Another week begins! (with another contest!)
Jul
7
2014

Today I’m going to give away a copy of LAID BARE!  Winner’s choice of trade paper, mass market or digital formats! (Details at bottom of post, ONLY ENTER AT MY BLOG PLEASE)

 

Laid Bare mm

 

Unexpected Desire…

It’s been ten years since clean-cut, sexy-as-hell police officer Todd Keenan had a white-hot fling with Erin Brown, the provocative, wild rocker chick next door. Their power exchange in the bedroom got under his skin. But love wasn’t in the cards just yet…

Now, life has thrown the pair back together. But picking up where they left off is tough, in light of a painful event from Erin’s past. As Todd struggles to earn her trust, their relationship takes an unexpected and exciting turn when Todd’s best friend, Ben, ends up in their bed—and all three are quite satisfied in this relationship without a name. As the passion they share transforms Erin, will it be enough to help her face the evil she thought she had left behind?

Back in the day, an author missed or messed up her deadline in some way and they had a spot to fill very quickly. I’d written a few books for them by that point, but what they offered me was a one book deal (in addition to the 3 book one I already had). I remember several of the authors I knew told me to never take a one book offer. That is was awful and humiliating.

I took that deal. And I wrote this book. And, like a great many other important moments in my life, it turned out to have been one of the best choices I ever made. Laid Bare widened my base. I was already writing contemporary romance with my Chase series, which was doing quite well, but Laid Bare was different. Bigger. I can still remember the time in my life when I wrote it. I can still remember driving with my editor in my beat up old minivan because she’d come out to the Emerald City conference, telling her the story had, um, changed some (like for instance it was a menage). And she was like, “Go for it! I can’t wait to see it.”  That was important, by the way. That she just handed me the reins and let me write the book I needed to write.

Anyway, like I said, it was a single book deal with a rock star sister who dug being dominated by the hot cop next door. Her one brother ran a tattoo parlor and her other brother was a musician just like she was. There’s a lot of angst in that book. Erin’s story was easy to tell because she’s one of those characters who has such a strong point of view. But not every book or character is as easy, not even within that series!  But I loved writing each and every book and in some important ways it’s led me to where I am right this very moment.

 

SO – would you like to win a copy of LAID BARE (Brown Family book 1): A great many of my books are set in the northwest. Do you have any favorite settings? Ones you don’t like?  Any books set in your faves that you want to share? Winner announced this Friday, July 11 here on the blog. 

45 comments to “Another week begins! (with another contest!)”

  1. Make Kay
    July 7th, 2014 at 8:00 am · Link

    The Brown series is my favorite locale. Such a great and caring community of people- it’s awesome?



  2. Savonna
    July 7th, 2014 at 8:24 am · Link

    It tickles me when a story is set in San Francisoc, my hometown. I like to see how accurate the author is in describing locations in the City. I have the worst time with books that a futuristic in nature or about another planet. I get so caught up trying to imagine the setting that I forget the purpose of the story…grrr!



  3. Jessyka
    July 7th, 2014 at 8:37 am · Link

    I love the Brown Siblings. I haven’t read this one yet but I really want to. Ben, Erin and Todd are awesome together. Erin has had to overcome so much and with the help of her two guys she is doing great. 🙂



  4. Fran K
    July 7th, 2014 at 8:38 am · Link

    As a Brit living in the UK, I don’t know your settings at all but I love the idea of Petal, Georgia and Bainbridge Island. Petal, just because the name is great, and Bainbridge because being an island dweller it just appeals. In all the book locations though its the people that make it a place I’d love to visit one day.



  5. donnas
    July 7th, 2014 at 11:17 am · Link

    I love Chicago, but no not really a specific favorite.



  6. bn100
    July 7th, 2014 at 12:12 pm · Link

    don’t have any fav settings



  7. Kelli
    July 7th, 2014 at 1:02 pm · Link

    No favorite settings. Just so LOVE the Brown family.



  8. Kelly Walker
    July 7th, 2014 at 1:04 pm · Link

    My favorite setting is Scotland.



