massive stash of signed books by all the blurb authors, go here.

A LITTLE TOO HOT excerpt and a little Sam/Harrison heat

Last week, a whole bunch of awesome bloggers helped reveal the first peek at A LITTLE TOO HOT! I'm so excited you're only 2 weeks away from meeting Harrison and Sam. This was a super fun book to write and I hope you love reading it.

To warm you up, here's a snippet of heat from Sam and Harrison. If you like that, scroll down to read the first three chapters.

Exclusive Excerpt of A LITTLE TOO HOT by Lisa Desrochers by WilliamMorrowBooks

Books I read in 2013 that MUST go on your "I have to read them right now!!!!" list.

I didn't get as much of a chance to read this year as I'd like, but that was because I was so busy writing, so I'm not complaining. I did, however, read some truly amazing books, and I'd like to pass those recs along to you on this last day of 2013. Note that not all of these were published in 2013. A few came out in late 2012, and I've slipped one on here that I actually read in December of last year.

So, here we go.

Anything Jay Crownover writes will always and forever be on the top of my list. I read RULE in April and fangirl emailed Jay when I was only halfway through, even though she didn't know I existed. I've NEVER fangirl emailed ANYONE before, but I couldn't help myself. Jay writes the most authentic male
POVs I've ever read, and let me tell you, these boys are smokin' hot. After RULE, it took me months to pick up the next book in the marked men series, because I was so in love with Rule Archer that it felt like cheating on him to move on to JET. ROME releases next week (the day after my birthday, btw, so I've decided he's what I want, in case you were thinking of picking me up a gift ;p) and I was lucky enough to get an ARC. So now I am in love with all of Jay's boys. I am a polygamist. Yes I feel guilty, but not enough to give any of them up. I have never read guys as compelling as these. You definitely want to pick these up.

REAL, MINE, and REMY by Katy Evans have to make the list, because, REMY! He is totally swoon-worthy. Katy also writes some of the hottest sex scenes I've ever read. :D I met Katy in Houston a few months ago, and when she signed my copy of REAL, she wrote that she loved my books. I nearly fell over. Now we have a mutual fangirl thing going, which I love. I've gotten a sneak peek at the first few chapters of her upcoming RAW, and this is another one you are NOT going to want to miss. You think Remy's hot? I dare you not to drool all over Greyson.

And the super fun news? I'll be giving away signed copies of all six of these books for the release of A LITTLE TOO HOT! Follow the blog tours starting on January 13th for your chance to win!

More books I read and loved this year:

BEST KIND OF BROKEN by Chelsea Fine. Unfortunately for you, you can't get your hands on this one until March, but when it releases, you won't want to wait to read it. It was all kinds of heartbreak wrapped up in some of the funniest dialogue I've ever read.

FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowel. This lady is all kinds of talented. I liked Eleanor and Park, but I LOVED FANGIRL. All her books are about normal people in real situations, which isn't really supposed to be great reading, but her characters are just so damn compelling that you HAVE to know what happens to them.

WAIT FOR YOU by J. Lynn. Though this one follows the standard NA tropes, Jennifer is just so insanely talented that she can make something old seem new. And holy hotness, Batman, can she write great swoony boys. Always. You can't help rooting for Avery and Cam to find their way to each other.

LOSING IT by Cora Carmack. If you've read ALTF, you know I like a little silliness, and Cora is the queen of silliness. Her characters end up in serious situations, but there's always a sense that they don't take themselves too seriously, which is refreshing. Like with Chelsea's THE BEST KIND OF BROKEN, you'll find yourself laughing out loud. A lot.

So what did I miss? There are tons of books I'm dying to get to burning a hole in my iPad, like K.A. Tucker's series and Christina Lee's ALL OF YOU, but I'm a book junkie, so I'm always glad for more suggestions. What were your favorites this year?

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 20!!

Happy Christmas to all who celebrate! And today culminates our 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration! I've had so much fun bringing you these sweet little nothings. (Yes, there are times I really hate my job ;p) Today's post features my favorite line from A LITTLE TOO MUCH.

I hope maybe you'll consider reading about my beautifully tormented French-Italian-American ex-almost-priest. His story starts in A LITTLE TOO FAR, in Rome with Lexie. We find out a lot about him through Lexie's eyes. But after he makes his life-altering decision there, the rest of his journey in A LITTLE TOO MUCH nearly proves to be his undoing. He broke my heart in this book. He and Hilary are two of the most complex characters I've ever written. Library Journal says: "Although Hilary is tough on the outside, her honest narration leave her raw and exposed to the reader, which makes her plight all the more substantial."

I love Hilary. I love Alessandro. He's very private and keeps his thoughts and feelings closely guarded, but he's starting to open up. There's more to his story, and I hope to be able to bring it to you from his perspective soon. So...our last taste of my tortured, beautiful man.

Happy holidays to you all! There will be some exciting things happening after the New Year, including a contest for signed books from all the fabulous authors who blurbed A LITTLE TOO HOT (Katy Evans, Jay Crownover, Sophie Jordan) so I'll see you then!

{hugs}