Donna Cummings – Page 2 – Romance Lives Forever

RLF Gems

In February, Romance Lives Forever introduced two new
features. Cover Love is a short intro to a book and includes only a blurb, buy
links, and social media contacts for the author. We use it if one of our scheduled
authors is unable to appear, and no other material is on hand. If you would
like to submit your book for this feature, see the FAQ page for more
information. The other was a full week dedicated to one publisher. There will
be four this year, including Liquid Silver Books
in June, and JMS Books LLC in September. For
February, it was the Boroughs
Publishing Group, “Where Story Matters.”

There were 7 posts by Boroughs, 17 author interviews, 3 book
releases, and 1 article for 28 posts in a 28 day month.

There were unusual ties this month. Jerrie Alexander and Keta Diablo
shared a spot because their posts went up the same day. Boroughs took first,
third, and fourth place, and three people had even numbers of hits for fifth. Here
are the top posts (judging by page hits).

1. Boroughs Publishing

2. Jerrie Alexander / Keta Diablo

3. Boroughs Publishing

4. Boroughs Publishing

5. Vicki Batman

5. Allie Ritch

5. Donna Cummings

Authors who guest with us are promoted on Facebook, via
Triberr to over 549k potential readers, are featured front page in the daily Romance Lives Forever Paper.li ezine,
and the blog has its own hashtag (#rlfblog) on Twitter. This year, we also
created the Booklover’s Guide to Romance
Lives Forever with links to guest authors’ books and social media. It is
110 pages crammed full of who to follow and what to read. The FAQ page provides
updated downloads of optional interview questions, and a guide to the blog. You
can also grab our button to promote your visit.

My thanks to all who took part this month. You made Romance
Lives Forever a great place to discover new books and authors.

Other participants this month in alphabetical order by first
name are:

Ashlynne Laynne, Brita
Addams, Chris Karlsen, Helena Harker, Janet Elizabeth Jones, Jennifer France, Kara
Leigh Miller, Lorrie Struiff, Lynda Kaye Frazier, Paloma Beck, Raine Delight, Serena
Zane, Tara Fox Hall, Vicki Batman, Victoria Blisse

Sister Blogs for Romance Lives
Forever Launching Soon

Pure Hearts Romance
— Sweet Romance, Spunky Authors

Books at Lunch —
Your Lunchtime Hangout for Great Books

Gay Romance Lit — Never
the Same Romance. Always the Same Sex.

(watch for details)

Donna Cummings, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. Let’s talk
about your book, I Do…or Die.

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Crimson Romance

Length: 272 pages

Heat rating: Sensual

Tagline: Getting shot at during a wedding was the best thing
to happen to her love life.

Blurb:

“Always a bridesmaid, never a bride” is Shelby Atwood’s personal
credo. She’s managed to avoid commitment all her life – no pets, no plants, not
even a long-term lease. Heck, she’s had colds last longer than her romantic relationships.
How could she be any other way when she has a gigolo for a father?

But then gunfire erupts at the latest wedding she’s agreed to
be in, and it ends up being the best thing to happen to Shelby’s love life. Detective Ryan Nichols is
assigned to the case, and when the shootings don’t stop, he becomes her 24-hour
bodyguard. Shelby
wouldn’t mind except Ryan is too appealing, too sexy, and too happy to remind her
of the raucous bachelorette party when she mistook him for a stripper.

Shelby’s
plan is simple: find the shooter, have a fling with Ryan, and return to her non-committal
life. Unfortunately, the shooter is very elusive. Shelby’s feelings for Ryan are way more than adrenaline-fueled
lust. And returning to her normal life is now impossible since, despite her lifelong
resistance, she’s managed to put her heart smack dab in the line of fire.

Buy links:

Crimson
Romance http://crimsonromance.com/crimson-romance-ebooks/crimson-romance-book-genres/contemporary-romance-novels/i-do-or-die/

Amazon
http://amazon.com/dp/B00AB3TBOC

Barnes and Noble http://barnesandnoble.com/w/i-do-or-die-donna-cummings/1114001417?ean=9781440560514

Kobo http://kobobooks.com/ebook/I-Do-Or-Die/book-H9enFejPcUi4zqyj0hCYEw/page1.html

What are your main characters’ names, ages, and occupations?

Shelby Atwood, early
30’s, TV food personality

Ryan Nichols, mid-30’s,
detective

Interview

What inspired you to write this book?

This book started out
with a little riff from a bridesmaid chatting about all the outrageous bridesmaid
dresses she’d had to wear. And then all of a sudden this chatty character became
the heroine, Shelby, who had been a bridesmaid for her best friend four different
times, only Shelby
hates weddings. And then there was gunfire at the latest ceremony. . .Things just
kind of went crazy from there!

Which character in your current book do you think readers
will like the most? Why?

Shelby seems to endear herself to readers, probably
because of her kooky adventures, and her commitment-phobe qualities, as well as
her hilarious commentary on all of it. There’s definitely a fan base for the hero,
Ryan, though.

When you’re not writing, what would we find you doing?

Probably “getting
ready to write” or feeling guilty for not writing! I hang out a lot on Twitter,
and I love to get inspired by looking at things on Pinterest, and I count them as
invaluable research tools. *cough* Because they are!

Are you a plotter, or do you prefer to make it up on the spur
of the moment?

I am a confirmed pantser.
I’m not even sure I make stuff up–it just shows
up in my brain, and I write it down. It feels like I’m the official stenographer
for these characters. They say and do what they want to, and I type away. Sometimes
I’ll pretend like I’m the movie director and suggest they move over here, or say
such-and-such. When I’m done, they go back to what they were doing in the first
place, and I just start typing again.

What’s your writing schedule like?

It’s pretty much a variation
of this: “Okay, I’ve got my coffee, so I’ll open up the WIP and get my word
count done for the day. Oh, wait. I better check Twitter one more time. And Facebook–I
think somebody left a comment, and I don’t want them feeling ignored. Wow, it’s
lunchtime already. Well, I’ll just go ahead and check the sales stats on Amazon
and then really hit it at 1:30. No, 1:45. Heck, I might as well just round it up
to–how did it get to be 6 p.m. already?!”

Any advice for new authors?

Write the story that
won’t leave you alone. It may be slightly outside your current skill set, but work
at it anyway. You’ll discover what you like, what your strengths are, and most importantly,
you’ll find your voice. THAT is your most valuable tool as a writer. It’s what will
keep readers wanting to read everything you write.

If you could time travel what era would be your first stop?

I didn’t even have to
think about this one! I would go to Regency London, and have a grand time with all
those rogues and rakes.

Do you believe in luck?

I’m not sure if I’d call
it luck, but I definitely believe there’s something
that happens outside of the normal everyday plane. It feels like coincidence sometimes,
the way things happen, being in the right place at just the right moment. Or having
someone show up just as you need them to.

What’s your favorite movie?

I love romance and humor,
so I have a few movies I can watch a zillion times and never get tired of them.
Strictly Ballroom is one, and Notting Hill is another.