  9. Sasha R
    July 7th, 2014 at 1:04 pm · Link

    First I love this book and would love a paperback! I love Washington state settings, one of my favorite series is set in Wyoming! <3 I like the South as well, like Georgia! 🙂



  10. Nicole Plummer
    July 7th, 2014 at 1:06 pm · Link

    First off I absolutely love, love, love this book. I can’t even remember the number if times I’ve read it and I think it’s perfectly located in the northwest. Second, I don’t really have a particular place where I like book locations. I think it’s cool when it’s written somewhere I’ve been or lived, like Boston but it doesn’t really matter if it fits the storyline. The Chase series wouldn’t fit anywhere but Georgia. Ultimately I think the story and location have to fit, regardless of where it is.



  11. Larri S.
    July 7th, 2014 at 1:20 pm · Link

    I don’t have a favorite setting, but I do like settings with which I’m familiar. It’s fun to read about places I’ve been. I lived in the Seattle area for six years in the late 80s to mid-90s and enjoy this series for many, many reasons that include the Seattle setting.



  12. Amy Rickman
    July 7th, 2014 at 1:25 pm · Link

    I really like Jaci Burton’s Play by Play series which is centered in my home town but reading series like The Brown Siblings and subsequent spin offs makes we want to travel to places that were never on my bucket list. I agree with others that posted the story and location need to fit and if a writer is more familiar with a location it just enhances everything.



  13. Melanie J
    July 7th, 2014 at 1:37 pm · Link

    I don’t have a favorite setting – but I do like books that have a specific setting! It makes it more easier to get into the story.

    Love this books – thanks for the giveaway!



  14. Aleta Richard
    July 7th, 2014 at 1:39 pm · Link

    I loved this story. 😆



  15. Leslea Wylie
    July 7th, 2014 at 1:46 pm · Link

    Absolutely love this series! For that matter I love all your series 🙂



  16. Diana M
    July 7th, 2014 at 1:46 pm · Link

    I love all the Brown family books… But then again so are all your books 🙂



  17. Amy
    July 7th, 2014 at 1:51 pm · Link

    I like books that take place in the Pacific Northwest, especially Portland.



  18. Sheila
    July 7th, 2014 at 1:59 pm · Link

    Already have this one. This story made me fall in love with the Brown family and the strength that Erin has touches the heart. I don’t really have any favorite settings.



  19. Brenda Crider
    July 7th, 2014 at 2:17 pm · Link

    LOVE the Brown family series!!!! It’s easier to tell where my least favorite setting is and that’s in England! But usually not real picky about locale!



  20. Amanda
    July 7th, 2014 at 2:29 pm · Link

    This is the first book that I read of yours. After that I was addicited, thank you.I don’t have a favorite location.



  21. Jordan H.
    July 7th, 2014 at 2:59 pm · Link

    I have a weakness for books set in Scotland and Ireland.



  22. Elizabeth B.
    July 7th, 2014 at 3:19 pm · Link

    I do not have a favorite location, but I do love small town settings. However, it doesn’t matter where you “set” the Brown family, I would love this series no matter what!



  23. Beth Wilson
    July 7th, 2014 at 3:23 pm · Link

    I read the Delicious Series. Now I’m on book 4 of The Brown Family Series. I can’t wait for The Hurley Boys Series. Lauren I love your books! I can’t say that I have a favorite setting.



  24. Carrie
    July 7th, 2014 at 3:30 pm · Link

    I love books set in Wyoming or Montana bc I have never been either of these places and I like reading about them!



  25. Christine Houser
    July 7th, 2014 at 3:35 pm · Link

    I own this entire series and I have to say I loved them. Steamy hot scenes, great characters to make you fall in love and above all else one of the best reads that I have read this year. You can’t just read one…



  26. Melinda Hennies
    July 7th, 2014 at 4:07 pm · Link

    I love the Brown Family…..I wish there could be more!!!!!



  27. Gi
    July 7th, 2014 at 4:22 pm · Link

    Don’t really have a preferred setting in the USA as I live in the UK. Guess I do love the qwerkiness of small towns though. I already own a copy of this book so if I win I would be giving it to a friend. 🙂



  28. kimmi swart
    July 7th, 2014 at 4:35 pm · Link

    I love any small town settings.



  29. Timitra
    July 7th, 2014 at 5:17 pm · Link

    I love stories set in Scotland, the U.S. okay I’ll read pretty much stories set any where in the world…my fave series set in Scotland is Karen Marie Moning’s Highlander series



  30. Elizabeth Farrar
    July 7th, 2014 at 5:53 pm · Link

    I have a tendency to read books set in the Pacific Northwest, but I do love a good book based in Texas, Georgia, or New York as well. In the end, what matters most to me is if the book has a well thought out storyline and compels me to read it in one sitting.



  31. Andrea T
    July 7th, 2014 at 6:33 pm · Link

    I live in the south, so I love when I have a book set in the Pacific Northwest. I also love Coastal NC.



  32. Angel
    July 7th, 2014 at 7:12 pm · Link

    I would love to see one set in the east coast in a state that isn’t usually used. Most books are set in the usual big cities on the west coast and the east coast or set in a beach town. What about Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Michigan?



  33. jennifer beck
    July 7th, 2014 at 8:18 pm · Link

    I love this series and I can’t get enough!!! 😳 😈



  34. Julie Werner
    July 7th, 2014 at 9:14 pm · Link

    I don’t have a favorite locale because, to me, wherever a well-written story is set is my favorite locale at that moment.



  35. J Carter
    July 7th, 2014 at 10:17 pm · Link

    I don’t have a preference for the settings. I love the Brown family series. I can’t wait to read about the Hurley brothers.



  36. Fatavia . Scott
    July 7th, 2014 at 10:21 pm · Link

    Don’t really have a preference, but I would love to read about a setting in Tampa, Fl.



  37. Elsa
    July 7th, 2014 at 11:24 pm · Link

    I’m from the UK, so I like all books set in parts of America I usually don’t know of, that is not the major cities.



  38. Aurore
    July 8th, 2014 at 2:07 am · Link

    It’s great that you took the chance to publish a standalone book and it worked out so perfectly well in the end. Not that it’s surprising, really, the Brown siblings are just great!
    I don’t want to be entered for the giveaway of Laid Bare (already have my copy and love the book). I really like stories set in the Northwest, like your Brown siblings novels. It seems like such a nice place to live, very calm and beautiful and, at the same time, with plenty of things to do.



  39. Michele Ficht
    July 8th, 2014 at 4:36 am · Link

    I have all of your books in paperback. Love this series. Good luck to everyone. If my name gets picked, please pay it forward to someone who doesn’t have it.
    😀



  40. Sarah Valerio
    July 8th, 2014 at 5:22 am · Link

    I love reading your different series. Whether in the Pacific Northwest or the South it is all good to me. I don’t travel much, so with your books as well as a few other authors I get to go on vacations and adventures through your words. Thank you (:



  41. Courtney S
    July 8th, 2014 at 8:06 am · Link

    While I don’t necessarily have a favorite location, I DO tend to gravitate toward stories set in The South, which is where I was born & (mostly) raised.



  42. Denise B
    July 8th, 2014 at 11:54 am · Link

    Coming Undone was my first Brown Siblings book I read. I just finished Never Broken…have been trying to get my hands on Laid Bare & Inside Out. Thank goodness these don’t have to be read in order. 😉



  43. Shelley Newham
    July 8th, 2014 at 6:07 pm · Link

    I love when books are set in my hometown of Chicago. It’s a fabulous city & I miss it very much!



  44. JLowe
    July 9th, 2014 at 5:52 pm · Link

    The Brown Family books in one word Awesomeness!! I love every single one of them!



  45. JLowe
    July 9th, 2014 at 6:00 pm · Link

    Actually I dont have an exact favorite location to write about. Since I am from the central northeast its cool to read about other areas of the country. Even though I may already have a copy of laid bare, its not the trade size like the others that I have. Love the creativity you put in all your books..